“Cinema Verite” an absorbing look at the beginnings of reality TV

Diane Lane in "Cinema Verite" - HBO Photo

Diane Lane in "Cinema Verite" - HBO Photo

In 1973 PBS aired the series “An American Family.”

The show was created by filmmaker Craig Gilbert and centered on the filming of the Loud family during a seven-month period in 1971.

The Santa Barbara family shot to notoriety in 1973 when the series was broadcast and the struggling marriage of Pat and Bill Loud, as well as Pat’s support of her openly gay son, Lance, were spotlighted.

In the HBO movie “Cinema Verite,” it is shown that Gilbert’s aim for the project was not only to have an impact on culture, but also that he thought the situations the Loud family was going through were relatable to people in a different way than what was usually shown on TV.

It is also shown that Alan and Susan Raymond, who worked on the actual filming of “An American Family,” often disagreed with Gilbert about what content was appropriate to record.