Film, the Living Record of our Memory

If you love movies and think you know the medium’s history, prepare to be overwhelmed.

Though a bit overlong and lacking a strong structure, this frequently fascinating documentary nevertheless shows how cultural ephemera can bring the past to life, in ways both instructional and inspirational.

For a documentary largely about archives, it should be better organized, but its breathless profusion of information underscores the scale of the task at hand.