"During the 1940s, Mrs. Gertrude McGill ran the Children's Garden Library in the garden of her home at 1170 Tattersall Drive in Victoria. Open to children aged 4 to 12, this program aimed to improve reading habits and instill citizenship. It is seen as the beginning of cooperative preschools on Vancouver Island.
"Amateur film. Part 1 shows a day's activities at the Children's Garden Library, including games, calisthenics, playground equipment, dancing, and reading and storytelling at the "Book House". Part 2 shows the children participating in May 24 celebrations at Beacon Hill Park, which includes a May Queen pageant, maypole dancing, and activities honouring the "Queen of Health", the "Queen of Music", the "Queen of Drama", the "Queen of Race Friendship" and the "Queen of Art". A mothers' study group, and the toymakers' group, are also shown." (BC Archives)
"In China's Gifts to the West, we have what may be termed a tour de force of cinematic cutting. The most interesting part of the film is made up of a series of beautifully composed and photographed "stills," but the duration of each of these shots is so carefully timed that the entire sequence is fused into a relationship which conveys a distinct impression of cinematic motion — perhaps not "motion" in the ordinary sense of physical activity, but rather the deeper and more fundamental activity of the mind as it contemplates, one after the other, the various ideas which make up the unity of a conception. This has been accomplished by Mr. Space in his excellent choice of illustrations, which are projected into the mind in exactly the right order and appearance. Beside this purely cinematic achievement, the maker of the film is to be congratulated on his excellent taste in selecting and displaying objects of art to the best advantage. The photographic technique employed in producing closeups and ultra closeups of fabrics, china and other materials is undeniably pretty close to perfection." Movie Makers, Dec. 1936, 551-552.
"A Chinese and an American boy find China's products in the latter's home." The Educational Screen, Jan. 1946, 23.
"Film depicting people at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto." Library and Archives Canada.
"The Nordic sons who fish the icy waters of Lake Superior are the heroes of this story of Minnesota's northland. William C. Kuhl, in recording their struggles against nature for their daily livelihood, focuses attention on a single incident of one day's catch. The suspense element is effectively built up, the climax followed by quietly declining action to the end title. The camera technique is uniformly excellent. A less personal viewpoint in the narrative and a stronger musical scoring would have improved the overall quality of the presentation." Movie Makers, Dec. 1949, 469.
"A documentary of Dr. Fernando F. Guerrieri's cruise on "The Five Bells" from Los Angeles to Salina Cruz, Mexico with intermediate shore stops. There are scenes from some of the sleepy villages. The main interest is life aboard the yacht, cleaning, mending, fishing, eating, and all the other things and events one might expect on a yacht in southern waters. The picture creates a feeling of relaxation and restful purpose, with some deep sea fishing" PSA Journal, Nov. 1958, 46.
"Dramatized documentary: Depicts life in the Belgian Congo and French Cameroons." National Archives.
"In spite of the almost insurmountable difficulties in using feet to portray much of the action and most of the emotion in a movie, E. H. Sparks has managed to make Doghouse Blues completely comprehensible. A delightful farce of a bibulous fisherman, the story makes judicious use of the angler's big toe to denote thirst, hunger and any other emotion which might master a man on a solo weekend. Colorful scenes of inlets and bays, as well as attractive sequences of fishing craft, imbue the film with a flavor of authenticity. In satiric repetition, his indignant wife trails the tippling angler to the secluded spot where his boat rides at anchor, there to find him "taking the long count." A rude awakening for the errant husband and an eminently suitable final scene close the picture." Movie Makers, Dec. 1946, 471.
"A man is practicing for a part in a play by covering his eyes with bandages and going through his daily life pretending to be blind." Sacramento Public Library.
"East Coast, produced by the Rockville Cinema Club, is a picture that keeps the most jaded critic interested in its outcome. Carefully staged and convincingly acted, this story of the eternal triangle has an original twist. The production shows painstaking attention to story detail and photography, that leaves with the audience the feeling of having seen a finished picture. The acting was far above the average and shows the result of the club's previous experiences in making this type of picture. The sets were largely laid out of doors, but, both indoors and out, the exposure and lighting were handled in a most finished and competent manner. Smooth and logical, the scenarization, editing and titling represent a vast amount of careful preparation." Movie Makers, Dec. 1936, 542.
"W. R. C. Corson, close friend of the late Hiram Percy Maxim, FACL, Founder of the Amateur Cinema League, and for several years an invalid, demonstrates his loyalty to the cause of personal filming and his determination to achieve in that field by a revision of travel footage made in a more active period. As its name might indicate. Elysium is a remembrance of happier days, containing sequences chosen for their beauty or evocation of delightful times, and haphazardly geographical. Scenes filmed from the air are interspersed with records of faraway places as Mr. and Mrs. Corson are seen wandering here and there. Here is the gallant and intrepid accomplishment of a pioneer movie maker who is still "in the game."" Movie Makers, Dec. 1944. 496.
Total Pages: 14
Amateur Cinema