While the subject material of this set as well as the price ensures that it will not be for everyone, those with an interest in early cinema or early 20th century history cannot afford to pass this one up. An unprecedented collaborative effort between MOMA, The Library Of Congress, and Kino International, EDISON: THE INVENTION OF THE MOVIES allows us to witness the birth, the development, and the ultimate demise of America’s first movie company and one of the most influential companies in cinema history.
140 Edison films are included in this 4 DVD set. Many of the earliest ones from the 1890s are less than a minute long and are time capsules of people and places from over 100 years ago while the mainstay of the collection are the one reelers directed by Edwin S. Porter between 1902 and 1908. Disc 2 in particular shows just how good Porter really was. Films like THE KLEPTOMANIAC, THE WHITE CAPS, and THE TEDDY BEARS are as good as any of the short works done later at Biograph by D.W. Griffith.
Ironically as Edison’s films got longer and more polished the artistic level of their movies declined as they moved away from their original working class audiences and into the world of the middle and upper classes. The films lost their early edge and became safer and more predictable. In its last years Edison was at its best with non-dramatic pieces like THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CARE OF INFANTS and THE WONDERS OF MAGNETISM although THE PASSERBY is a remarkable dramatic gem of bitter irony. The company did go out in a big way with the World War I feature THE UNBELIEVER which featured a young Erich von Stroheim.
While this set gets 5 stars all the way for its historical significance and for its packaging of interviews and extras, I do have a few complaints. There are a few selections such as FIRESIDE REMINISCENCES which are so badly deteriorated that I wonder why they were included considering the wealth of material there was to draw from. I also found the various music scores that accompany the films to be rather bland as a whole. While not unsuitable, they do little to enhance the material which in some cases really needs to be enhanced.
However these are minor quibbles compared with the historic value and the surprising artistic achievement of some of these films and I cannot recommend this set highly enough to students of early cinema and to silent film enthusiasts. To be put on the shelf next to THE MOVIES BEGIN and the TREASURES FROM AMERICAN FILM ARCHIVES series.
The Capsule Critic 