"To produce a clear explanation of just how the modern dial telephone works is a task that would tax any movie maker's ability, or even the united capabilities of any two filmers. Yet, when Kenneth Bloomer and Robert Orr. jr., pooled their movie making and telephone engineering knowledge to make Behind the Dial, they produced one of the most competent technical films that Movie Makers staff has ever seen. Clear, flawless photography, combined with a script that was worked out with infinite care, makes the story interesting and complete. Particularly effective are the sequences of the operation of the automatic machinery of the dial systems, in which shots of the encased mechanisms dissolve into scenes of the same mechanisms after the cases have been removed. The camera achieves the effect of an X-ray in revealing what actually happens within a maze of machinery to make the dial system possible. The film represents a tremendous amount of labor and planning, for much of the equipment shown had to be filmed at the telephone office late at night when the traffic was very light. This is a documentary film of both educational and entertainment value." Movie Makers, Dec. 1937, 628-629.
"Behind the Headlines tells us, in wide screen, how a newspaper is put together. Well paced" PSA Journal, Aug. 1967, 37.
"Made to support a Community Chest campaign, Behind the Red Feather shows how various social welfare agencies in a community help to forestall juvenile delinquency, care for the aged, the sick and the poor and, in general, make a town a better place to live in. As a connecting link between a necessarily episodic series of sequences, a red feather, the Community Chest symbol, floats into the opening scene of the activities of each agency. Walter Bergmann has recorded this community project with understanding and warmth, and Ralph Bellamy contributed his services in recording on disc an excellently written narrative." Movie Makers, Dec. 1947, 536.
"Behind the Scenes was filmed by Mildred J. Caldwell while the Long Beach Cinema Club was making Fire From the Skies, a civilian defense movie. This production skillfully presents an entertaining record of the problems and the confusion that beset amateur motion picture activities, and it shows how a successful picture can be produced in spite of them." Movie Makers, Dec. 1943, 477.
"A silent documentary that follows a group from Central Cinematographers as they view, discuss and shoot films. The process of filmmking becomes transparent as the actors are seen alongside the equipment that lights and films them as well as the large number of people that are needed to prepare for a scene." Chicago Film Archives
"A black comedy giving a burlesque take on fascism and clearly aimed at Hitler's first six years in power. Dissatisfaction with Westminster's policies prompts a takeover by the Celts and the installation of a vacuous nonentity as dictator. The full panoply of Nazi regalia and methods are satirized before the dictator's fall." (EAFA Database)
"Various members of the Behrens family are seen walking out of the front door of a house. They are all wearing hats and coats and gather in groups on the driveway. There appears to be several generations of the family present. An elderly man and woman descend the front door steps, with a baby and two children. Concludes with everyone running around the driveway, larking about in front of the camera" (NWFA Online Database).
"Mr and Mrs Behrens are seen on a beach with two young children and a toddler. The three youngsters climb on top of a large pile of sand. The tide is out and the rest of the beach is deserted. Location Skerries" (NWFA Online Database).
"Various family scenes shot in the Behrens' garden at Holly Royde in Withington; May 1925. Includes a brief shot of a nanny playing with a baby and child on the lawn - two maids, carrying trays, are seen walking past in the background. Also features a family group - mum, dad, and two young children - exiting a garden gate and walking down a suburban street (The Beeches) in West Didsbury" (NWFA Online Database).
"Scenes of a Behrens family gathering. Various family members are filmed as they walk down a set of steps leading from the front door of a large house. They stand around talking to each other on the driveway. One of the men, holds hands with a young boy and they dance around in a circle" (NWFA Online Database).
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema