Director: Wallace McCutcheon, Joseph A. Golden & others
Cast: Gilbert Saroni, Mack Sennett, D.W. Griffith, Florence Auer, Edward Dillon.
Description: Fifteen films from American Mutoscope and Biograph Films demonstrating various forms of situation comedies, chases, special effects extravaganzas, suspense, and unusual camera movement.
Part I: Early film comedy.
The Dude and the Burglars (1903)-Demonstrates moving pictures' superiority over vaudeville.
The Story that Biograph Told (1904)-An office farce is the setting for this example of unique camera usage.
Personal (1904)-One of the first "chase" films with an unexpected ending.
The Widow and the Only Man (1904)-Uses interesting camera techniques to introduce the characters.
The Lost Child (1904)-Mother frantically searches for a missing child, only to find him in the doghouse!
Part II: Early examples of situation comedies and the development of the "chase".
The Suburbanite (1904)-Family moves to the "peaceful" suburbs, and finds them anything but!
Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son (1905)-The original "chase" story; filmed entirely within the studio using specially constructed sets.
An Acadian Elopement (1907)Uses the typical silent movie ploy of inserting a chase for no apparent reason.
Part III: The use of special effects in films.
Grandpa's Reading Glass (1902)-Early "point-of-view" film.
Mr. Hurry-Up of New York (1907)Trick effects accomplished by editing and splicing.
The Tired Tailor's Dream (1907)-Combination of stop-motion and live action photography.
The Sculptor's Nightmare (1908)-Time-lapse and stop-motion photography allow statues to come to life! Mack Sennett's acting debut.
Part IV: The development of delayed suspense and unusual camera movement.
A Search for Evidence (1903)-Use of camera angles to increase suspense.
The Moonshiner (1904)-Documentary with ahead-of-its-time camera use.
The Hero of Liao Yang (1904)-Early use of panning and effects.
Color/B&W: B&W.  Running Time: 112 mins.   Item #1067  $14.99
Format: VHS
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Director: Wallace McCutcheon & others
Cast: Gene Gauntier, Gordon Burbe, D.W. Griffith, Robert Harron, Edward Dillon, more.
Description: Twelve productions by pioneering American Mutoscope and Biograph cameramen, with a variety of subject matter.
Part I: Ambitious productions from American Mutoscope and Biograph cameramen.
The Nihilists (1905)-F. S. Armitage's well-planned drama of Russian politics.
The Great Jewel Mystery (1905)-Film from cameramen Billy Bitzer and F. A. Dobson is intercut to form a fictional solution to an actual crime.
A Kentucky Feud (1905)-Billy Bitzer's dramatization of the Hatfield-McCoy feud.
Part II: Films based on actual happenings.
The Silver Wedding (1906)-Expose of New York City criminals, using cross-lighting to produce a somber effect.
The Black Hand (1906)-Documentation of a kidnapping, with titles explaining each scene.
The Paymaster (1906)-Adaptation of a true story; film debut of actress Gene Gauntier.
Part III: F. A. Dobson's documentation of dangerous occupations.
The Tunnel Workers (1906)-Actual workers on a tunnel under the Hudson river.
The Skyscrapers (1906)-Actual construction on a skyscraper, with camera angles adding to the perception of height and danger.
Part IV: Demonstrates how film developed unique characteristics, distinguishing itself from theatre.
The Boy Detective (1908)-Based on a newspaper serial, this film has ten unique camera angles and a surprise ending.
Her First Adventure (1908)-American version of a popular British film with a canine hero.
Caught By Wireless (1908)-Drama on the high seas, with footage of a Marconi wireless, a novelty at the time.
At the French Ball (1908)-Uses a split screen effect and features D.W. Griffith as an actor.
Color/B&W: B&W.  Running Time: 95 mins.   Item #1068  $14.99
Format: VHS
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Director: D.W. Griffith
Cast: Linda Arvidson, D.W. Griffith, George Gebhardt, Mack Sennett, Florence Lawrence, Mabel Normand, Florence Barker, Frank Fowell.
Description: Various films directed by D. W. Griffith, featuring some insights into his editing techniques.
Part I: Examples of Griffith's comedies.
Balked at the Altar (1908)Griffith's thirteenth film, featuring a reluctant groom, and an even more reluctant bride!
Faithful (1910)-Filmed in Hollywood, a change of pace from Griffith's melodramas.
A Dash Through the Clouds (1912)-One of the first major films to feature an airplane in the plot.
Part II: Dramas from Griffith's first six months as a director.
A Calamitous Elopement (1908)-One of ten films made in thirty days.
Where Breakers Roar (1908)-Two separate storylines collide when beach frollickers are menaced by a crook.
An Awful Moment (1908)-Demonstrates Griffith's pattern of setting a tranquil mood, then shattering it with danger.
The Cord of Life (1909)-Griffith's use of cutbacks to increase suspense.
Part III: Insights into Griffith's editing techniques.
The Girls and Daddy (1909)-Shown twice; once in the original order the scenes were shot, and again after they are edited together.
Part IV: Dramas by Griffith during his second six months as director for American Mutoscope & Biograph.
The Golden Louis (1909)-Camera movement in to a tight close-up is essential to the story.
At the Altar (1909)-Suspense builds through the alteration of action sequences with scenes of unsuspecting victims.
Fools of Fate (1909)-Unusual lighting enhances the mood of the final tragic scene.
Color/B&W: B&W.  Running Time: 103 mins.   Item #1069  $14.99
Format: VHS
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Director: D.W. Griffith, others
Cast: Lottie Briscoe, Kempton Greene, Lee Shumway, Linda Arvidson, Florence Lawrence, Mack Sennett, Owen Moore, Kate Bruce.
Description: Represents D.W. Griffith's first attempts at two-reel films as well as shorts illustrating the transition between Griffith's early style and his later pictures. Also, some examples of films produced by Siegmund Lubin Manufacturing Company focusing on elements of pre-production planning.
Part I:
His Trust & His Trust Fulfilled (1911)-Notable for its use of makeup to age the cast. The second reel is the sequel, but is complete in itself.
Part II: The first Biograph film publicized as a two-reel drama.
Enoch Arden (1911)-Dramatization of the Tennyson poem.
Part III: Shows the transition between Griffith's early style and his later efforts.
A Temporary Truce (1912)-This neglected film features a unique story, superb camera angles and a large cast.
The Girl and her Trust (1912)-Griffith's use of panning to establish point-of-view.
Part IV: Pre-production planning is evident in these examples from Siegmund Lubin Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia.
The Bold Bank Robber (1904)-Philadelphia's streetcars, railroads and tunnels are locations for chase scenes.
She Would be an Actress (1909)-Starring Lottie Briscoe, Kempton Greene, Lee Shumway.
Drunkard's Child (1909)-The evils of drinking, as a habitual drunk attempts to reform for the sake of his young daughter.
An Unexpected Guest (1909)-The three films above all feature constructed sets, interior and exterior scenes, and division of the story into scenes.
Color/B&W: B&W.  Running Time: 102 mins.   Item #2895  $14.99
Format: VHS
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Director: Gilbert M.
Cast: Pansy Perry, Gilbert M. "Bronco Billy" Anderson, Al Jennings, Cecil M. Hepworth, Barbara Hepworth.
Description: Contains examples of films from independent producers, including short subjects from special-effects wizard George Melies, British comedies produced by the Clarendon, Gaumont and Hepworth Companies, and some of Britain's first documentary dramas concerning social ills.
Part I: Five examples of independent films.
Love and War (1899)-One of the first films shot in different locations, adapted from a true story.
The Girl From Montana (1907)-A western with a twist: a female heroine!
His First Ride (1907)-William Selig's adaptation of the chase sequence.
The Bandit King (1907)-Story line unfolds as a series of vignettes.
The Bank Robbery (1908)-Real-life bank-robber-turned-actor Al Jennings stars in a reenactment of his crime.
Part II: Examples of the over-1500 films from French magician Georges Melies, and early master of special effects.
The Inn Where No Man Rests (1903)-Fantasy based on a previously written story.
A Spiritualist Photographer (1903)-Film of a magician at work, using a dissolving effect.
The Kingdom of the Fairies (1903)-All of Melies' effects are at work here.
The Magic Lantern (1903)-Melies photographs moving images projected onto the back of a constructed set.
The Clock Maker's Dream (1903)-Fantasy photographed with a single camera angle.
The Cook In Trouble (1904)-Stop-motion editing makes characters appear to disappear!
The Mermaid (1904)-Underwater scenes filmed through a fish tank.
Part III: Comedies from the Clarendon, Gaumont and Hepworth companies in Britain.
How the Old Woman Caught the Omnibus (1903)-Slapstick comedy where a man plays the part of a woman, dummies are stand-ins, and the camera runs backwards!
The Eviction (1904)-Police evicting tenants run into difficulties.
The Bewitched Traveller (1904)-Objects disappear through special effects.
An Englishman's Trip to Paris from London (1904)-Demonstrates the British capacity for self-directed humor.
The Lover's Ruse (1904)-A Suitor steals a kiss in 22 feet of film.
A Race for a Kiss (1904)-An automobile races a horse in a film which uses special techniques to prolong the scene.
The Other Side of the Hedge (1904)-Camera is moved from establishing shot to further the comedic plot.
Fine Feathers Make Fine Birds (1905)-Fast-paced chace as motorbikes chase after an automobile.
Part IV: Britain's first documentary films focusing on social evils.
The Pickpocket (1903)-Chase film involving the apprehending of a pickpocket.
The Child Stealers (1904)-The fate of unattended children, filmed outdoors on city streets.
Raid on a Coiner's Den (1904)-A sober attempt at realism, beginning with a full-frame close-up.
Revenge (1904)-Realistic melodrama showing considerable pre-production planning.
A Railway Tragedy (1904)-Robbery and assault filmed from several camera angles.
Decoyed (1904)-The white slave trade is here depicted.
Rescued by Rover (1905)-Kidnapped infant is rescued by the family dog in this popular melodrama.
Color/B&W: B&W.  Running Time: 105 mins.   Item #1592  $14.99
Format: VHS
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