The Complete Story of Film Blu-ray Review

THE DOCUMENTARIES

The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011) — This is an inclusive and ground-breaking journey through the history of world cinema and a treat for movie lovers around the globe. Guided by filmmaker Mark Cousins, this insightful 15-hour love letter to the movies begins with the invention of motion pictures at the end of the 19th century, continuing through the entire 20th century of moviemaking and concluding with the globalized digital industry of the 21st.

The Story of Film: A New Generation (2021) — Cousins picks up where Odyssey left off, returning with a new epic and hopeful tale of modern cinema innovation in the new millennium, exploring how movies and moviegoing have evolved and will continue to transform to our collective joy and wonder.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 1/5

This four-disc set comes housed in a fold-out cardboard digipak and comes with a very nice booklet with an interview by Mark Cousins as well as a listing of all of the films and filmmakers referenced in the numerous chapters. Only on-disc feature is a trailer.

VIDEO – 4¼/5, AUDIO – 4/5

Both documentaries are presented in their original 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and given 1080p high-definition transfers. Although this is a documentary, the video presentation still looked quite good with sharp detail for both interviews and footage from the various movies referenced, and there were no signs of aliasing or artifacting.

Both documentaries come accompanied with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks which were more than serviceable for the series. Dialogue comes across with good clarity and although depth wasn’t anything noteworthy, there was some during the various clips shown throughout.