CBC/Radio-Canada

The Dawn of the Eye: The History of Film and TV News

The Dawn of the Eye: The History of Film and TV News

From the richest news archives in the world comes the landmark production The Dawn of the Eye: The History of Film and TV News, a six-hour documentary series capturing the 100 year history of the visual news form. From the Lumière brothers' 1896 newsreel of the coronation of Czar Nicholas II to the satellite age, this archival video encyclopedia is the story of the news at war, the invention of television news, and the constant conflict it had with the governments and powers that tried to control and manipulate it. It's the story of the most powerful information medium since the written word.

Visit the show website

Episodes

History Through a Lens (Born Among Clowns): 1894-1919

The Dawn of the Eye: The History of Film and TV News History Through a Lens (Born Among Clowns): 1894-1919

The Lumières create a new industry and within 10 years, powerful news companies are in cutthroat competition around the world. At first a novelty included in vaudeville shows, newsreels would soon be seen by tens of millions of cinema-goers twice a week. Much of what viewers saw was actually staged by pre-Hollywood film studios. Rare footage includes some of the ...
  • 1997
  • 00:55:01
  • 13-14
  • Added on: 06/14/2013
Watch More details
Eyes of the World: 1919-1945

The Dawn of the Eye: The History of Film and TV News Eyes of the World: 1919-1945

At first, Hollywood studios present sanitized news, presenting a world without Nazis or the Depression. The newsreel is revolutionized by The March of Time which established the standards the industry still works by today. World War II was as much a contest of news machines as of armies, battling for public opinion. A Canadian cameraman scoops the world with moving ...
  • 1997
  • 00:55:01
  • 13-14
  • Added on: 06/14/2013
Watch More details
The Electronic Battalions: 1975-1988

The Dawn of the Eye: The History of Film and TV News The Electronic Battalions: 1975-1988

This episode chronicles the golden years of the networks and the birth of the satellite age, as “going live” became the order of the day and anchors became mega-stars. TV news became a power in foreign policy, as images affected the tides of public opinion. Ted Turner is laughed at when he launches CNN. Critics slam TV news for sensationalism ...
  • 1997
  • 00:47:03
  • 13-14
  • Added on: 06/14/2013
Watch More details
Inventing Television News: 1946-1959

The Dawn of the Eye: The History of Film and TV News Inventing Television News: 1946-1959

In the beginning, no one knew quite what to do with the medium that would come to dominate international news coverage. A sense of journalistic purpose only came when radio veterans brought television news relevance and edge by tackling hitherto taboo subjects like racial segregation and McCarthy’s “red baiting.” The debates and battles for survival within this remarkable hour are ...
  • 1997
  • 00:55:01
  • 13-14
  • Added on: 06/14/2013
Watch More details
The Powers That Be (The Power and the Image): 1960-1975

The Dawn of the Eye: The History of Film and TV News The Powers That Be (The Power and the Image): 1960-1975

By the early 1960s, television had become the dominant source of news in North America. Television changed all the equations in the democratic process by giving attention to the forces of protest and political opposition. Learning how governments have tried in vain to control TV news will surprise many viewers. It is said that the civil rights movement could not ...
  • 1997
  • 00:55:01
  • 13-14
  • Added on: 06/14/2013
Watch More details
The Global Eye (Embattled Witness): 1989-1997

The Dawn of the Eye: The History of Film and TV News The Global Eye (Embattled Witness): 1989-1997

The Berlin Wall, Tiananmen and the first Gulf War demonstrate that TV news is global and its presence shapes the events it witnesses. The world of news is changing fundamentally as global news titans emerge. The movies-of-the-week industry feeds off sensational news headlines. Some speculate that network news, the common ground of democracy, will start to disappear in the pull ...
  • 1997
  • 00:47:41
  • 13-14
  • Added on: 06/14/2013
Watch More details

About

For over 20 years, the combined team of CBC Learning and Radio-Canada Contenus éducatifs have been offering educators access to Canada's premier educational programming

Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay up to date with our latest releases!

Useful Links

Follow us

All rights reserved © CBC/Radio-Canada 2013-2017 Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

CBC/Radio-Canada