"To present, on 8mm. Kodachrome, where the problem of definition in distant shots is made more difficult by the greater screen enlargement in projection, a serious and satisfying architectural study of a structure that extends not a few hundred feet into the air, but thousands of feet horizontally, is a task that calls for skill in movie making. Raymond O'Connell, in San Francisco — Oakland Bay Bridge, has exhibited that skill and has to his credit, in this film, a definite accomplishment. The study is rendered comprehensible to the audience, at the very outset, by the use of a model of the bridge, which is introduced in the course of the picture, with excellent effect. In several instances, one passes from a shot of the model to another of the actual structure from the same angle, and so easily that it is possible to forget the cinematic labor put forth in finding a vantage point for the camera to show exactly what was needed. Of especial merit are shots of the changing pattern of the cables, made from a moving motor car, which provide a fine essay in abstract design." Movie Makers, Dec. 1938, 620.
"Footage of the Behrens family on holiday in Sandsend; June 1925. Includes various scenes of the family on the beach - Two men are seen wading through the sea, carrying a man and a boy to dry land. A large rowing boat is seen anchored in the background. - Three little girls stand on top of a sand castle, trying desperately to keep their feet dry, while a young boy shovels sand around them in an attempt to keep the in coming tide at bay. - A group of women are seen standing on a breezy hillside, dressed in outdoor clothing, carrying rucksacks and walking sticks. The film also features a brief shot of a London North Eastern Railway (L.N.E.R.) steam train departing from a platform" (NWFA Online Database).
"Santa Passes Out is another of John Martin's delightful pictures of family life, a subject which he handles con amore. A series of unusually fine child studies makes this film outstanding, and the utterly spontaneous character of most of this material is all the more praiseworthy because every bit of it carries the story forward. Mr. Martin did not succumb to the sore temptation that besets the producer parent, to insert an irrelevant shot here and there because it is "so cute." The story itself is a gentle narration of the inevitable expose that awaits the fond parent when he impersonates Santa Claus, and the film as a whole is completely delightful. There is unusually good interior color photography throughout and a very clever, double exposed main title." Movie Makers, Dec. 1938, 597.
"'Santa Visits Elaine,' 16mm. in color, by John E. Pohl of Cicero, Ill., was the winner in the home movies class. The picture is finely done. It greets you with an unusually strong title when it flashes upon you on the screen. No filters are used. There are few characters in the story—as a matter of fact Elaine and her mother carry the greater burden of the cast. To be sure, Santa is in the limelight long enough to do a little tree and interior decorating. Elaine looks a trifle large to accept as gospel truth all the conversation sometimes handed to children about the comings and goings of Santa Claus, but the young lady does or is caused to do one good deed which may indicate one of two things: either she is going to do her utmost to entertain Santa while he is visiting that house or else she has a line on the habits of the male person who is in her mind slated to do the hanging. She very prominently places a bottle of beer and a large glass right where the visitor cannot miss it. Does he miss it? No, he does not. In spite of the obstacle presented by the phoney mustaches he gets around them." American Cinematographer, Jan. 1939, 17.
"A tour of the California theme park." Center for Home Movies.
El filme describe el día de San Prudencio y las actividades que se realizan alrededor de este. La riqueza gastronómica, cultural y religiosa de la región es descrita a través de este documental que nos muestra el día de la romería y las costumbres y tradiciones alavesas.
The film describes San Prudence's Day and the activities around it. The region's richness of gastronomy, culture and religion is described through this documentary that shows the pilgrimage day as well as customs and traditions from Alava.
"shows cinematically how a large provincial town spends Saturday. Each shot will be related to the preceding shot either by comparison or by contrast, and the success of the film will depend entirely on the photography and the editing" (HMHT 1933: 113).
"a picture dealing with the various activities of a town at week-ends. Many shots were taken in the streets of Bolton" (Kinematograph Weekly 1933: 21).
"Misdirected medical research, with gruesome and very exciting consequences, is the basis of the plot of The Scalpel, a photoplay produced by Richard H. Lyford, with the aid of a group of boys and girls of high school age. The plot is extravagant, the story is rather too filled with amazing action, and there is not a doubt that the melodrama as a whole puts too great a burden on the acting ability of a group of young people, even though they are surprisingly able. Nevertheless, here is an amateur made thriller of the Frankenstein and werwolf tradition that really sends chills chasing down your spine. The transition of the unfortunate doctor into a demented and abnormal creature involved makeup that is really astonishing outside of a theatrical studio. It can't be said that the handling of the episode is any less convincing in this amateur production than are the same undertakings in the best Hollywood films of this nature. In addition to being really successful in its object, this picture offers some excellent technical work and very competent management of a large cast." Movie Makers, Dec. 1936, 550-551.
"In the summer of [1982], Robbins Barstow and his wife Meg, of Wethersfield, Connecticut, USA, went on a two-week tour of scenic Sweden and spectacular Norway. Join them in viewing beautiful sights and fascinating sites, all in dramatic color." Archive.org
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema