The Complete Story of Film collects two epic documentaries by Mark Cousins into a stunningly expansive global journey through film history from the birth of cinema to today.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey 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 wonderfully 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.

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

For additional thoughts on The Story Of Film: A New Generation, please check out our previous DVD review.

For thoughts on The Complete Story Of Film, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

The Complete Story Of Film comes to Blu-Ray with a terrific 1080p transfer with the initial 15 installments spread across three discs and The Story Of Film: A New Generation presented on the fourth disc. While that does mean a lot of information is put on these early discs, we did not not spot any compromise in quality such as compression artifacts. We previously reviewed the latest installment on DVD, and we are thrilled to get that one upgraded to HD along with the original documentary series. With the added resolution, you can more clearly capture the beauty that these films from all decades and areas of the world have to offer.

This journey is primarily archival film clips with sporadic interviews and establishing shots interspersed throughout. With this project covering the entire history of film, you are obviously working with wildly different levels of quality. When exploring the most recent decades you are working with a higher level of visual quality, but the earliest material is no eyesore. The quality of each source seems to be derived from the best elements available to the creative team. Colors are brilliantly saturated and black levels show no egregious signs of crush or other digital anomalies. Skin tones appear to be natural and details hold up extremely well in close up. Documentaries may not be the first thing you think of when assessing visual wonder, but having this cinematic exploration on Blu-Ray dazzles us just as much as any modern blockbuster.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray set comes with both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 track which accomplishes everything that is asked of it without fail. Narration is crisp and clear throughout and the clips are in the best shape they can be given each individual source. There is not much that is going to shake up the soundscape outside of some musical cues and light environmental noise. This track is free from any damage or other issues that would lessen your enjoyment. This presentation is pretty standard for the material, but it leaves you perfectly satisfied. The original series is presented with English and English SDH subtitles for those who need them, but The Story Of Film: A New Generation only includes English SDH subtitles.

Special Features

Trailer: The minute-and-a-half trailer is provided for The Story Of Film: A New Generation.

Final Thoughts

The Complete Story Of Film is a treat for cinephiles who really want to luxuriate in the layers of wonder that the artform has to offer up. The pantheon of the cinematic arts historically focuses on long-established works that have been part of our DNA for countless years, but this exploration helps legitimize some of the terrific work that has been forgotten or overlooked since its creation. Mark Cousins does an admirable job of digging deep to make connections and highlight works that even the most ardent movie-lovers may be unfamiliar with. There are occasional weaknesses when it comes to his own biases, but largely the journey proves to be an invigorating one. Music Box Films has released a Blu-Ray sporting a terrific A/V transfer but next to nothing in the way of additional special features. If you want a crash course on the history of cinema, this is an invaluable watch. Highly Recommended

The Complete Story Of Film is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Music Box Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.