PBS GOES TO THE MOVIES: A BREAKDOWN

“Hollywood Style”: The premiere episode explores how Hollywood movies’ emphasis on story and character has influenced cinematography, acting, editing, lighting and production design. Directors Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorsese and the late Joseph Mankiewicz are featured. Monday.

“The Star”: An examination of the public’s love affair with movie personalities and how becoming a star totally alters an actor’s life. Julia Roberts and the late Joan Crawford are the focus. Monday.

“Romantic Comedy’: A look at the golden age of movie comedy (1934-1944) and how the genre has evolved over the decades, reflecting our perceptions of men and women. Directors Nora Ephron, Garry Marshall and James L. Brooks are featured. Jan. 30.

“The Studio System”: Paramount Pictures is the focus of this installment examining how the major film studios ran Hollywood from the 1930s until the late 1960s and how their role has changed. Charlton Heston, Harrison Ford and studio head Michael Eisner are featured. Jan. 30.

“The Western”: A review of the quintessential American genre film. Included are interviews with Arthur Penn, the late Sam Peckinpah and Clint Eastwood. Feb. 13.

“The Combat Film”: Historians, military leaders and directors such as Oliver Stone and Sam Fuller talk about how Hollywood films have influenced Americans’ ideas on military life and what we have fought for. Feb. 13.

“Film in the Television Age”: The impact of TV on both the art and business of movies and how film changed when TV-trained actors and directors segued to the big screen. Directors Robert Altman and Sidney Lumet and actors Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk are featured. Feb. 20.

“Film Noir”: This program examines the ever-thriving genre that probes the shadowy underbelly of American life. Featured are interviews with director-writers Lawrence Kasdan and Paul Schrader and film noi r directors Abraham Polonsky, Joseph Lewis and Andre DeToth. Feb. 20.

“The Film School Generation”: Film school grad directors Francis Coppola, George Lucas, Brian DePalma, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg talk about their breakout films and how they learned to operate within the studio system. Feb. 27.

“The Edge of Hollywood”: The final episode illustrates how contemporary and ethnically diverse filmmakers such as Spike Lee, Joel and Ethan Coen, Jim Jarmusch, Julie Dash and Quentin Tarantino struggle to make films on their own terms--both outside and inside the studio system. Feb. 27.