Laura Gabbert – The Power of Film (2024)
Most cinephiles pick up on larger trends in filmmaking. As new artists enter the industry, they bring aspects of their favorite works back into the mainstream. For good or ill, each new generation of artists showcase common themes and concepts with those who came before. To some, this cycle creates derivative art. Yet, as Professor Howard Suber points out, it’s only memorable films that shape popular culture. Pulling from his lectures, his 2006 book, and dozens of films, Suber’s new documentary series, The Power of Film, provides an excellent foundation for audiences to begin a deeper appreciation of the art form.
Over the two parts provided to this critic, Suber explores aspects of the American psyche on film. Keeping this focus helps show unique trends within the art, without making too many broad assumptions. Yes, this forces The Power of Film to feel more Hollywood-focused. Yet, at the same time, Suber explores uniquely American sentiments and ideologies through the masterworks. It’s not solely that a filmmaker frames an actor to create cultural relevancy. It’s through the contextualization of these works within the American zeitgeist that we draw stronger ties.
In the years since Suber’s original publications, scholarship and criticism of film has become democratized. The internet has allowed niche critics to rise, find their audience, and change the discourse. Surprisingly, one would think that critics who stood on Suber’s original concepts would make his discussions feel rote. Instead, Suber’s passion and voice shine through. His breakdowns of sequences remain fresh, and his descriptions provide context to new and old features.
Much of The Power of Film‘s power stems from directors Doug Pray and Laura Gabbert. The two directors help keep the pacing intact and the lessons focused. Even though it’s clear Suber can talk about movies for hours, they keep the narration relevant, and the editing jumping between the movies is clean. It adds a conversational air to the discussions at work. This also makes it clear we are learning from a master. The Power of Film becomes an essential watch for any budding cinephiles or critics who wish to learn about the intertextual dialogue between filmmakers.
Anyone interested in the ties between classic and contemporary American film will have plenty to enjoy with The Power of Film. With the video components and polished editing, it highlights the beauty of Hollywood and independent cinema. Shows like this one are necessary to continue education and film literacy. Hopefully, the right viewers will find this series because Suber and the series are well worth their time.
The.Power.of.Film.S01E01.2160p.WEB.H265-RABiDS.mkv
General
Container: Matroska
Runtime: 40 min 11 s
Size: 2.99 GiB
Video
Codec: V_MPEGH/ISO/HEVC
Resolution: 3840x2160
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Frame rate: 23.976 fps
Bit rate: 16:9
BPP: 0.052
Audio
#1: English 5.1ch E-AC-3 @ 256 kb/s
https://nitro.download/view/198975CB8C03914/The.Power.of.Film.S01E01.2160p.WEB.H265-RABiDS.mkv
https://nitro.download/view/FF3039564F984D6/The.Power.of.Film.S01E02.2160p.WEB.H265-RABiDS.mkv
https://nitro.download/view/1ED35D34198DB55/The.Power.of.Film.S01E03.2160p.WEB.H265-RABiDS.mkv
https://nitro.download/view/EDAD0AD352E5CFB/The.Power.of.Film.S01E04.2160p.WEB.H265-RABiDS.mkv
https://nitro.download/view/0BF72F320C4C502/The.Power.of.Film.S01E05.2160p.WEB.H265-RABiDS.mkv
https://nitro.download/view/29AA724863D5D11/The.Power.of.Film.S01E06.2160p.WEB.H265-RABiDS.mkv
Language(s):English
Subtitles:English
Thanks to @Vincent for this copy