"Dr. Crane has a humorous approach for a visit to Boston, Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, Plymouth Rock, and the Mayflower II. Each sequence is preceded by a title quotation from a famous writer, to wit: "Boston.....the hub of the solar system" by Holmes; "The fate of the nation was riding that night" by Longfellow; and ends with "the unconquerable rectitude" of the Plymouth Maiden and Edward Crane" PSA Journal, Oct. 1961, 48-49.
"Mathew Brady, the historian with a camera, photographed everyone of importance including Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Edgar Allen Poe, Abraham Lincoln, and many battle scenes of the Civil War. This motion picture is built entirely of photographs by Brady and his cameraman. Mr. Southard has used the zoom lens and lap dissolves to create a feeling of movement, supported by a good sound track" PSA Journal, Oct. 1961, 49.
"The third in Steiner’s trilogy of abstract films, Mechanical Principles (1930), is fascinating and more striking than Surf and Seaweed. It is composed of close-up shots of mechanical gears of different kinds in motion; rather than an examination of a single machine, it is an examination of the different kinds of motion produced by machines. Mechanical Principles emphasizes the tension in such machinery between the constancy of force and repetition on the one hand and the irregularity of shapes, sizes, and motions on the other, " Tepperman, 203.
"Unity of theme is the striking characteristic of Jose M. Pavon's Menemsha — and its Achilles heel as well. The producer, in a series of beautifully composed scenes that seem to ebb and flow with the surging rhythm of the sea, has extracted the essence of a small fishing town on the coast of Martha's Vineyard. For almost its entire length, the film emphasizes the salt and the sea and the strange, lovely things of the ocean littoral with a feeling that Mr. Pavon accents brilliantly in double exposures of the shimmering sea water sweeping over even the deserted wharves. Unfortunately, Menemsha's unity breaks down a little as Mr. Pavon's camera roams too far afield and brings in elements that suggest fresh water and inland life rather than his original theme. A little cutting would tighten up a film that, technically and artistically, is a delicate and creative delight." Movie Makers, Dec. 1949, 454.
"Ralph O. Lund, whether he knows it or not, has adopted the same narrative technique used earlier in a nature film (The Gannets) whereby one of the wild creatures being pictured becomes the narrator. In Monarchs of the Mountain Tops, Mr. Lund's "Pete Smith" is an agile and bewhiskered mountain goat. His recurring comments enliven considerably the producer's study of the flora and fauna of Glacier National Park." Movie Makers, Dec. 1953, 334.
"My Sierra Hideway: Leon Paddock, using a Bolex H-16 camera and a variety of four lenses, has produced a fine pictorial account of the beauties of the High Sierra mountains in California. The sound, on magnetic tape, enhances the film's presentation which gets off to a fine start with excellent titles." American Cinematographer, May. 1951, 192.
"In filming Nantucket, A Chapter from Early America, Russell T. Pansie chose a happy subject for Kodachrome — the weatherbeaten grays and pastel colors of the ancient buildings of Nantucket. Most color films are made with an effort to present colors as brilliantly as possible, but this picture is a delightful exception, and it is a notable example of the versatility of color film in the hands of a competent cameraman. In Nantucket, A Chapter from Early America, we see the orderly streets of the island, the historic buildings that date from the early Eighteenth Century, the mansions built by the prosperous sea captains of the Nineteenth Century and we glimpse the island's natural charm. But, in the brief footage that he wisely allowed himself, the cameraman has achieved more than an architectural study; he has reproduced the atmosphere of life as it was lived in the past." Movie Makers, Dec. 1943, 474.
"In Narrow Gauge Kingdom Roger H. Klatt presents an ambitious and highly successful documentary study of the rapidly vanishing narrow gauge railroads of the Far West—and of Colorado in particular. Excellently photographed and edited, Narrow Gauge Kingdom gives rewarding evidence of high-caliber research carried out by a genuine railroad enthusiast. Both picture-wise and in well-delivered narrative, Mr. Klatt has delved deep into the flavor of his subject, producing a film which, despite is length, is interesting throughout and of lasting historical significance. A newcomer to the Ten Best competitions Mr. Klatt has used the medium of the motion picture with rare competence. Not only has he effectively pinned down the dramatic possibilities inherent in his subject, but he has utilized the mountain background of Colorado to fine advantage. Apparently neutral between the proponents of magnetic stripe or tape recording, Mr. Klatt has used both, skillfully putting the narration and railroading sound effects on magnetic stripe and and effectively indigenous guitar accompaniment on a separate tape!" PSA Journal, Jan. 1955, 48.
"Wayne Mitchell, a former Ranger in the National Park Service acquaints the audience with a few of the Ranger's many jobs. Filmed in the Sequoia National Park, with Mrs. Mitchell as co-producer, this excellent film includes a hair-raising fire sequence which was finally obtained only after the Mitchells had expended considerable time and energy chasing forest fire reports from San Diego to Sequoia. Invariably upon arrival, they would find it to be only a brush fire or in a spot inaccessible for filming. The film demonstrates their eventual successes." PSA Journal, Dec. 1955, 36.
"E. Tad Nichols, III, born in the West, has been in the saddle almost since he first toddled. Much of his time has been spent among the Western Indians, and he has an intimate knowledge of their ways. So skillfully has he planned and edited each sequence of Navajo Rug Weaving that the audience has the rare satisfaction which comes from seeing just the right amount of each step of this ancient art that has held one method and course for many centuries. The direction and filming are of such excellence that the viewer almost seems to be present for the carding, spinning, dyeing and actual weaving of the rugs. Here is the human record film at its best." Movie Makers, Dec. 1945, 495.
Total Pages: 22
Amateur Cinema