"The Story of Bamba is a drama filmed in Africa by Ray L. Garner for the Harmon Foundation in New York. This reviewer calls the production a film drama advisedly, for, although it is made as a report of the medical work of a missionary group in Africa, the picture is, in itself, an entertaining photoplay. The boy, Bamba, is the nephew of the tribal witch doctor who cures sickness with his fetishes. Bamba is to become the medicine man's successor, but he falls ill with the fever and is deserted by the tribe when they hurriedly flee their village to rid themselves of a plague. Rescued and cured by the native representative of the missionary medical center, Bamba is sent to school so that he too, can cure in the white man's way. An adult, he returns to his own tribe, where he meets and finally overcomes the resistance of his uncle. Thus, the plot unfolds clearly and entertainingly, yet the story does not interfere with a complete exposition of the medical work of missionaries. Skillful handling of native actors is apparent in every scene, for there is scarcely an unconvincing piece of business in the whole film. Camera treatment is matter of fact but adequate." Movie Makers, Dec. 1939, 637.
"Donald H. Kelly has cast a comic strip character in Superman Goes West, integrating travel sequences and comedy with great success. While the magnificent cinematographic record of a Western trip is the most engaging factor of the film, the entertainment value of the Superman motif cannot be minimized. The fictional hero is shown to be the consuming interest of a small boy passenger on the trip. The lad proceeds to read Superman comics under varying conditions, despite a changing background of allegedly awe inspiring scenery. One dream sequence with a Superman flavor is a triumph of trick cinematography." Movie Makers, Dec. 1943, 478.
"In Surgical Eradication of Pyorrhea, Dr. S. H. McAfee, ACL, made use of a very fine closeup technique and, in presenting the preliminary clinical information, plaster models played an important part. The work was shown step by step so that certain points could be watched more closely later on. The very difficult problem of lighting oral surgery for good photography was well handled and the resulting exposure and definition were eminently satisfactory." Movie Makers, Dec. 1933, 524.
"The six reel film, Technical Methods in Cancer Research, produced by Francis Carter Wood, jr., ACL, for the American Journal of Cancer, is the most distinguished and thoroughgoing scientific picture viewed this year in League headquarters. In it Mr. Wood, working in collaboration with his father, editor of the Journal, has presented in detail the many processes evolved and used at Crocker Institute of Columbia University in the treatment and study of cancer. Difficult details of clinical analysis are shown clearly with accurate lighting and unfailing definition. Laboratory bench work on specimen growths is supplemented by microscopic studies of corresponding cells. One entire reel is devoted to a unique stop motion study of leading cancer cells in living motion. Throughout the film Mr. Wood's camera treatment, editing and titling are polished and forceful." Movie Makers, Dec. 1932, 560.
"Imagine, if you can, a subject which would be harder to present in motion pictures than the effects of a spinal anaesthetic. This is the problem that Leslie P. Thatcher solved so ably in his Technique and Principles of Spinal Anaesthesia with Nupercaine. Because most of the action takes place within the body, it was necessary to do some real thinking before a suitable motion picture presentation could be worked out. For example, the action of the fluid as it floats in the spinal canal was shown dramatically and effectively by floating some of the drug in a solution in a slowly tilting glass phial. A considerable use of X-rays served to show clearly just how the hypodermic needle should be handled, while well photographed diagrams and models aid the film's clarity. Operative scenes represent the best technique, and the action clearly demonstrates the qualities of Nupercaine as an anaesthetic. The picture is a study in straightforward exposition and, as such, it should serve its sponsors admirably. It is to be noted that Mr. Thatcher showed admirable restraint in his brief shots of operations. While sufficient for the medical man, they are not too long or gruesome for a lay audience." Movie Makers, Dec. 1939, 633-634.
"The production of the Flower City Amateur Movie Club of Rochester, N. Y., Terror, 400 ft., 16mm., was written and directed by Frank J. Buehlman. It was recently screened as a special, added feature on a week's run at the Little Theater in Rochester. Terror is a psychological study of the effect of fear. Its story is based on a practical joke engineered by friends of the victim who, to the end of the film, remain ignorant of the disastrous results. As the story develops, we see the commonplace incidents of every day life through the eyes of the fear obsessed principal character. The handling of the theme required great care but the producers succeeded in making the highly fantastic reactions of the character seem plausible. With its exquisite lighting effects and the dramatic power achieved in the climactic sequences through cinematography, this film is certainly outstanding." Movie Makers, Dec. 1930, 759.
"This film discloses, concisely and with cinematic dexterity, what passes in the mind of a dying soldier in a shell hole in Flanders. The three memories flashing back to the suffering doughboy were well done and the film as a whole disclosed the best sense of cinematics revualed bv anv contender in this division." Photoplay, Nov. 1929, 67.
"In Thyroidectomy, Henry M. Lester, ACL, has combined all the essentials of the perfect medical film. The delicate color gradations of tissues that mean much to the surgeon are clearly evident, due to excellent exposure, lighting and suitable film stock. Thorough presentation of the operating technique is given by means of suitable telephoto lenses and properly placing the camera in relation to the surgical field. An unusual feature of this particular operation is the large number of instruments which necessarily must remain in the field most of the time, creating a difficult problem for the photographer in that the many shining surfaces tend to produce undesirable reflections. However, Mr. Lester has solved this problem to perfection. The film is a result of the combination of highly specialized skill, equipment designed for the purpose and an exact knowledge of the requirements for the perfect surgical film." Movie Makers, Dec. 1934, 534.
"In Traum Im Karneval, 1000 ft., 35mm., a distinctly new technique in cine puppet drama has been beautifully and conclusively demonstrated. Working with puppets free of distracting threads and controlled entirely from below the line of camera sight, Dr. Goldschmidt has brought to his film the fluidity and cinematic smoothness essential to a genuine photoplay. Gone are the proscenium arch and the unavoidably static feeling of photographed "theatre." Here the camera has moved freely from near shot to closeup or semicloseup as the action demands. Inserted scenes from real life, used with symbolism significant to the mood of the story, have served only to heighten the cinematic illusion, while the unusually graceful miming of the puppets amazes one with a feeling of uncanny and fantastic life. Traum Im Karneval is delicately conceived, sensitively directed and superbly photographed. Of brilliance equal to Dr. Goldschmidt's technique was the unfailing mastery of his collaborator, Richard Teschner, eminent European puppeteer." Movie Makers, Dec. 1931, 685.
"Whither Flowing," depicts the nervous evils caused by parents in the thoughtless upbringing of children. The drama was compactly told, well acted and directed, and was marked by unusual photography." Photoplay, Nov. 1929, 67. "...Whither Flowing is a psychological study of hysteria.... Dr. Heise's Whither Flowing won second award in the dramatic division of the recent Photoplay Magazine contest...” Movie Makers, Feb. 1930, 104.
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Amateur Cinema