Search - More Treasures from American Film Archives 1894-1931 on DVD

Much to admire about this collection

Robert Morris | San Francisco | 10/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This boxed set of 3 dvds and extensive commentary is a marvelous survey of the development of motion pictures as a technology, as an art form, and as a means of documenting the history and culture of the times. Those who will treasure this collection the most are those who still feel awe and wonder in watching moving images of people long gone and times far removed, as well as students of film who want to see early manifestations of techniques that are standard in today's movies. There are three categories of films in this collection: experimental films that test early advances in sound or color; political, industrial, or commercial documentaries; and early, rare, curious, unique, or important films by familiar or obscure film makers.

The best in the box include "The Country Doctor", from 1909, directed by D.W. Griffith for Biograph, a beautifully photographed and remarkably well-acted moral tale of a physician torn between his duty to family and profession; "The Suburbanite", from 1904, a polite comedy about the exploits of a middle-class familiy moving to the "burbs" of New Jersey; "The Invaders" an early Western produced and directed by Thomas Ince, an early film pioneer; "Gretchen the Greenhorn", staring Dorothy Gish, a warm and honest story about urban immigrant life; and Ernst Lubtisch's "Lady Windermere's Fan", an entertaining comedy-drama that illustrates the extent to which silent cinema had evolved by 1925 in its ability to tell a complex psychological tale without the need for extensive dialogue. Each of these films are still capable of drawing modern viewers into their story, despite their age and, for the early movies, the limitations of the techniques available to the film-maker.

The remainder of the box are less interesting to the modern viewer as stories, but are often fascinating as indicators of what sort of cultural life existed for viewers of movies nearly 100 years ago. There's an early version of "The Wizard of Oz", a remarkable absurdist comedy by Charlie Bowers called "There it is", two films by Edwin S. Porter including the pivotal "The Life of an American Fireman", and early experiments in sound, including voices of George Bernard Shaw, Eddie Cantor, and Calvin Coolidge. It's quite a hodge-podge, and it helps the viewer to have explanatory guides both on the DVD and in a 200 page book that accompanies the set. There's much to marvel, and learn, about the history of the movies in this box."

Surprising, inspirational and enjoyable

Barbara (Burkowsky) Underwood | Manly, NSW Australia | 03/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This marvellous second set of rare archival material never before released on video truly is a treasure for anyone interested in the development of motion pictures in all its genres. I found the diverse variety on these 3 dics surprising and impressive, as well as very educational. An excellent book contains all the background information you might start to wonder about once you see some of the unusual and unexpected short films, and there are commentaries by critics and historians on the discs as well. As a silent film enthusiast, I was most delighted to see the four feature films (over an hour in length) in this set, as well as the poignant D.W. Griffith short, "The Country Doctor" an action-packed episode from the movie serial "The Hazards of Helen", and the fascinating 1907 Edison short, "The Teddy Bears" with impressive puppet animation. And I was simply amazed by the fun animations by the Inkwell Studios and in particular, the bizarre comedy short "There It Is" with Charley Bowers.

The four feature films show the development of the movie: from the stirring story about Sioux and Cheyenne conflicts in Thomas Ince's "The Invaders" of 1912, to the plight of Dutch migrants who fall victim to a gang of counterfeiters in "Gretchen the Greenhorn" played superbly by the talented Dorothy Gish, then to "Clash of the Wolves" in 1925 starring Rin-Tin-Tin, the amazing super dog, giving the most impressive performance I've ever seen by an animal actor; and finally the smooth and sophisticated Ernst Lubitsch rendition of Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan" rounds off this collection. Apart from these feature films, each disc has been carefully arranged to present a balanced and fascinating variety of short films in chronological order, lasting from about 1 to 20 minutes and covering advertisements, documentaries, promotional material, educational films and some surpringly good early experiments with color and sound. Apart from the entertainment value of the feature films and quality shorts, I'm sure most people with an inquisitive mind and a general interest in our recent history and development should find this box set a real treat.


"

Iris in

Steven Hellerstedt | 05/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What an astonishing and entertaining box set! This three-disk set with the unwieldy name and robust price tag is one of the best collections I've watched in a long time. These `films' - some are only thirty seconds long - range in date from 1894 to 1931. Almost all are silent, save for a couple of experimental sound films. A comprehensive review is out of the question, so I'll limit myself to short observations on some of my favorites from each disk.

Disk One - Things are kicked off with `Dickson Experimental Sound Film' (ca. 1894), a 15-second film that features two-men dancing and a man playing a violin in front of a huge metal cone, the microphone for the wax cylinder the sound was recorded on. This set is dotted with experimental movies like this one. Out of context they're a little mystifying, but this one comes with a short commentary track. The commentary track lasts a few minutes, and the movie is looped behind it. All films come with program notes which are found both on-screen (handy) and in a two-hundred page book. I think a lot of people will get a kick out of the 13-minute `The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' (1910). It's certainly inventive enough, but the Scarecrow, Tin Man & Lion look different, the Wizard looks creepy, and I was never that much of an Oz fan to begin with. My favorites from the first disk are the two feature films, at least feature length for their time: `The Invaders' (1912- 41 mins) and `Gretchen the Greenhorn' (1916- 58 mins.) `The Invaders' is an early western that features real Lakota Sioux playing the indians. It's a smart film that feels authentic. `Gretchen the Greenhorn' is a charming story starring the 18-year-old Dorothy Gish (Lillian's little sister) as a young Dutch girl joining her father in America. There's an innocence and a sincerity to it that I found completely winning.

Disk Two - This is the second set I've acquired recently that contains `Gus Visser and His Singing Duck' (ca. 1925 - 90 sec.) It's another synchronized sound experiment, and remains a hoot. Also of interest was the 12-minute `Early Color Films,' a trio of films from 1916, 1929 and 1926 that used different experimental color processes. This one really benefits from the commentary track. The 1926 entry is `The Flute of Krishna,' choreographed by Martha Graham. My favorite film on this disk has to be `Clash of the Wolves' (1925 - 74 mins), a Rin Tin Tin silent. Rin Tin Tin plays Lobo, a wild dog who gets a thorn in his paw and is rescued by a borax miner. There's a pretty girl, a staid father, an unscrupulous claim-jumper, and stunts galore. Also included on this disk is a Charley Bowers two-reeler (19 mins) from 1928, a silent, titled `There It Is.' Bowers is the great unknown silent movie comedian, a stop-action animation innovator and one of the more surreal moviemakers to come out of Hollywood's early years.

Disk Three - Kicks off with `Rip Van Winkle' (1896- 4 mins.) Rip is a series of very short scenes from the enormously popular stage play starring Joseph Jefferson, who was an established stage actor before the Civil War. The film was produced and shown on mutoscope machines, a flip-card, peep viewer affair that lost out to projector presentation of films. Like many of the films on this set, this isn't inherently interesting, but if you're interested in film history it's fascinating. The big one on this disk in Ernst Lubitsch's `Lady Windermere's Fan,' (1925 - 89 mins) starring Ronald Colman, a witty and sophisticated movie from Oscar Wilde. Perversely, perhaps, I like the rougher, less polished films in this set. `Life of an American Fireman' (1903- 6 mins) and `Falling Leaves' (1912 - 12 mins) are two earlier films that may not be in the same league as Lubitsch's film, but they have an appealing simplicity. What I liked best about `Life of an American Fireman' was its demonstration that movies had to find a narrative strategy. Here's what I mean - there's a scene (hope I'm not blowing the plot), set inside a tenement room, smoke billows and mother and child are trapped in a burning building. Mother opens window and shouts for help. Fireman enters, ladder appears outside window, fireman hauls mother and child out of burning building. This is all done in one continuous shot. Next we're outside the building with the fireman. We see a woman open a window, shout for help. Fireman appears in the window, ladder is emplaced, mother and child are rescued. This just isn't the way scenes are cut. When the film takes us outside, it also goes back in time to the woman in the window calling for help. It seems an intuitive thing - we don't go back in time when we change point of view, but `Life of an American Fireman' proves that, along with close ups and such, continuity had to be figured out as well.

This is a great set, especially for those interested in film history. Heck, it's a lot cheaper than a college course. A couple other highlights - Martin Marks provides the music for all the silent films, and he provides notes for every movie he scores. I think his contribution can't be overstated. Great musical accompaniment. Also on each disk is a silent Fleischer brother animation.
"

Entertaining early films, many never seen before on DVD

calvinnme | 01/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Besides the films themselves, this set has a very well done booklet containing detailed information on each film as well as information on the preservation involved. Just about all of the silent films include at least some notes in the form of text that appear on the DVD that are selectable by the user, and most include user-selectable commentary tracks by film historians as well. The first entry on disc one is possibly the first film that ever included sound. In this 1894 entry, frequent director of Edison Company films William Dickson is seen playing the violin into a megaphone while two men dance to the music. It is only 15 seconds long, so the film is repeated several times while the extensive commentary plays. Many early Edison films were experiments such as these. Also included is a D.W. Griffith early short, the melodramatic "The Country Doctor" (1909). The title character must choose between tending his own sick daughter and a neighbor. Thus the doctor must choose between his duty as a physician and his loyalty to his own family. Mary Pickford has a small role.

Running only 13 minutes, Otis Turner's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) is the first attempt to bring the Frank Baum novel to the screen. There's no commentary on this one, though it would be helpful, because I know I was confused. In this version, two strange unnamed animal creatures plus the scarecrow are blown by the cyclone, along with Dorothy, to Oz. "The Invaders" is a remarkable 1912 film about Native Americans using force to avenge a broken treaty when surveyors unlawfully enter their territory, leaving open the question of who really are the invaders. It has a surprisingly sophisticated depiction of the Native American characters considering when it was made, and deals honestly both with the offenses committed against them and with their own weaknesses. Chester and Sidney Franklin's "Gretchen the Greenhorn" (1916), stars Dorothy Gish in an early gangster film. This film is also "feature-length" and runs 55 minutes. Notice a remarkably slender Eugene Pallette as the bad guy. In the talkies he comes to be known for his portly figure and trademark frog voice. "The Breath of a Nation" is a 1919 cartoon that is making fun of then newly implemented prohibition and whose title is a spoof on D.W. Griffith's ground-breaking film from four years earlier. Next there is the Ford Motor Company's "De-Light: Making an Electric Light Bulb" (1920) which shows each step of assemblage of a bulb at the factory. It's unsubtle message is the praise of progress via mass production, and, of course Ford Motor Company's part in all of this. Disc one ends with a five-minute talkie "greeting" by playwright George Bernard Shaw, shot in 1928, which comes across more as a test run of sound technology than anything.

Disc two starts with five minutes of film shot by Edwin S. Porter of the Edison Company that consists of scenes of ordinary people going about their daily lives in New York City in 1901 and 1903, and is typical of the early "actualities" of which early motion pictures consisted. In a similar, but much later film, "A Bronx Morning" (1931), people are shown going about their daily business one morning in the Bronx. Eleven minutes long, people are shown jumping rope, rocking a baby carriage, entering and exiting the subway, etc. There are also some good shots of some 1930's Bronx neighborhoods themselves. "From Leadville to Aspen: A Hold-Up in the Rockies" (1906) is an eight minute short that documents a train robbery. The hold-up itself is shot from the point of view of a passenger seat, and the thieves' attempted get-away is shot from the vantage point of the very front of the train. The notes for this film say that this short was intended to be shown to passengers onboard a train, one of the earliest examples of films being used to entertain travelers. A contrasting view of big business from that shown in the Ford Motor Company's assembly line film on disc one is seen in "Passaic Textile Strike" and also in 1912's "Children Who Labor". These films show the value of trade unions and the tragedy of child labor via docu-dramas focusing on the hardships of specific families. Another early talkie in this set has "Gus Visser and His Singing Duck" (1925), in which Gus Visser sings the song, "Ma (He's Making Eyes At Me)", and soon the duck begins to accompany him by quacking. Its actual purpose was as an experiment in efforts to create a workable way to add sound to movies. Mr. Visser is not famous for anything else other than this one experiment in sound on film.

My personal favorite in the whole set is the 74-minute "Clash of the Wolves" (1925), starring Rin Tin Tin, that great German Shepherd star of the 20's. Rin is the wolf hybrid everyone wants to shoot, until one day prospector Dave Weston finds him incapacitated by a cactus thorn and dying slowly of thirst in the desert. Dave's compassion overcomes his desire to kill the wolf for the bounty on his head, and he takes him to his cabin and treats his wound. "Lobo" becomes Dave's constant companion, and eventually saves him from the film's villain. Since Rin Tin Tin was so popular in the 1920's and remains so, it is a wonder more of his silent features haven't been preserved and restored for us to enjoy.

Next there is a silent newsreel from 1926 that includes a segment on a strange sport that involves men on horseback and a giant rubber ball, and a short piece on Mussolini. Animators Max and Dave Fleischer are creators of "Now You're Talking" (1927), in which an abused phone goes to the hospital and, as a "phone doctor" takes notes, the phone talks about how he has been mistreated by various users. The film is an attempt to show early phone customers that banging on the phone will do no good at establishing a connection, and also has something to say about proper and safe storage of the device. The message - "treat your phone kindly". "There It Is" (1928) is a silent feature starring writer/director/star Charley Bowers as a detective from "Scotland Yard" sent to investigate the case of the "Fuzz-Faced Phantom". Scotland Yard is spoofed as an actual yard full of Scottish detectives all wearing kilts and sporting bagpipes. Aside from Bowers and the Phantom, the other characters have to play it straight and endure a series of indignities in order to solve the case. Charley's assistant in all of this is MacGregor, a stop-motion animated insect who lives in a matchbox and also wears kilts. Truly an odd choice for a sidekick.

Disc three begins with the short, and somewhat confusing, "Rip Van Winkle" (1896) starring the earliest-born actor to ever appear in a film, Joseph Jefferson (1829-1905), in the title role. This is followed by a film under a minute in length showing the obviously rehearsed actions of Thomas Edison working in his chemical laboratory. There's also a 12-minute film by one of the earliest female filmmakers, Alice Guy Blache, who actually owned her own studio from 1910-1914. Her film "Falling Leaves" (1912) is a melodrama about a young girl who is saved from the consumption by a new miracle cure. The title comes from the initial pronouncement from a doctor that she will live only "until the last leaf falls". Dave Fleischer was author of the "Inklings" series of cartoons, and this set contains "Inklings #12". Here Fleischer draws a picture of Rin Tin Tin, but at an odd angle, asks the audience to guess who it is, then properly orients the drawing so you can recognize the famous canine. Next he performs another puzzle-like animation in which he takes apart a drawing and then reassembles it to produce "The House that Jack Built".

"Lady Windermere's Fan" (1925), is one of Ernst Lubitsch's earliest American films, adapted from Oscar Wilde's play, and is the feature film included on disc three. Lubitsch manages to get his famous "touch" across on this film, even without the benefit of spoken dialogue. He is just wonderful at conveying emotion with gestures, glances, and in this movie, with the way a doorbell is pushed. I found the overall story rather uncompelling, but it was still interesting to see such a master director at work.

Disc 3 also contains some real film oddities including two talking shorts via DeForest Phonofilms, one featuring Eddie Cantor and the other Calvin Coolidge in 1924. Phonofilm talkies, which were made between 1923-1926, never caught on with the public. This was partly due to the static nature of the camera, and partly due to the fact that DeForest was not a particularly good salesman. "The Memory of a Nutty Cameraman" (1925) shows some odd visual effects involving New York City landscapes that is similar to the work of Georges Melies, who had been making such films for over twenty years when this short was made.

This set is certainly a must-have for any serious student of early cinema, including all kinds of early films, plus it's very entertaining to boot."