Probably the most extensive documentary made on the history of film, and deserves respect for that alone.I particularly liked the objective stuff, the historical development of film, the pivotal moments and movies. Hated Mark Cousins' narration: first time I attempted to watch the series I gave up after 10 minutes- his intonations were that irritating. Second time round I gritted my teeth and eventually got accustomed to his narration (still didn't like it though). Also hated the pretentiousness of the subjective stuff. Yes, its art, so critiquing movies is by definition subjective, but Cousins glorifies movies and directors which/who are clearly not worth of that degree of praise. Some of it is pure "Look at how clever I am - I just mentioned a director/movie you've never heard of". Cousins is very up himself.Overall it was an edifying experience, but could have been a lot better.

I watched every episode of the Story of Film on TCM and quite frankly found it very educational. As a film buff, with a pretty good knowledge of the history of cinema, I thought I had a good grasp of what has come before but Mark Cousin's epic documentary with a focus on International cinema, and not just the West, really opened me up to so many foreign films that I was not aware of it. So, thank you Mark for that! There's been much talk about Mark's accent as the narrator. Frankly, since this series is about Mark's own vision of cinema's history, it makes sense for him to narrate. Because all along he is the one telling us what he thinks of this film or that, this director and another.It would not have made sense if SOF was narrated by someone else, because the points being brought up in this 15-hour long documentary aren't necessarily cinema facts, but one person's rather educated opinion. So, I have no issue with Mark's personal narration.As for his accent, why such a fuss? Why do we need to have generic, impersonal narrations all over the place. If Michael Moore gets to narrate his own documentaries and telling us how feels about various topics, why shouldn't Mark do that.If the real fuss about Cousin is that he is not American, then the blame is on us for being so uptight and not him.Good work Mark and thanks for expanding my cinema knowledge.

Obviously there was not enough budget for this immense task. So the maker had to cut expenses and had to do many things himself. Just because you know a lot about film doesn't make you a good cameraman or even a narrator. But instead of leaving it just to an idea. He grabbed what he could and went on an odyssey. And he probably thought that film lovers would see that and understand it. He also would have thought that film lovers would appreciate his personal way of doing things, just as many of the filmmakers he portrays do things their very own way. But No! IMDb reviewers are much more interested in Hollywood conventions that in anything else. So considering the obvious lack of resources, money and most likely time, I would consider this a masterpiece to those with an open mind who are not constricted to National borders to find out about the origin of film style and technique.Keep in mind: Odyssey means a daring trip to find something while confronting dangers and solving problems along the way. Getting there is more important then how. Story means a series of thought s and events chained together in a very personal way. So let go of any pre-judgements and learn from this series about the incredible history of film, told in a very personal way.

I just finished watching this series and was really disappointed in the IMDb reviews. Here are my pointers for those who are interested in seeing this considerable work.1. The majority of the people of the world have accents different than those found in America. If you can't get beyond a person's accent to hear the content of what he/she is saying, stick with Entertainment Tonight.2. This series is like a "string theory" of film- everything is connected to everything. While some of the reviewers could not follow the train of thought, much of what is documented is the initial use of what are now considered stock shots and plots and how they are still being used today. Film history is not just what films were made, but also the creation and evolution of the art form.3. This series also deals heavily in international cinema. Episode 3 deals with cinema in the 1920's in Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Shanghai and Tokyo. Episode 6 shows works from Egypt, India, China, Mexico that was created in the 1950's. Episode 8 chronicles the birth of African cinema in the 1970's. There is more about international cinema in this series than I have ever seen in any program about film.So, if you want to see a comprehensive series on the history of film, as opposed to the history of Hollywood, this is the series for you.