"E. Tad Nichols, III, born in the West, has been in the saddle almost since he first toddled. Much of his time has been spent among the Western Indians, and he has an intimate knowledge of their ways. So skillfully has he planned and edited each sequence of Navajo Rug Weaving that the audience has the rare satisfaction which comes from seeing just the right amount of each step of this ancient art that has held one method and course for many centuries. The direction and filming are of such excellence that the viewer almost seems to be present for the carding, spinning, dyeing and actual weaving of the rugs. Here is the human record film at its best." Movie Makers, Dec. 1945, 495.
"Un-staged documentary footage shot and edited by Sallie Wagner. Sallie's description of the film: 'Wide Ruins and area, farming Navajos, Black Rock - Medicine Man, Cut Hair plowing, Joe Toddy following Cut Hair, planting, Patsy Martin standing on Cultivator, Jim House's wife husking corn, Paul Jones helping husk corn, sheep dipping at Ganado, Dwight Wagner viewing sheep dipping, wool shearing at Wide Ruins, loading sheep at Chambers, tall man in tan outfit Bill Cousins, Bent Knee sitting on fence, Crip Chee's grandson in closing scene'." New Mexico States Archives.
"Whitehall Newsreel featuring : Morecambe Baths opened on 27th July 1936, with a civic ceremony and female models. Followed by footage of football in Christy Park (Morecambe) then General Evangeline Booth addressing a crowd; cuts to firemen and the gutted timber yard of Hustler's Sawmills; cuts to Remembrance service and procession. Finishes with dancers dressed as sailors. Interspersed with seafront shots." (NWFA Online Archive)
"New England Holiday is the kind of travel film any movie maker should be proud to produce. Replete with human interest and a warm feeling of good fun, this two reel record is distinguished by a wealth of splendid compositions and natural camera treatment. Albert F. Watts has lavished on such typically New England subjects as Gloucester harbor, the fishing fleet or a clam bake the sensitive feeling of an artist for line and mass and the alert understanding of cinematics of a genuine movie maker. Smoothly integrated sequences have been edited with unerring suavity and liveliness, comprising a whole which is both vital and lovely to look at. The production is fundamentally weakened only by a selection of title wordings considerably less spirited and effective than the films which they accompany." Movie Makers, Dec. 1938, 620.
"In New Horizon, Cinematographer Clardy presented the life of a farm girl at a moment of crisis. One reel, almost without titles, tells the story of her efforts to marry the man she loves in spite of her father's opposition which keeps her chained to the farm." American Cinematographer, Feb. 1935, 78.
"Clardy was the winner last year of the gold medal for scenario and photography. Last year Clardy's picture was based on a western theme, while this year his scenario, although set in its greater part in the outdoors had several indoor shots. However, most to be admired was the way in which he handled his production both from composition and directorial standpoint. There were only three people in his cast with the girl assuming the major role. His sense of dramatic values, and especially his fine feeling for the proper tempo brought forth unstinted praise from the judges." American Cinematographer, Dec. 1934, 365
"A clever, artfully-shot, and carefully-edited amateur film of the 1939 New York World's Fair." oldfilm.org
"Although Mexico has become a recurring theme among American movie makers, its varicolored panoramas seem fresh and vital when viewed through the discerning eyes of so capable a film reporter as Esther S. Cooke. She has a fine talent for blending human interest with purely scenic passages, so that Nextdoor Neighbor presents an informative and entertaining pageant of the sights and scenes below the border. Not the least of this producer's potentials are her diligent research, able organization and skillful editing. The more familiar scenes of Mexican life are supplemented here by an admirably detailed coverage of the national sport, bullfighting. Looking at this spectacle as if through Latin eyes, Mrs. Cooke has been able to transmute onto film its stirring pageantry and ritualized passion. A happy choice of Mexican recordings provide a beautifully blended musical score, which reaches its apex in the, bullfight sequence with the haunting and classic La Virgen de la Macarena." Movie Makers, Dec. 1950, 465.
"About a 9-year-old African girl, found by Protestant missionaries in the French Cameroons and reared in a mission school, who later marries a native teacher and returns to help her village." National Archives.
"An amateur film made by and starring the husband and wife duo, John & Evelyn Kibar. After Mrs. Kibar asks Mr. Kibar to throw away his old collectables, or “junk,” Mr. Kibar begins reflecting on past travels. Only later do we find out this travel sequence is actually just a dream." Chicago Film Archives
"Not One Word, by Kenneth F. Space, ACL, is an all around triumph of amateur photoplay production. It is a simple melodrama of the keeper of a lighthouse, his wife and the rejected suitor who returns. A wreck at sea (beautifully staged in miniature) is the complicating dramatic factor, and, with these ingredients, a dignified motion picture story of remarkable unity has been produced. In it, Mr. Space and his able staff have blended dramatic lighting, authentic settings and superb photography to achieve a distinguished whole. Under restrained but smoothly paced direction, the three leading players have enacted their roles with definite histrionic skill. If one were to try to select a single quality in the film which is outstandingly brilliant, the vote of this observer would be cast for the cutting. It is accurate and incisive, adding that last bit of dramatic "punch" which is perhaps the quality least often achieved by the amateur producer. Not One Word speaks for itself, but in the wordless and potent idiom of cinematic imagination." Movie Makers, Dec. 1934, 534.
Total Pages: 29
Amateur Cinema