I hesitated to purchase this set because, as a silent film enthusiast, I already have most of the films (11 of 14) in other collections. However I happen to be a fan of the Alloy Orchestra and that combined with a pristine, original title card version of Buster Keaton’s THE PLAYHOUSE (which looks gorgeous) and THE RED SPECTRE which I have only seen excerpts from, settled the matter. Adding to the fun are the hand painted slides that were used between films in the early days of cinema. Some of these slides showed up in Kino’s THE MOVIES BEGIN set. None of the films are less than fascinating although some are better than others. I am constantly amazed at how creative the pre-feature filmmakers were, employing camera tricks and editing skills that are still in use today and for sheer creative imagination, some of these shorts like Winsor McCay’s THE PET, have nevered been equaled.
Once again Flicker Alley has done a fantastic job with this presentation although a couple of the shorts are a little the worse for wear which is to be expected considering how old they are. Many use the same source prints as in previous collections although THE PET looks a little different from the one I already have. As for the musical accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra, I think it is superb. If you know them only through their knockabout scores for Fatty Arbuckle or SLAPSTICK MASTERS, then this disc will introduce you to a greater and more subtle variety of sounds as suits the material that they are providing the soundtrack for. If you’ve never seen many of these shorts before, they are truly eye opening and are an ideal introduction to the world of silent film especially for younger viewers. As always with Flicker Alley, there is a wealth of background material on the films in the collection including a surprising revelation on how they got the fly to perform in THE ACROBATIC FLY.
The Capsule Critic 