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20th Century Fox - The First 50 Years | 
| Director: Kevin Burns
Actors: Julie Andrews, Red Buttons, Alice Faye, Roddy Mcdowall, Don Murray
Studio: Image Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $10.35
You Save: $4.64 (31%)
New (31) Used (12) from $10.35
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 15669
Format: Black & White, Color, Dvd, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 150 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: 8767
ISBN: 6305837538
UPC: 014381876727
EAN: 9786305837534
ASIN: 6305837538
Theatrical Release Date: January 21, 1997
Release Date: August 15, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 02/06/2007 Run time: 129 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
Darryl Zanuck was an anomaly among Hollywood moguls, a studio head who rose from the ranks of writers and producers and never lost his respect for stories or screenwriters. 20th Century Fox: The First 50 Years, a whirlwind tour through the studio that Zanuck built, never reveals much of the man but ably documents his achievements. Writer-director Kevin Burns, who has made a career chronicling the studio's fortunes, spotlights Fox's industry-shaking innovations--the sound-on-film Movietone process in the late 1920s and the widescreen CinemaScope process in the early 1950s--and dives into the crisis of Cleopatra, which threatened to bankrupt the studio. It was saved by a little musical by the name of The Sound of Music. To illustrate the studio's early foray into TV production, he unearths extremely rare clips of telefilm remakes of Fox classics Laura (starring Robert Stack) and Miracle on 34th Street (with Thomas Mitchell). The balance of the portrait is an infomercial for the studio's greatest hits, a montage of classic film clips only intermittently spiced with interviews and behind-the-scenes glimpses. Narrated by James Coburn, this documentary is an entertaining look at the changing face of Hollywood and the changing fortunes of its classiest studio. Though rarely as probing as it could be, it's pleasantly informative. --Sean Axmaker
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
Great for reference material February 18, 2009
D. S. Wymore (Catskill Mountains, NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased this DVD for two reasons: 1.) because I'm a big fan of the films of Twentieth Century Fox from the 1930s and 2.) I teach a scenic art class that focuses on painting scenery for film and television production. The DVD has many behind the scenes footage of a working film studio from that era - everything from the carpentry shops to the wardrobe department to the commissary. Since part of my classes features a short history lesson of the film studios of that era, this footage is extremely helpful in demonstrating what it was like to work in a film studio back then. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who has an interest in the workings of a major film studio during the Studio Era. It also has many clips from Fox films that have never seen the light of day on VHS or DVD.
A great look at the history of Fox February 6, 2007
J. Witoszynski (Los Angeles, CA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Not being familair with the history of 20th Century Fox, this was a great way to learn A LOT about the ups and down of the studio. One of the added bonus videos was pretty neat - the presentation to the Board members back in the 40's. It showed off areas of the studio and the "stars" of that time - many I thought "who's that?" A great overall collection for film buffs wanting to learn about the Fox studios.
 A great DVD for any history buff May 7, 2002
David Shapiro (Hollywood, CA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
When I moved to Hollywood about 5 months ago I did not know anything about the motion picture business nor the city where I live. As someone who loves history I started out to seek good books on the history of Hollywood. Most of the I found where good but dry. I found this DVD about a week ago and I love it. The DVD takes a look at the history of 20th Century Fox. The DVD moves at a good speed and really looks at the people and the films that made 20th Century Fox what it is today. The clips and the photos in the DVD are great also. It is a must have for any film or Hollywood history buff.
Movie buffs, old timers, and foxy people only! September 13, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I found this an extremely interesting documentary on The Studio, (as it was known before it's slew of Drew Barrymore vehicles, where she plays a virgin... again.) It was also fairly entertaining. The DVD, however, is recommended, in my humble opinion, to only those who are self-acknowledged movie buffs, or were alive at the time of Fox's first 50 years, or who are just FOX-y people. This is not recommended for the casual viewer, but for the viewer with the specific requirements mentioned. On the plus side, there are many insights into both The Studio and early film-making in general, and also featured are dailies from various Marilyn Monroe films of her 'goofing up' during her more traumatic years.
WOW! Better than "That's Entertainment!"! August 16, 2000
29 out of 29 found this review helpful
I'm usually not a fan of big, blowsy, overblown studio self-tributes, but this is the happy exception! At just over two hours, the documentary is concise, well written, and brilliantly edited. Super-cool James Coburn provides the "voice of god" narration. The title is a little confusing, however. It suggests that the documentary covers only "the first 50 years" (1915-1965) but the program actually acknowledges Fox's history up to the present (although not in as much detail). (By the way, you DO get a brief glimpse of "Star Wars", probably the only footage we're going to see it on DVD for quite awhile!) The "greats" are all here, of course (Grable, Temple, Power, Monroe, "Grapes of Wrath", "All About Eve", "The Longest Day", etc., but so are some of Fox's rarely seen silent offerings ("A Fool There Was", "The Iron Horse", "Sunrise"). The studio's foray into sound is a particular highlight - and proves that it was Fox, not Warner Brothers, who was the first to perfect talking pictures! There are incredible rarities in this program too (footage of Marilyn's last film, Fox's 1950s TV remakes of their classic films, outtakes galore, screen tests, etc.), and the producers didn't shy away from mentioning that the studio also produced its share of bombs ("Wilson" comes to mind). Movie lovers will be happy to know that the DVD edition is pristine. I can hardly believe the picture and sound quality - especially when considering the age and rarity of some of the materials. The DVD also offers more than two hours of bonus materials! (Mostly product reels, but fascinating.) All-in-all, a well crafted, balanced look at one of the last great Hollywood dream factories. Highly enjoyable and informative.
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