"considering the obvious difficulty of getting anywhere near the subject to be photographed, is an amazing piece of work, as regards photography, choice of shots, continuity, cutting, and editing. It is no exaggeration to say that a professional could have done no better. The whole grim business of the fight is depicted in a vivid and realistic manner, and but for the fact that the Censor and general public are averse to witnessing spectacles of this type of picture, if enlarged to standard size, could be shown in the cinemas" (Hill 1931: 7).
"Film a soggetto"/Fiction film
"Il esso è descritto, attraverso infiniti particolari, la storia di un fanciullo traviato, che dopo un avventuroso vagabondaggio, viene rinchiuso in un Riformatorio giudiziario per l’espiazione della pena che gli è stata inflitta in seguito ad un reato da lui commesso. Ne seguano le trasformazione spirituale finché lo vediamo restituito alla società riabilitato."
"It describes, through infinite details, the story of a misguided child, who after adventurous vagrancy, is locked up in a reformatory for the expiation of the sentence imposed on him as a result of a crime he committed. Spiritual transformation follow until we see him returned to society rehabilitated."
The film was directed by special courtesy of the Minister di Grazia e Giustizia, nel R. Riformatorio giudiziario di Nisida (Napoli)
—Notizario delle sezioni cinematografiche dei gruppi universitari fascisti a cura del ministero della cultura popolare, September 1938 p. 11
"Burano by the sea, fisherman mending their nets, life along and on the canal. A visit with times of old, fine embroidery, the cobbler, children quietly at play, the market, the village square and its grand architecture and bronze statuary. It is feeding time in the square for a zillion pigeons. Another gem of Esther's visits to Europe" PSA Journal, Nov. 1960, 41.
"Inspired by a family funeral, three children in Cockermouth, Cumbria, give the recently deceased 'Jackdaw' a dignified send-off. Heather Harris, the youngest child, officiates as a priest. Sadly, no-one can now remember whether the deceased was a family pet or just a wild bird found in the garden, but this film remains as a fleeting, yet touching, picture of a moment in childhood" (BFI Player).
"will probably be an all-women film produced by the lady members, stories for which are now under consideration" (HMHT July 1933: 77).
"an adaptation of an old song… and is now underway" (HMHT Aug 1933: 113).
"an object lesson of effective simplicity in telling a story" (HMHT Dec 1933: 283).
"One of the most unusual educational institutions in America, the John Hay High School, of Cleveland, Ohio, is devoted exclusively to courses that adapt the student to life in a business civilization. Business Champions, produced for the school by Anthony L. Cope, a John Hay instructor, provides fine coverage of all the school's activities. With the end product — a well adjusted citizen with a job — constantly in mind, Mr. Cope shows fully and intelligently how John Hay determines and develops the aptitudes of its students." Movie Makers, Dec. 1948, 492.
"Busk'n [was awarded] for its very excellent black-and-white photography" PSA Journal, Sept. 1966, 36.
"Charles J. Ross found in Victoria, a land of generous rainfall and benign sunshine, where walks and pathways are lined with trees and flowers from distant places, where every path leads the visitor to new scenes of verdure and color; he is entranced and delighted at every turn. The imagination and planning of the landscape artists is his to enjoy without surfeit, so tasteful are their arrangements" PSA Journal, Nov. 1958, 46.
"The late and unlamented war kept amateur movie makers — along with the rest of peripatetic America — pretty close to their backyards. Robert S. Walker is one who has made this restriction pay dividends. The result is Butterflies, a charming study of these winged wanderers of blossomland. Those filmers who have ventured into the field of extreme closeup work will understand and applaud the patient skill with which Mr. Walker got wellnigh perfect results in recording each new specimen. Rhymed quatrains serve, with the scenes, to create a film of light and airy entertainment." Movie Makers, Dec. 1945, 496.
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema