100 Years at the Movies (1994)**** (out of 4) In 1994 we celebrated the 100th Anniversary of movies so this short was produced to show off some of the greatest films and stars in the history of cinema. Trying to lock down one hundred years in just nine-minutes wouldn't be the easiest task but director Chuck Workman did a fantastic job. Some of the films that got singled out were THE BIRTH OF A NATION, GREED, THE JAZZ SINGER, GONE WITH THE WIND, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, ON THE WATERFRONT, ROCKY, THE GODFATHER and RAGING BULL. Just about every famous or legendary face is on display at least once throughout the running time, although there's no question that a lot more detail (and clips) are given to the MGM catalog. If you're a film lover then you'll certainly enjoy this short just as a great way to be reminded of the famous films and faces.

This was put together in 1994 to celebrate the first 100 years of the movies. It starts with the silents and moves all the way up to 1994 ending with "Schindler's List". For a movie fan like me it's pure magic and loads of fun figuring out which clips come from what movie (I'm proud to say I got 95% of them). They reference and show classic clips from just about every famous film in Hollywood. Some go by a little TOO fast but I can understand that. Also the clips of music from various movies is fantastic. My favorites are the title music from "Gone With the Wind" and "Rocky" and "We're in the Money" from one of the Gold Diggers films. My only complaints (and they're tiny ones)--some of the clips are WAY out of place. I caught "American in Paris" in the 1940s section! And where was "Gigi"? It was one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award as Best Picture. There were other omissions but these stood out. Still it's a great short. Anybody who has even a passing interest in movies will love this. A 10 all the way!

No great theories to spin here, or trends to notice, or criticisms to unload. Quite simply, this is the most carefully chosen, best-edited, most entertaining montage/tribute to the cinema ever put together. Covering, as it says, the whole first century of the cinema, it consists entirely of clips from a cavalcade of box-office favorites and historically-significant films, edited in roughly chronological order, accompanied by equally-well chosen scores. Some excerpts are as short as two or three seconds, sometimes just a word or a gesture from a film, sometimes a famous line, sometimes a look on a beloved movie star's face, but always one of those indelible moments, those "pieces of time," as Jimmy Stewart called them, that are the shared heritage of everyone who loves movies.

The first time I watched "100 Years at the Movies" was a few years ago when it was shown during the Academy Awards. It is fast paced using not only great film clips but famous lines and music. In a film such as this it is easy to say what one could have done differently; but try a make a list of what you would include and try and not forget somebody or something. Contrary to what someone commented before "Citizen Kane" and "Some Like It Hot" are both represented in this film. The only major omissions I noticed (and maybe I missed them) were "The African Queen" and "My Fair Lady" (although both Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn are shown in other films). I will agree some titles in their timeline are questionable ("San Francisco" and "Red River") these points do not and should not take away from the masterpiece this short film is. My only real complaints are the massive gap they started with (starting with "The Birth of a Nation") when if they used the real father of the movies Georges Melies films ("A Trip to the Moon") they could have easily filled the gap. "100 Years at the Movies" is a moving film that one could watch time and again and still love it. Thank you Chuck Workman for this awesome gift you have given every film lover.