"Ralph E. Gray has once again turned his inquiring and sympathetic camera upon the people and places of Mexico. The result is Arts and Crafts in Mexico, an authentic and altogether admirable record of that country's hereditary handicrafts. Here, in almost lavish detail, is an intent family of woodworkers, fascinating in their casual skills with hands and feet. Here are senoritas who both weave and wear the lovely silken rebozo, which shares honors only with the serape as the mantle of Mexico. One sees with equal clarity and charm the fashioning of pottery, the firing of copper vessels and the fine crafting of Mexico's soft and gleaming silver. Even the great Diego Rivera, pictured at work in a sequence which is a genuine "'beat," is engagingly included within the family of Mexico's artisans. Mr. Gray has compiled a cinematic document of great beauty, genuine human interest and authentic social value." Movie Makers, Dec. 1945, 494.
"Autumn, filmed by Bernard Van H. Schultz, successfully demonstrates that Kodacolor can be used for long shots of landscapes and similar subjects. This record of a New England autumn, with its accompanying riot of color, leaves very little to be desired as a representation of the spirit of the season. Of particular note was the evident care used in choosing appropriate viewpoints, not only with relation to the framing principle but also from the point of view of both color and motion. The continuity was rather static which was appropriate to the subject. The film was bound together remarkably well by the choice of successive scenes which followed a time sequence, starting with shots taken in the bright light of midday and ending with sunset shots. However, Mr. Schultz's principal achievement lay in the selection of the proper neutral density filters, yielding uniformly excellent color results which are all the more remarkable because of the preponderance of long shots." Movie Makers, Dec. 1930, 759.
"Nine times a place winner in seven years of Ten Best competition, Frank E. Gunnell has probably done his best work to date in Baie St. Paul. The film is a bright and sunny visit to the little French Canadian parish of that name, nestling in parochial contentment along the St. Lawrence. Central in this existence stands the baroque and inevitable church, while about it one finds the familiar family names of the village butcher and baker, doctor and dressmaker, recurrent along the cobbled highways. Here too is an intent, sharp featured little woodcarver, a housewife coolly competent about her embroidery and an aloof mademoiselle who presides with dazzling beauty over an ancient spinning wheel. Packed with this essential human interest, Baie St. Paul was filmed with the sparkling competence that one has for years expected from a Gunnell production. Its editing fits shrewdly into the pastoral mood of the subject matter, while its titles, both in their wording and execution, are colorful and in good taste. Baie St. Paul should take a high and honored place in the Gunnell catalog of fine films." Movie Makers, Dec. 1944, 477.
"When the schooner yacht Enchantress put out from San Pedro for a five weeks' marlin fishing cruise in the Gulf of Lower California, fortunately James H. McCarthy was on board with camera, Kodachrome and a filming plan. The result was Before the Wind, as happy a movie yarn of a pleasure cruise as we have ever seen. A spirit of jollity and a general good time pervade this chronicle, which is adequately strung on the thread of a series of entries in the ship's log of the Enchantress. This casual continuity is entirely sufficient, for each episode is beautifully sequenced, and the whole film reflects a consistent happy go lucky holiday spirit. Exquisite shots of the schooner in translucent California Gulf waters, numerous studies of ship life, handsomely lighted interior views in cabins and engine room are all technical accomplishments in this picture. The sequences of marlin fishing and of clam digging on the Mexican shore are gems of good film planning and good cutting. The movie is presented with an intelligently planned musical accompaniment that really fits the film, but it is the natural handling of sequences of people on a carefree sea vacation that makes this picture superb entertainment." Movie Makers, Dec. 1940, 577.
"Made to support a Community Chest campaign, Behind the Red Feather shows how various social welfare agencies in a community help to forestall juvenile delinquency, care for the aged, the sick and the poor and, in general, make a town a better place to live in. As a connecting link between a necessarily episodic series of sequences, a red feather, the Community Chest symbol, floats into the opening scene of the activities of each agency. Walter Bergmann has recorded this community project with understanding and warmth, and Ralph Bellamy contributed his services in recording on disc an excellently written narrative." Movie Makers, Dec. 1947, 536.
"Below Zero, as its name implies, was filmed entirely at temperatures which varied between —5° and —32°. The film was made, at Chapeau de Paille, over the Lincoln's Birthday week-end of 1940, and during one of the nights that the producer spent there, the mercury dropped to —42°. Chapeau de Paille is the 'Headquarters Depot' of one of the largest logging-operations in Northern Quebec, in the 'Haute Mauricie'. This short bit, in color, gives some slight idea of another, longer, film (in black and white) entitled, 'Life in the Northern Bush', which follows the activities of the Lumber-jack, through the seasons, from the first cutting in the fall until the next summer, when the logs are delivered at the mills" ("Program Notes," 1940).
"Ella Paul did not try to cover the whole of Mexico, as do so many who visit that fascinating country. In fact she chose to limit her study to one small locale — the town of Patzcuaro and the activities on its lake. This primitive yet industrious community is recorded in pleasing compositions and with sympathetic appreciation of its sunny warmth and charm. The familiar butterfly nets, dugout canoes and the heroic statue of Morelos are all there in Beneath Mexican Skies; but Mrs. Paul's camera gives them a fresh treatment." Movie Makers, Dec. 1950, 466.
"Among the pictures awarded Honorable Mention is Bermuda, the Floating Gardens, a color travelog of that island, another of the competent publicity pictures made by Konstantin T. Kostich. ACL, which make the audience yearn to buy a steamship ticket and set sail. Mr. Kostich has mastered the art of this appeal, and Bermuda, the Floating Gardens is one of the best examples of his genius. Here are shown glimpses of the comfort of the ship, the colorful beauties of the island and some of the recreational facilities that are offered. There is splendid color photography throughout and numerous examples of cinematic decor which enliven the work but which do not detract from the film's primary purpose. Notable are such things as the shadow of the horse and carriage moving along the warm colored stone wall and a cleverly planned composition of a winding road banked with brilliant flowers. It would be dangerous to look at this picture around February." Movie Makers, Dec. 1935, 550-551.
"One rarely thinks of a portrait of a place; but Bermudiana is in essence just that. Helen C. Welsh has a perceptive eye for beauty, an affection for her subject and a trained, technical knowledge of her craft. This triple-threat combination has recorded not only the justifiably famous surface aspects of these enchanting islands, but it has revealed as well much of their inner spirit. The film has all the attractions of a first rate travelog and the informative qualities of an honest documentary. Its accompanying narrative complements perfectly the flow of pictorial material, providing supplementary information without piling up facts and figures simply for their own sake. A happy choice of musical background furnishes the final touch to a rich and well rounded presentation." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 410.
"It takes a true craftsman to catch all the intimate and informal scenes that make a first rate vacation film, particularly when his exposure problems are complicated by the sunlight and shadows of a thickly wooded lake shore. But George Mesaros has succeeded in producing the sort of vacation record that most filmers only dream about. Mr. Mesaros has mastered his technical problems with an expert's hand and has turned out a stunning, vital movie of a summer outing in the Saranac Lake region. Faced with non-cooperative fellow campers, he had to be prepared to set up his tripod at a moment's notice; but the candid air of the proceedings on the screen is ample recompense for his vigilance. Bluff Island Idyll is a vivid testament to the importance of human interest and to the appeal of simple, everyday activities when they are properly sequenced and edited." Movie Makers, Dec. 1947, 513.
Total Pages: 16
Amateur Cinema