I have a been a fan of silent films for over 40 years after seeing HAROLD LLOYD”S WORLD OF COMEDY in 1962 and after reading Kevin Brownlow’s THE PARADE’S GONE BY shortly thereafter. However it was more than 25 years after that before I had the means to get a really good look at most of them. The technology of first VHS, DVD and now Blu-Ray finally allowed me the opportunity to see these old films in decent prints, projected at the right speed, and with the proper musical background. I am especially fond of early silent cinema which roughly dates from 1895-1918 before the domination of Hollywood began. I have a box set of DVDs called WHEN THE MOVIES BEGAN which features early efforts from England, Europe, and the United States. Another worthwhile set is THE ORIGINS OF FILM from the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress.
This collection took me completely by surprise as 1) I was not at all familiar with the films of Mitchell and Kenyon and 2) the quality of these almost lost films was truly extraordinary. Not just the visual look of the films but the life from a century ago that they capture. The motion picture is the only true time machine that humans have come up with so far. Seeing these ordinary people doing ordinary things really makes you feel as if you are there. You are seeing living, breathing people even though they are long dead along with their way of life and the world they inhabited. For that reason alone this collection of short films and others like them (check out Kino’s EDISON and LUMIERE BROTHERS) are worth their weight in gold and then some. A hearty thanks to Milestone Films and the British Film Institute for releasing this set and the extras it contains.
The Capsule Critic 