The Pursuit of Happiness

1999 1h 52m EN

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 2

DocumentaryHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Showtime's "In the 20th Century" is a millennium-related strand of feature-length documentaries in which famous directors take on major subjects of their choosing. In the fourth of the six films, "The Pursuit of Happiness," filmmaker Robert Zemeckis delves into the history of America's relationship with mind-altering substances over the past 100 years, presenting interviews with historians and professionals in the drug treatment field, interspersed with a treasure trove of film and television clips depicting the highs and lows of smoking, drinking and drugging in the 20th century.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Barry Hansen
Self
Dennis Hopper
Self
Tom Pirko
Self
Peter Hayden
Self
Phil Kavanaugh
Self
John MacDougall
Self
Sandi Bachom
Self
Marc F. Kern
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Susan Emerling
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "In the 20th Century" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, shot by Ian Kelly. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor R. Orlando Duenas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Barry Hansen and Dennis Hopper and Tom Pirko carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0212717 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Zemeckis directs. Ian Kelly behind the camera. R. Orlando Duenas cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

127 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "In the 20th Century" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Robert Zemeckis, shot by Ian Kelly. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor R. Orlando Duenas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Barry Hansen and Dennis Hopper and Tom Pirko carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0212717 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ian Kelly
Editing: R. Orlando Duenas
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Pursuit of Happiness (1999)

Part of

In the 20th Century

A millennium-related series of feature-length documentaries in which famous directors take on major subjects of their choosing.

Also by

Robert Zemeckis

Production companies

Who made it

Showtime Networks
US
Touchstone Television
US

Key crew

Executive ProducerSandra Itkoff
ProducerLesli Klainberg
EditorR. Orlando Duenas

Release history · US

When it landed

TV1999-09-13NR

Also known as

International titles

Robert Zemeckis on Smoking, Drinking and Drugging in the 20th Century: The Pursuit of HappinessUS
In the 20th Century: Robert Zemeckis on Smoking, Drinking and DruggingUS
The Pursuit of Happiness: Smoking, Drinking and Drugging in the 20th CenturyUS
Smoking, Drinking and Drugging in the 20th Century: The Pursuit of HappinessUS