Cunk on Cinema

Philomena Cunk's groundbreaking history of cinema begins. Cunk meets Hollywood legends and interrogates the writer of Die Hard, as she starts her quest deep, deep into cinema. She witnesses the shockingly poor picture quality of the earliest films and marvels at the beards of their Victorian inventors; she gasps audibly at the invention of sound; and she critiques some of the supposedly finest creations of Hollywood's Golden Age. Along the way she interviews filmmakers, actors and critics, including several you've definitely heard of, and she (and you) finally discovers the true meaning of The Wizard of Oz.

Philomena Cunk continues her epic journey deep, deep into film. She interrogates some of the world's foremost filmmakers and critics, discovers an age of screen icons from Marilyn Monroe to Wayne John, and learns how Hollywood movies changed as American social values relaxed; and how, believe it or not, other countries were making films as well.

Along the way, she gives her verdict on classics like Jaws, Taxi Driver, and Citizen Ken - very much the ‘Citizen Kane' of films about people called Ken.

Philomena Cunk heads to Hollywood for the final part of her staggeringly comprehensive history of cinema, where she accosts some of the people behind the biggest movies of recent years, from The Avengers to Transformers to the Flintstones film.

She takes a look at Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Toy Story, the home video revolution, the rise of the blockbuster franchise and the state of cinema today. And with the rise of artificial intelligence, she asks the question: is Hollywood finished... or just about to be finished?