"A delightful film of the home is A Greene Christmas, produced by Mildred Greene. Here is a record of a domestic Christmas that may well serve as an exemplar to other movie makers who are tempted to wander far afield. No startling new stunts in technique or effects of continuity are displayed, yet the film is so homelike, pleasant and sincere that it commands recognition as an achievement. Naturally, however, all departments which contribute to the completion of the film are more than adequately handled. The interior lighting, which resulted in perfectly exposed color shots in the familiar home settings, is noteworthy. Special recognition should be accorded the successful, well exposed shots of the subjects out of doors at night in one sequence. All the actors, members of her immediate family and friends, including the producer, were naturally and pleasantly shown, but the palm for outstanding characterization must go to Miss Greene's mother, who played the part of herself in a most delightful and unaffected way. The preparation of the color titles for this film deserves special mention because of their perfect exposure, fine backgrounds and outstanding arrangement of metal script letters. (Miss Greene tells about making A Greene Christmas in Stretching Christmas, in this number of Movie Makers.)" Movie Makers, Dec. 1939, 609.
"2 part travelogue film of Hawaii capturing the scenery, resources and people of the islands. Part 1 visits to a lava flow and other natural wonders such as Haleakala Creater and a black sand beach as well as numerous shores and valleys along the way. Stop motion animation of a toy car or ship tracks a change in location. Part 2 features footage of tropical flowers, picking coconuts, family picnic, farming and factory processing pineapple, Hula dance performances, surfing and canoeing competitions, and sunsets."
"2 part edited travel footage taken in numerous Hawaiian locations. Focuses on events and people as well as the natural scenery. Includes traditional dancing, a festival and a visit to an aquarium as well as religious locations." Chicago Film Archives.
"Louis Dishotsky and Arthur Rosenthal have put together in High Card Goes an entertaining variation on the travel record film. A definite story line replaces the usual slight continuity device. A pair of tickets for a Florida trip are won on a radio quiz show, but since both parents and two children cannot go, the mother and the father draw cards, high card winning. Wifey tops her mate's king with an ace and takes off for Florida, with the older child. The luckless husband is left to tend the baby and the house. While the acting is fine and the production is technically competent, the pictorial-dramatic pace is rather slow. Tighter editing is indicated." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 411-412.
"In Holiday in Dixie, Morton H. Read, a Yankee from Massachusetts, has so well understood the essence of the Old South that he has called back from its storied urns a breath which inspires the whole film so intimately that Southern hats should come off to him. His remarkable sympathy with the remains of the Cavalier era has made it possible for him to present them with conviction and fire. Mr. Read first shows us Washington with its dignity and spaciousness, by carefully chosen shots. He pauses for an inspection of the caverns at Luray, and then he goes on to study the lovely cities of Lexington and Williamsburg. We reach the deep South at Charleston and the Ashley River; it is in this part of the film that its maker establishes his vivid emotional identity with a past epoch. A sequence of Negro rural life is brilliantly handled, and the film comes to an amazing climax with scenes of the trees and flowers in the gardens of ancient estates. With music and with a narrative that sets a new standard in this newer phase of personal movies, the mood of the film is not only sustained, but amplified, so that, after the projection, one wonders which of the three — film, music or words — one will longest remember." Movie Makers, Dec. 1940, 599-600.
"Using the moving camera technique, the audience is carried from the first, hesitant beginnings of the Civil War, through the major campaigns, to the inevitable ending of this bloodiest of all American conflicts. Using old wood block prints for his pictorial material, Edward McCarthy has done a remarkable job of breathing life into this segment of history" PSA Journal, Oct. 1963, 41.
"In I Walked a Crooked Trail, O. L. Tapp has lured a good deal of motion and humor out of what must be one of the world's most static subjects — the Arches National Monument. Remembering that story interest is an important part of cinematics, Mr. Tapp has kept his very competent camera trained on continuous human action, letting his travelog unwind itself, very subtly, as a background. The film is limited by the essential triviality of its theme — the unfolding of a practical joke. But within its limits it does very well indeed." Movie Makers, Dec. 1950, 467-468.
"Un-staged documentary footage shot and edited by Sallie Wagner. Sallie's description of the film: 'Jimmy Hill flagging train at Chambers, Arizona, Post Office at Chambers, Bob Cassidy Postmaster, plane drop at Wide Ruins, Bill Cousins picking up package. Wide Ruins trading post exterior and interior, Bill and Sallie, Bill's office is original trading post of Day Brothers, Bill Cousins at front of airplane, crash of transcontinental racer on highway. Square dance, Eleanor Pratt in blue blouse near ladder, Jack Norton heavy set fellow, Phil Pratt extreme left, John Adair with back to screen, Dick Tryon [Tyron?] near rocks. Dwight Wagner - white shirt and tie near rose bush, Sallie in front of Spring house'." New Mexico State Archives.
"George Merz offers a masterful job of photography in his travel film, 'In The Sky Over Miami'." American Cinematographer, May 1952, 224.
"Two part edited travelogue taking place in the Hudson Valley area. Part one begins at Coney Island, and then takes viewers through New York City before heading to places such as West Point and Poughkeepsie where cough drops are being made. Part two Includes much footage on Hudson river, the process of manufacturing wallpaper at Imperial Color and a visit to the North Pole theme park." Chicago Film Archives.
Total Pages: 22
Amateur Cinema