"In Festival Michigan, Cornelius Vanden Broek undertook to record all of the fairs and community festivals that occur in the State of Michigan throughout the year. He was prompted to make this record for the benefit of many friends who were not able to attend them and thus to provide them with a vicarious participation. The usual parades, crowning a queen of this or that, live stock, home preserves, midway attractions and various contests for young folks are all here, done with pleasantly brief sequencing. A lively commentary accompanies the film. On the whole, this rather formidable undertaking results in a pleasant and completely honest endeavor. Mr. Vanden Broek achieved his goal with fine spirit." Movie Makers, Dec. 1953, 334.
"avant-garde documentary"
"Fiera di tipi, realizzata da Leone Viola con la collaborazione tecnica di Fernando de Marzi, si svolge tutta sullo sfondo della Fiera di Padova ed ha una trama impostata su ben sette personaggi di primo piano. Ma i realizzatori hanno saputo imprimere a ciascuno di essi una fisonomia inconfondibile creando anche due gustose macchiette: ma i caratteri non sono caricati: la vicenda scorre dall'uno all'altro dei personaggi, si imbroglia, si ricompone: la Fiera di Padova è di sfondo all-azione che senza fiera non esisterebbe; tanto tutti gli episodi sono strettamente connessi a quella manifestazione. La fotografia, dovuta a Dodi Calcagno, è in qualche punto un po' oscura, altrove assume un brillante risalto. Le doti narrative dei realizzatori si manifestano in questo film della durata di un'ora, ed è intanto — a parte gli altri pregi del film—non poco. Qualche lieve ritocco al montaggio si renderebbe necessario, allo scopo di raggiungere una completa omogeneità narrrativa. Noi parlando nel nostro passato numero prevedevamo il successo che questo film ha ottenuto, che sarà di incoraggiamento ai giovani volenterosi."
"Fiera di tipi, directed by Leone Viola with the technical collaboration of Fernando de Marzi, takes place against the backdrop of the Padua Fair and has a plot based on seven leading characters. But the creators were able to give each of them an unmistakable physiognomy, also creating two tasty little characters: but the characters are not privileged: the story flows from one character to the other, is cheated, is recomposed: the Fair of Padova is the background to the action that would not exist without the fair; all the episodes are closely related to that event. The photography, by Dodi Calcagno, is at some points a little obscure, elsewhere it takes on a brilliant prominence. The narrative talents of the filmmakers are manifested in this one-hour film, and is meanwhile - apart from the other merits of the film - not insignificant. A few slight adjustments to the editing would be necessary in order to achieve complete narrative homogeneity. We, speaking of it in our past issue, predicted the success this film has achieved, which will be an encouragement to willing young people."
From "Gazzetta di Venezia" republished in "Cine-club Padova," Eco del cinema, n. 130, 1934
Documental sobre las fiestas vascas.
A documentary about Basque celebrations.
"Popular North West events from 1934 feature here. Stockport Ladies' baths reopens, with young swimmers keen to display their skills. Local people turn out for the Alderley Edge carnival parade, and huge crowds flock to see Sir Alan Cobham's Air Pageant at Woodford Aerodrome. Finally, we leave Cheshire for a trip to New Brighton, where again the crowds turn out, for fun in the new pool." (BFI Player)
"Local events in Preston - the Mayor's procession; Christmas shopping; pot fair; Royal Infirmary rag; egg rolling in Avenham Park; dog show; and a horse fair" (NWFA Online Database).
"The film, titled 'Memories of the New York World's Fair' by filmmaker Frank J. Pezzano documents the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair. Pezzano edited the film and included hand-drawn and typed intertitles identifying the various locations and activities he filmed." Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
"What would have been an excellent film under any circumstances becomes outstanding as a group production. Produced by the Minneapolis Cine Club, it was originally conceived by William S. Block, carried out under the supervision of G. L. Larson, with Earle E. Ibberson in charge of production, while club president Elmer W. Albinson did the final cutting and editing. All members contributed directly to the project, either in filming or by helping to complete the picture. In the film we accompany two teen-agers, a 4-H boy and girl, on a grand tour of the fair, visiting exhibits, marvelling at the livestock show,standing pop-eyed before the midway spectacles, puzzling over the complexities of modern art, gasping at the fireworks display against the night sky. A running gag furnishes comedy relief, while the wholesome charm of our young guides is revealed in a sympathetic and appealing fashion. The members' filming is consistently competent, and deft editing has made Minnesota State Fair a well integrated and thoroughly enjoyable entertainment." Movie Makers, Dec. 1948, 476, 491.
"A clever, artfully-shot, and carefully-edited amateur film of the 1939 New York World's Fair." oldfilm.org
"R.W. Smiley who produced New York World's Fair is at the head of the Publicity Department of the Royal-Liverpool Group of Insurance Companies, and made this film to show the visiting agents of those companies what the Fair was like, so that they might have an idea of what they could see, before ever they visited the Fair" ("Program Notes," 1940).
Total Pages: 3
Amateur Cinema