100 Years of Warner Bros. (TV Mini Series) Clint, Kubrick & Kryptonite (2023) User Reviews

Freedom--Steve Ross

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 2 July 2023]

When we see these retrospectives about movie studios, they generally focus on the movies and the creative efforts to make them. This one does that, but it also looks at the enterprises that come along. Now we see the commercial aspects which eventually lead Warner Brothers to great success and near bankruptcy. We are told about the rise of Atari and the video game platform that did so well and then couldn't extend its success. Most of this, however, is about Steve Ross's tenure at Warner's. He went 180 degrees from what the four brothers had done, recognized what was going on in the country, and allowed a group of young, talented directors to make films that were risky and, frankly, out there. Take something like Blazing Saddles which many thought should never have been show in a theater, and yet earned millions over production costs. We are introduced to Stanley Kubrick, whom I consider the greatest of American directors. His movies are so very avant garde that each is a box office risk. A Clockwork Orange pushed the envelope to the limits but ended up very successful. The Exorcist caused people to throw up, lose sleep, pass out, cry, and yet they lined up for blocks to see it. I'm so glad to see that this little series is giving us a total picture of what a studio must do to remain in the A team.