The American Tapestry

2000 1h 36m EN

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

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 last of the six films, "The American Tapestry," filmmaker Gregory Nava takes viewers on an uplifting and challenging journey through the memoirs of five immigrant families, each one on a quest for its own American Dream. Beautifully interweaving accounts from several generations, Nava composes an astonishing tapestry of personal triumphs and tragedies, as each story of courage unfolds. The American Dream is an elusive thing, and the lives of the people in Nava's film are both triumphant and tragic, teeming with optimism and sometimes despair. They expose the finest and worst in America as well as what we feel most magnificent and dreadful. They are part of the many contrasting threads that make up the American tapestry — a complex portrait of a nation at the turn of the millennium.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gregory Nava
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

26 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 Gregory Nava, shot by Stephen Consentino. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Adams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0212716 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gregory Nava directs. Stephen Consentino behind the camera. John Adams scores. Sandy Guthrie cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

126 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 Gregory Nava, shot by Stephen Consentino. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by John Adams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Sandy Guthrie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7IMDB entry: tt0212716 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Stephen Consentino
Original score: John Adams
Editing: Sandy Guthrie
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The American Tapestry (2000)

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

Gregory Nava

Production companies

Who made it

57
5759 Productions
Buena Vista Television
US
Showtime Networks
US

Key crew

EditorSandy Guthrie
Executive ProducerSandra Itkoff
ProducerLesli Klainberg
Line ProducerPatricia Bischetti
ProducerGregory Nava
ProducerBarbara Martinez Jitner
Co-ProducerLesli Klainberg
Second Unit DirectorBarbara Martinez Jitner

Release history · US

When it landed

Premiere2000-03-10· South by Southwest Film Festival (March 10–18 - exact screening date unknown)
TV1999-11-01· Showtime - November 1999 (exact airdate unknown)

Also known as