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When the Lion Roars 1 [VHS]

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Part 2 of the Ted Turner documentary on the history of MGM studios spans the years 1936 to 1946. This decade begins with the recovery from the death of head of production Irving Thalberg and ends with the studio at it's peak after World War 2. The previous era had established the MGM style as one of artifice and glamour, exemplified by costume designer Adrian and art director Cedric Gibbons. However with the passing of Thalberg, changes were necessary for the studio to survive. These would include the letting go of it's established and aging female stars like Garbo, Crawford and Shearer, and replacing them with names like Lana Turner, Greer Garson, Hedy Lamarr, and a reborn and more shrewd Katharine Hepburn. It is said that the death of Jean Harlow symbolises the end of the Thalberg era, and the treatment of Luise Rainer who would win two Oscars for Best Actress then want out of her contract, typifies Mayer's ecomonic management. Rainer provides us with her impression of Mayer when he told her "We made ya, and now we're gonna kill ya!". Mayer turned away from Thalberg's "prestige" literary titles and established family pictures featuring child stars like Mickey Rooney, Freddie Bartholomew and Jackie Coogan. Of the three interviewed Rooney whispers embarassing mush, Batholomew is the most amusing, and Coogan tells of his observation of the way fellow child star Judy Garland was manipulated because of how valuable a property she was thought to be. Even with America's isolationist policy before it's involvement in the war, MGM made contributions to allied propaganda with titles like Mrs Miniver and Bataan; lost Carole Lombard in a war bond selling tour accident; and saw the enlistment of a devastated husband Clark Gable, as well as James Stewart, Robert Taylor and Robert Montgomery. To replace their male stars, poor substitutes Van Johnson, Peter Lawford, Robert Walker and Robert Young were brought in, though we aren't told what Spencer Tracy got up to. The coverage of The Wizard of Oz is mostly on the munchkins and the special effects team, and there is surprisingly little coverage of Gone with the Wind, though perhaps the story behind what would be the greatest box office hit of all time has been covered elsewhere.

Part 3 of this 3 part Ted Turner Pictures documentary on the MGM studios continues from post World War 2 to the collapse of the studio as a production company in 1969 when Kirk Kerkorian becomes the principal shareholder. This period is troubled by lower profits and no Oscar wins. Louis B Mayer is thought to be neglecting the running of the company in favour of spending his time at the race track and in 1948 Dore Schary is brought in as vice president of production. However Schary's philosophy of producing reality based message pictures clashes with Mayer's preference for wholesome family entertainment. Symptomatic of the collapse of Mayer's reign is the continuing problem of Judy Garland, thought of by Schary as an unreliable liability to the company. She is replaced in Annie Get Your Gun, a project that had been purchased specifically for her, and eventually released from her contract. Mickey Rooney's comments are particularly insulting regarding how only Judy was to blame for her fate, when he had mawkishly cried of his unconditional adoration of her in Part 2. June Allyson sweetly says Judy had too many demands on her and got "lost". In 1951 Mayer is fired after he gives an ultimatum to New York office that either Schary goes or else. The studio produces some of its greatest musicals in Show Boat, On The Town, Singin' in the Rain, and An American in Paris, and introduces Cinemascope in an attempt to battle it's greatest challenge - television. But it becomes a losing battle and soon the roster of stars are let go. In 1956 Schary too is fired as the studio can only make an occasional profit - Blackboard Jungle, Gig, Ben-Hur, and it's creator Mayer dies in 1957 a broken man. Things worsen when the government destroys the studio's monopoly of ownership of their exhibition theatres, MGM continues as a space for hire before Kerkorian buys the company, sells off the back lots (the footage of their destruction is obscene ) and auctions props like Dorothy's ruby red slippers. All that is left for Ted Turner to salvage is MGM's back catalogue.

From its creation in 1924 until its demise in the 1960's, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) was the greatest movie studio in Hollywood. Under the leadership of movie mogul Louis B. Mayer, MGM quickly became the largest and most profitable movie studio in America, and in the 1930's and 1940's it often earned more money than nearly all of the other movie studios (Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, etc.) combined. This superb documentary, narrated and hosted by the wonderful Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard of Star Trek) takes us from the creation of MGM in the early 1920's to the studio's downfall in the early 1960's. Along the way there are literally hundreds of spectacular clips from some of Hollywood's greatest movies and actors - from great silent film stars such as Buster Keaton and Lillian Gish to 1959's epic "Ben-Hur" with Charlton Heston and Cecil B. DeMille. MGM boasted that it had "more stars than there are in heaven", and with this documentary you can see why - there are clips of Hollywood Legends such as Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Greta Garbo, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Jean Harlow, Elizabeth Taylor, and Lionel Barrymore, just to name a few. The film clips include every genre imaginable - from lavish musicals to romantic comedies to war films and drama. But this documentary also looks at the behind-the-scenes aspect of what was the world's largest "movie factory" - showing how films such as "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone With the Wind" were made - and also showing the office politicking and power plays between Louis B. Mayer and his brilliant but sickly executive producer, Irving G. Thalberg. If you enjoy the "golden age" of Hollywood films (especially the 1930's to the 1950's), then you'll find no better documentary about that era than "MGM: When the Lion Roared".

Better than any tour available MGM When The Lion Roars takes you back in time and see the roots rise and lamentable downfall of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. The presentation of the film is perfect using a series of film clips, outtakes, archival footages and interviews as it will take you behind the scenes to see why MGM was once a legendary movie studio whose venerable roar brought us screen classics and all those lavish technicolor musicals. An added bonus is that MGM filmed some of their films using the exterior of their studio so you get to see some of the studio's landmarks (notably the Thalberg Building and the colonnade), the two backlots and an overview of the MGM Studios at its height.

This collection is perfect for classic film buffs, movie historians and those people of who wants to see a glimpse of Hollywood's golden years or curious of what MGM used to be since MGM has long been converted into a hotel company, although it still continued its movie operations, it is no longer a major player in Hollywood.

Hosted by Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek Fame) each tape focuses on a different era spanning 7 decades of the studio's glorious history. A brief summary;

Part One - The Lion's Roar (1924-1936)
This era feautres the genesis of MGM- from the silent era to its successful transition to sound to the untimely death of Irving G. Thalberg.

Part Two - The Lion Reigns Supreme (1936-1946)
The big MGM productions, the family oriented films, to wartime America and the Golden Age of MGM musicals.

Part Three - The Lion In Winter (1946-1986)
The downfall of MGM, the firing of Louis B. Mayer the emergence of television, the decline of the studio system, Kirk Kerkorian who single handidly butchered the studio, its transition from a movie studio to a hotel company and Ted Turner.

With "That's Entertainment" coming to DVD next month, this 3 volume set on the history of MGM is sure to be put on DVD as well.

Patrick Stewart gives his narration in a refreshingly bright and enthusiastic way.... he is clearly excited about the clips and bits of info he is sharing... and the material is pure gold. So many young people think that if a movie is over 2 years old, it is not worth watching. The films represented here will give the babes a taste of what real entertainment was back then... real stories, loads of action and optimism, romance and pure joy. Films are occasionally made like that today, but in the old days, it was the norm, not the exception. This will remind you what entertainment was and the amazing degree of talent a star or even a cameraman must have had to be part of the movies.

When the Lion Roars is a tribute to MGM, perhaps the best studio of old Hollywood. It boasted wonderful stars, great films, and a sense of family between its employees. This documentary examines the early life of the studio focusing on moguls like Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg, stars like Greta Garbo, Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, Buster Keaton, John Gilbert, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, and Jean Harlow, and explaining the transition to sound and the preview process used to perfect films.

There are interviews with many major names in Hollywood including stars like Helen Hayes, Lew Ayres, Samuel Marx, Eleanor Boardman, King Vidor, Jackie Cooper, Maureen O'Sullivan, Freddie Bartholomew, and others.

There is an extravagant opener for each installment of this series featuring detailed miniatures which transform into lifesized sets. Patrick Stewart in period costume narrates the film.

I didn't have that adverse a reaction to the narration by Patrick Stewart. It was odd to have him speaking about the subject, but he has a nice voice. Regardless, the documentary was wonderful. It held its own against other movie documentaries out there, having so many different clips. Often, the really old stuff (silent films and the like) are overlooked. This had just the right amount of historical fact and gossipy legend to make a great Hollywood historical film.

This documentary is utterly breathtaking. A fine tribute to the rise and fall of Louis B. Mayer's epic film empire. Curiously little is said about Samuel Goldwyn who who was a major player in the studio and instrumental in it's early years. Another issue is the documentary gives little coverage to the bitter labor stuggles MGM had with leftist union agitators who often targeted the studio.

MGM presents classic films from its now-legendary archive of film history. Any fan of cinema will enjoy the movies in this wonderful gift set. From great acting to the most memorable scenes, this gift set belongs in any movie collection. Highly recommended and guaranteed to please!

It is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Tells about how MGM got started to till it decline in the 1980's. Most imformative about MGM stars like Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney, Debbie Renyolds, Norma Shearer, Wallace Berry, Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Esther Williams, and many more stars. Also, how producers, directors and writers of how they started at MGM.