Plot Synopsis

Executive produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, THE MOVIES is a six-part documentary series that explores American cinema through the decades and the cultural, societal and political shifts that framed its evolution. Combining archival footage and interviews with leading actors, directors, producers, critics and historians, the series showcases the most pivotal moments in film that have stirred the imagination and influenced our culture. The series features interviews with Paul Thomas Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Burstyn, Tim Burton, Cameron Crowe, Billy Crystal, Robert De Niro, Jon Favreau, Antoine Fuqua, Morgan Freeman, Bill Hader, Tom Hanks, Amy Heckerling, Ron Howard, Holly Hunter, Angelica Huston, Baz Luhrmann, Julianne Moore, Ed Norton, Rob Reiner, Molly Ringwald, Julia Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Ridley Scott, John Singleton, Steven Spielberg, Sharon Stone, Robert Zemeckis and many more. The six, 2-hour episodes include:

"The Eighties" (Premieres Sunday, July 7, 2019 from 9-11pm ET/PT): This episode explores the crowd-pleasing titles of the '80s such as THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, E.T., and THE BREAKFAST CLUB.

"The Nineties" (Premieres Sunday, July 14, 2019 from 9-11pm ET/PT): This installment centers on movie stars of the '90s like Julia Roberts and Will Smith and beloved films such as JURASSIC PARK, TITANIC, and PULP FICTION.

"The 2000s to Today" (Premieres Sunday, July 21, 2019 from 9-11pm ET/PT): This program highlights popular films of the 2000s such as HARRY POTTER, LORD OF THE RINGS, and MOULIN ROUGE.

"The Seventies" (Premieres Sunday, July 28, 2019 from 9-11pm ET/PT): This episode explores the films of the '70s that pushed the medium of movie-making such as THE GODFATHER, THE EXORCIST, and JAWS.

"The Sixties" (Premieres Sunday, August 11, 2019 from 9-11pm ET/PT): This installment centers on the popular films of the '60s such as WEST SIDE STORY, BONNIE AND CLYDE, and THE GRADUATE. (This episode was originally scheduled to debut August 4, but was pre-empted by continuing coverage of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.)

"The Golden Age" (Premieres Sunday, August 18, 2019 from 9-11pm ET/PT): This program highlights the most iconic films from the 1930s through the 1950s such as KING KONG, CASABLANCA, and A STAR IS BORN.

Also, CNN produced a six-part companion podcast to THE MOVIES, where entertainment experts Lisa France, Sandra Gonzalez and Kristen Meinzer discuss the groundbreaking films of each decade and talk to some of today's biggest movie stars. The podcast launches Monday, July 8 on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms, with new episodes available weekly.