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        I have been watching, and videotaping, the American Cinema
series.  Although the series as a whole doesn't seem to be self-
critical about American Cinema as a pervasive voice on society both in
the U.S. and abroad, the idea that American Cinema has influenced a
great deal of the world was mentioned in the first installment, if
memory serves me right.
        I don't recall any real sociological analysis of a "world view"
being created in American Cinema, or how U.S. films have affected
people in other countries, but the technical and aesthetic aspects
of U.S. film making and how it has affected film makers in other
countries was mentioned, both by folks interviewed in the program an
and by the announcer/narrator of the first episode.
        AFter reading many postings on this subject and watching each
episode as it has aired, I have come to regard the series somewhat
differently than I did initially.  It does seem to work as a general
introduction to film making, esp. in regards to different genres.
It is not all-inclusive, certainly, and biased in some areas, but
friends of mine who are non-film buffs have certainly learned a lot
of information about genres, the history or development of the
Hollywood system of film making, and come into contact with
directors and films they might not normally have ever had any desire
to read about or watch.
        Doug Simpson