A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics 2009

The documentary surveys Hollywood’s lavish screen spectacles, charting the epic genre from its silent‑era origins and literary adaptations through its golden age. It highlights key directors, actors, the challenges of big‑budget filmmaking, iconic set pieces and sweeping scores. It also notes the genre’s decline in the 1970s‑80s and its revival with Gladiator and Dances with Wolves, illustrated by classic scenes and behind‑the‑scenes footage from The Birth of a Nation, Gone with the Wind, Samson & Delilah, The Ten Commandments, Ben‑Hur, El Cid, Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.

DreamWorks Television

Studio

Kenneth Branagh

Director

Steven Spielberg

Director

Laurent Bouzereau

Director