"It takes Cal Duncan 1300 feet of 16mm. color film to tell a pair of politely uninterested guests how he caught a sailfish off Acapulco — but the effort, as exemplified in Mexican Malarkey, is decidedly worth it. Mr. Duncan's running gag, climaxed by a truly comic finish right out of the funny papers, is the flashback technique developed to a high and satisfying order. His Mexican footage itself is no less effective. The robust and hearty producer has an artist's eye for fresh viewpoints, a dramatist's instinct for revealing action. His sequence on Mexico's traditional Sunday bullfight, always a difficult assignment, is outstanding. Mexican Malarkey is a refreshing variation on an increasing wellworn theme." Movie Makers, Dec. 1949, 454.
"Mexican Silhouette, conceived as a gamble, has grown up to glory. After but a few years of average movie making experience, Clement K. Chase — as with so many — felt an irresistible urge to attempt, in one film, a concentration of all his accumulated skill and experience. He turned to a subject he knew with intimacy and affection, and Mexican Silhouette was the result. It is a splendid educational and general interest study, divided flexibly into three main sections — Mexico, D. F., Mexican Agriculture and Mexican Cities. To these subjects, Mr. Chase has brought a mature photographic skill, marked by tripod steadiness, stimulating compositions and a dramatic feeling for the use of filters. Well titled in the original silent version, the film is now being distributed commercially in both sound and silent editions." Movie Makers, Dec. 1939, 633.
"Having forsaken the good land of tequila for the gypsy life of a trailerite, Ralph E. Gray presents what may be the last in a long line of distinguished human record films on America's southern neighbor. Mexico At Work And At Play displays recurrently in its many and varied sequences the opulent camera work and warm eye for color which have marked all of Mr. Gray's award winners. Mirrored in the present movie are such native occupations as sugar cane farming and mescal distilling, such handicrafts as glass blowing and opal polishing, such diversions as cock fighting and an Easter Passion Play. Mr. Gray's treatment of these and other colorful subjects is leisurely, loving and methodical." Movie Makers, Dec. 1948, 494.
"General scenes around Acapulco; Bay, ships, beach, poolside, city scenes, landscape, cliff diving, traditional dance and crafts." UC San Diego Library.
"Two Visual Arts students of the San Carlos Academy find themselves embroiled in contradictions, spiritual inclinations and concerns about the political and social conditions of Mexico, which puts them in a quandary about what stance to take in the Student Movement of 1968." Ambulante.
"A very brief view of Conway Castle is followed by scenes from the Middlewich Show - the different stalls are seen, as well as some of the prize winning flowers and vegetables. There are shots of the smaller livestock at the show, such as rabbits, chickens and budgerigars. There is a dog show, and the Dairy Queen of Cheshire arrives with her entourage. She presents trophies to the winners of the large livestock competitions, and the film ends with a show-jumping competition." (NWFA Online Archive)
"A ship film of an entirely different character was the stunning record of a midnight sailing by the S.S. Manhattan. Produced by Duncan Little, ACL, and presented on the program of his fourth annual movie party, this picture was caught entirely through the strength of Army airplane detecting searchlights which illuminated the sailing. Mr. Little took full advantage of his exciting setup, presenting numerous reaction shots of the great lamps and their pigmy operators silhouetted against the diffused light in the atmosphere, as well as of the beautiful new vessel picked out of the darkness by the stabbing beams." Movie Makers, June, 1933, 226.
Total Pages: 295
Amateur Cinema