"The Texas Forest Service was faced with a grave problem. Large parts of Texas were being devastated and deforested by numerous fires. The fires were caused by the idle fancy and carelessness of backwoodsmen. Which He Hath Planted was produced for the Service by Larry J. Fisher, ACL, as part of the campaign to lead these woodsmen into more constructive paths. It is a striking example of how, with imagination, a motion picture can be constructed to fit the needs of a very special situation. Mr. Fisher and the Forest Service had to find a common ground on which to base their appeal against the pyromaniacal instinct. Realizing that, however uneducated, most people from the backwoods have both acquaintance with and veneration for the Bible, they decided to peg their entire film on quotations from the Scriptures. What they have produced is a beautiful welding of applicable Biblical passages, both spoken and sung, to forest scenes, the end result tending to promote the idea that trees are rich and wondrous manifestations of God and are not intended by Him to be destroyed by man's casual whim. The lesson is well taught. But the film imparts a sense of beauty and reverence that far outlives the immediate lesson. For that, Mr. Fisher's blending of music and word and image is responsible." Movie Makers, Dec. 1946, 486.
"With While the Earth Remaineth, Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award winner for 1945, Frank E. Gunnell crowns a long and distinguished career in the history of personal motion pictures. Beginning ten years ago with Adirondack Adventure, a Ten Best winner on 400 feet of black and white film, this career now embraces no less than ten award winners in nearly every category of amateur movies. Mr. Gunnell's chef d'oeuvre is a stirring and splendid climax to these efforts. The film is based upon the twenty second verse of the eighth chapter of Genesis, wherein the Lord pledges that He shall never again smite the earth, as He had done in the recent Deluge: For while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heal, and summer and ivinter, and day and night. shall not cease. Beginning with this great and noble theme, Mr. Gunnell doubles back in his production to show the creation of this Earth which the Lord has blessed. Here, used interpretively rather than for itself alone, Mr. Gunnell's superb craftsmanship with the camera rises to new heights of power and dignity. His sequences suggesting the formation of the cosmos and the first coming of light to the new planet are among the most stirring and purely creative passages in the history of amateur movies. His use of already existing scenes — a geyser or boiling springs of mud — to suggest the primordial genesis are imaginative editing at its highest plane. Flowers, fruits and the fowls of the air take on new beauty in Mr. Gunnell's moving testament to God's handiwork. As befits such a splendid theme, While the Earth Remaineth is scored with music of great stature. Presented with the picture are passages from Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony; the Symphony in D Minor, by Cesar Franck; Robert Schumann's Third Symphony; Harold in Italy, by Berlioz; the Deems Taylor suite, Through the Looking Glass; Omphale's Spinning Wheel, by Saint-Saens. and the Symphony in D Major, by Haydn." Movie Makers, Dec. 1945, 477, 494.
"Myron F. Pettengill was awarded the trophy for Scenario pictures. This is a 16mm film of about 400 ft. It is a story of the Northwest Mounted. Pettingill is to be commended for his direction, his types, and the way in which he costumed his people. He injected little touches in his characters that left no doubt as to what they represented. He costumed them convincingly. It had many indoor scenes and of course a large amount of outdoor snow scenes. There was a fine handling of the camera." American Cinematographer, Jan. 1937, 25.
"Sidney Moritz likes to record the few vestiges that remain in this rapidly changing country of the days that were. After earlier voyages on an Ohio River "sternwheeler," he made two cruises on the Mattie, an old schooner that now hugs the New England coast and carries vacationers. In Windjammer there is cinematic beauty, with delightful scenes of masts and sails. There is also a detailed and very human record of the way in which the holiday makers — who also help with the ship's chores — enjoy a recreation both salty and salubrious. One is sure that they and the ship's crew — including grim old Captain Grant — had a grand time. Mr. Moritz must have had one, also, if his gay footage reflects his mood." Movie Makers, Dec. 1945, 497.
"Wire and Cable Manufacture, made by Robert F. Gowen, ACL, is a good example of what can be done with the presentation of heavy manufacturing processes. The many fine shots of large machines in motion as well as of rolling hot copper ingots were striking in their beauty. A careful record of the entire process of making a giant cable was worked out on short notice and was photographed in a short time. Many difficult lighting problems were overcome, and the result is an achievement that will do credit to the manufacturer's reputation and will add prestige to Mr. Gowen's cine fame." Movie Makers, Dec. 1935, 553, 555.
"The Wonder Trail, 1000 ft., 35mm., filmed by Ralph C. Wildes, has also met with the approval of professional critics, for it has been released as a professional short subject and has received general praise. One reviewer wrote, "The Wonder Trail is an unforgettable picture; the restful, sheer beauty of it is an experience in entertainment." This is high praise, indeed, for an amateur picture since it must be remembered that the reviewer was comparing it with the hundreds — even thousands — of professional short subjects released each year. It is a scenic built from sequences of the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and the Redwood forests of California. Its photography is superlatively good and rare artistic judgment was exercised in the selection of camera viewpoints to effect beautiful compositions and to emphasize the dramatic value of mountains, falls and trees. The quality of the film's continuity lies in the leisurely sequences which display skill and care in both planning and editing." Movie Makers, Dec. 1931, 658
"The World's People, production of Edmund Zacher, II, ACL, and Herbert Johnson, ACL, with musical accompaniment and incidental sound effects by the record and double turntable method and with a narrative presented by Mr. Johnson through the sound system, offers a combination of visual and aural entertainment that is marked by a finish and perfection in cinematography and an interest and liveliness in accompaniment. The film describes a visit to the Century of Progress exposition in Chicago, featuring as its theme the many races and nations of the world represented there. The cinematography of Messrs. Zacher and Johnson is effortless and of uniformly high standard, is playing with intelligent restraint the effects used by professional cameramen. The combination of long shots, medium views and closeups leaves no beholder unsatisfied in any scene presented. There is a decidedly human character in the whole footage and the people are never overshadowed by architecture or machinery. In one place, two somewhat indignant ladies are seen in vigorous and disapproving conversation, for example, yet they are entirely unconscious actors. In continuity planning and execution, in cinematographic perfection and in a satisfying and informing use of excellent narrative, music and sound effects, The World's People sets a high standard in starting out to do a thing and doing it with sureness and real success." Movie Makers, Dec. 1934, 546.
"Y West Side, the joint production of Robert Coles, ACL, who directed the film, and Charles Coles and Edwin Schwarz, ACL, who photographed it, is a very successful publicity picture for the West Side Y. M. C. A. in New York City. Starting with the social and dormitory facilities of the "Y," the film carries the audience on a tour of gymnasiums, special exercise rooms, roof courts and pools. The abundance of athletic and exercise equipment is shown clearly in sequences of their use, and the carefully planned action throughout the picture maintains interest and continuity. This film is distinguished by excellent photography and by the successful solution of the innumerable problems in handling large scale interiors and group action. Ingenious adaptations of games and exercises were sometimes required in order to fit the scene to the camera field, determined by the exigencies of the space available. The talents of the three producers were so integrated as to make the enterprise an outstanding success." Movie Makers, Dec. 1935, 555.
"Filming Yosemite National Park with the same refreshing wit that has made his earlier movie on the Utah parks so popular, Stanley Midgley has even surpassed his previous camera work with spectacular angle shots of the famous waterfalls and brilliantly planned pans which heighten the grandeur of this great glacial valley. In the lighter vein, a fast motion sequence of tourist posturings before the Sequoia trees provides some side splitting satire, while the magnificence of the firefall, the High Country and the mirror like lakes is emphasized by imaginative framing. Always the trail blazer, Mr. Midgley scaled Half Dome with his camera; in other sequences, he apparently conspired with an eagle to get some of the dizzier shots of sheer cliffs and precipitous falls. Yosemite on Two Wheels — and Two Feet is a rare blend of humor and technical skill, an artistic achievement that sets a new high in national park filming." Movie Makers, Dec. 1947, 534.
Total Pages: 16
Amateur Cinema