This combination of newsreel footage, mostly silent but a few with sound, is an interesting look back at an era of change. It starts with the end of World War II and goes to the great depression start in 1929. Along the way, the viewer will witness labor riots, race riots, the amazing entertainers, the introduction of prohibition and a lot of political upheaval. With the narration of Robert Q. Lewis, Frederick Lewis Allen, Elmer Davis and Allen Prescott, this provides an often humorous but mainly factual view at where we were 100 years ago. The print I viewed had a rather warbly musical soundtrack so that might be annoying to some. However, every important figure of that time is there, starting with President Wilson and ending up with President Hoover (Harding and Coolidge in between), as well as such figures as General Pershing, J.P. Morgan, Al Jolson, and even Peggy Hopkins Joyce.
There are profiles on the dance crazes, movie styles and important theatrical achievements as well as trends both sublime and ridiculous. The view of the Florida real estate boom is very interesting (considering some weather challenges), and economical challenges of the time are also detailed. A humorous shot of prohibition shows a daring man trying to fill up a bottle as barrels of booze are emptied and the cops stopping him. of course, this leads to a profile of the great gangsters of the time, although in its brief running time not every one of them is mentioned.
Still, as a recorded record of history, it is quite educational and entertaining at the same time, and gives us an idea of where we were in an era that saw the auto boom and the creation of a contraption named radio. You may not come out of this wanting to do the Charleston or the Black Bottom (dance crazes of the time), but it's important to see where we've come from in the past century in order to understand our present.
There are profiles on the dance crazes, movie styles and important theatrical achievements as well as trends both sublime and ridiculous. The view of the Florida real estate boom is very interesting (considering some weather challenges), and economical challenges of the time are also detailed. A humorous shot of prohibition shows a daring man trying to fill up a bottle as barrels of booze are emptied and the cops stopping him. of course, this leads to a profile of the great gangsters of the time, although in its brief running time not every one of them is mentioned.
Still, as a recorded record of history, it is quite educational and entertaining at the same time, and gives us an idea of where we were in an era that saw the auto boom and the creation of a contraption named radio. You may not come out of this wanting to do the Charleston or the Black Bottom (dance crazes of the time), but it's important to see where we've come from in the past century in order to understand our present.