"Bituminous coal is the major actor in The Power Behind the Nation. This sound on film color movie, made by Waldo E. Austin for the Norfolk and Western Railway Company, shows effectively the tremendous part played by soft coal in the development of the nation. The picture is well filmed and thoroughly integrated by an excellent narrative, while lead and end titles are appropriately double exposed on shots of moving trains, which serve to drive home the point that the railroad is the important link between the mine and the consumer. Exceedingly fine sequences of coal mining and well handled shots of the railroad equipment are high points. This film is a fine example of an industrial motion picture produced without the excessive equipment and appropriations sometimes thought to be necessary for such an effort. " Movie Makers, Dec. 1940, 604.
"W. J. Seeman's offering, 'Prairie Schooner,' which was also dotted with effective wipes and fades, but in addition was tinted and toned. This also employed his youngsters in a very interesting and well photographed story." American Cinematographer, Dec. 1933, 342.
"If you are engaged in any phase of little theatre work, Prelude to Performance is certainly your picture. However, even if you are not engaged in any phase of little theatre work, Prelude to Performance is also your picture. That fact of universal appeal is the true measure of this movie's success. Made by John W. Jones with the cooperation of the London Little Theatre, in Ontario, Canada, the primary purpose of this picture was to outline (and, if possible, teach) the basic steps of putting a play together. This it most certainly does, from the inception of the idea down to the rise of the opening night curtain. But in the process — through a sound sense of cinematic treatment and smoothly integrated subtitles — the picture maintains a lively and appealing interest for all." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 412.
"Spring comes for John W. Ruddell and nature unfolds its little power plants of color and our cameraman has captured these beauties for us. The seed catalog heralds the coming of spring. The housewife busies herself with the new, pretty pages of flower pictures and goes into a bit of slumber. Then followed the results of a tremendous effort in filming single frame, time lapse growth of seeds, plants, trees, and flowers. This is not just another effort to make time lapse photography. The picture is sprinkled with unusual and amusing photographs of plant life and flowers, leaves grasses, carefully timed to the music. The choice and use of music in this picture does a great deal to enhance its effectiveness. A beautiful and delightful prelude to spring." PSA Journal, Nov. 1957, 32.
Prelude to Spring stands as the Canadian Film Awards' de facto Film of the Year for 1957 after the judges did not select a winner in the professional category.
"Surgical Preparation for Maxillary Denture is particularly detailed. Beginning with a study of the models, including some animation, it then shows the administration of the anesthetic to the patient, the extraction of the teeth, the preparation of the denture and the final discharge of the patient." Movie Makers, Sept. 1933, 337.
"Edited film of Greece by a Greek immigrant to the United States was specifically created to educate American audiences to the true qualities and nature of the Greek people. Footage includes Athens, Greek ruins, and country villages," via the Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Museum.
"An anti-war preachment, boldly and ably done in allegory with but three characters, and two are only seen briefly" American Cinematographer, May, 1938, 204.
English language translations of the film are The Soldier's Tale or A Soldier's Story.
Fantasía en color / A fantasy of color
"Prime Time is a film that is different because of the way it was put together by Herbert W. Smith of Concord, N.H. That's why it won the MPD Golden Scissors Award for editing. It lasts only three minutes, but it is fast, gets to the point and that's it. Splendid color, beautiful people, handled differently and a few other innovations. It's a war story, a love story, a sad story and a short story" PSA Journal, Nov. 1969, 57.
"One comes from a screening of Primitive Patzcuaro, by Ralph E. Gray, with an overwhelming impression of pure beauty. Here, in compositions which often echo the Old Masters in their warmth of color and satisfying balance, an amateur movie maker has turned his camera on the simple life about him and found it pleasing. One after another, the magnificent scenes and sequences bring from the spectator that involuntary expression of deep pleasure which is ambrosia even to the great of amateur movies. In Primitive Patzcuaro, Mr. Gray has portrayed, with leisure, the life of the Tarascan Indians, remote from civilization in a rarely visited section of Mexico. Although magnificent in its color studies, the film is abundant in human interest as well; in portions devoted to the bright native dances and religious ceremonies, it presents a series of tableaux that are breath taking in their effectiveness." Movie Makers, Dec. 1937, 626-627.
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema