HBO Films' "Cinema Verité" debuts April 23

Although most people believe MTV’s The Real World is the first ever reality show, that’s just not true. In 1973, An American Family debuted – a show which chronicled the lives and events of the Loud family and catapulted the Santa Barbara family to notoriety.

HBO Films' "Cinema Verité" debuts April 23 1

James Gandolfini, Diane Lane, Tim Robbins

The show instantly became a television sensation of a different kind – a reality tv series. Now, HBO Films will debut its presentation, Cinema Verité, a film that gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the groundbreaking documentary, An American Family, on Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 9:00 pm ET/PT.

Patrick Fugit, Shanna Collins, Tim Robbins, Diane Lane.

An American Family was a total departure from the television shows of the time when it aired in 1973, and brought public scrutiny to a family unprepared for the consequences. It put the Louds in the spotlight as the parents (Diane Lane, Tim Robbins) struggled with their marriage while raising their children. In particular, Pat was criticized for her support of her openly gay son Lance (Thomas Dekker) at a time when homosexuality was rarely represented on television.

Shanna Collins, Patrick Fugit.

Cinema Verité gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how the original PBS series was created by filmmaker Craig Gilbert, played by James Gandolfini. While he aimed to have an impact on culture, he also felt that the familyʼs struggles were relatable to many Americans in a way that the Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family were not. The crew of Alan and Susan Raymond (Patrick Fugit, Shanna Collins) spent seven months filming the family in 1971 and were often at odds with Gilbert about what content was appropriate to film.

Clockwise from top left: Johnny Simmons, Nick Eversman, Caitlin Custer, Thomas Dekker, Tim Robbins, Diane Lane, Kaitlyn Dever.

Cinema Verité was directed by Oscar® nominees Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (“The Nanny Diaries,” HBOʼs “American Splendor”) and written by David Seltzer (“The Omen,” “Punchline”).

All Photos ©Peter Iovino/HBO Films.

Source: HBO Films

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!