"Se trataba del regreso de un soldado de origen mexicano a la Ciudad de México después de haber combatido en Vietnam con las tropas estadounidenses. El hombre llega a la estación del ferrocarril de Buenavista y recorre la ciudad para acabar finalmente en el departamento de su hermano. Busca trabajo y no lo encuentra. Por la voz off que sigue el hilo de sus pensamientos, nos enteramos que a su mente guerrera le cuesta trabajo adaptarse a la vida pacífica. La película intercala una serie de secuencias oníricas que de alguna manera ilustran su delirio belicista: sueña que es un soldado griego que asesina al niño que lo molesta en el taxi colectivo (un pesero) que lo conduce a casa de su hermano; imagina en el personaje que lo entrevista cuando aplica para obtener un trabajo a Napoleón Bonaparte (interpretado por Juan José Gurrola) dirigiendo una batalla; o sueña que es un caballero medieval que asesina a su familia en un pacífico día de campo. Finalmente el personaje no encuentra cabida en la sociedad pacífica y acude –todavía en traje de caballero medieval – al aeropuerto para comprar un boleto de avión "a la guerra más próxima"" (Vázquez Mantecón, 2012).
"It is about the comeback of a Mexican soldier to Mexico City after fighting in Vietnam along with American troops. The man arrives to the train station in Buenavista y goes around the city to end up at his brother's apartment. He looks for a job and cannot find one. The off voice, that follows his train of thought, tells us that his war mind has trouble adapting to a peaceful life. The film inserts a series of dreamlike sequences that in a way illustrate his war delirium: he dreams he is a greek soldier that murders the kid that bothers him in a collective cab that drives him to his brother's house; he imagines the character that interviews him when he is looking for a job is Napoleon Bonaparte (played by Juan José Gurrola) directing a battle: or he dreams he is a medieval knight that murders his family in a peaceful day in the country. Finally the character doesn't find a place in a peaceful society and goes –still in medieval armor– to the airport to buy a by a plane ticket to the "nearest war" " (Vázquez Mantecón, 2012).
"In the process of viewing Around Lot 34, one is reminded of the gag in old comedies where an impossible number of persons emerge from an automobile. Only in this case it is the incredible amount and variety of produce and flowers grown in the area of a trailer plot. Henry J. Auger has made a "dawn to dusk" film of trailer life, but he has lifted it above a humdrum record by occasional inserts of humor that are wisely not belabored. Mr. Auger makes life in a trailer park seem relaxed and pleasant indeed — with Mother doing all the chores. The result is a film of warmth, refreshingly portrayed." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 411.
"Un-staged documentary footage shot and edited by Sallie Wagner. Sallie's description of the film: 'Shorty Boys, Little Shorty building a hogan, Crip Chee and his hogan, grandson in doorway. Blackrock in front of hogan, Tchindi, Rose Martin doing laundry, cooking shelter at squaw dance, Hosteen Glish getting water, Bent Knee getting wood, Hosteen Glish making a canoe out of a log, Hosteen Glish's granddaughter weaving, digging yucca root for soap, Navajo washing her hair, Hosteen Glish making a cradle board'." New Mexico State Archives.
"At the Sandpits is perhaps Crawley's first completed work, produced when he was a teenager; Crawley went on to make many award-winning amateur films before turning professional in the 1940s as a producer of industrial films. Employing rapid cutting, trick photography, and imaginative scenarios, At the Sandpits conveys a strong sense of dynamic action in a short film about a family picnic. The film begins by showing the preparation of sandwiches for a picnic; after showing the meal in a few deft shots, the adults are seen relaxing, while the kids and pets, shot from extreme low angle in slow motion, run toward the sandpits. The film continues with short but carefully constructed sequences of the kids pretending to be buried alive in the sand, having a baseball game, and then returning home, tired. Finally, the film concludes with a strange dream sequence, employing trick photography, in which three girls appear decapitated behind a sheet" Tepperman, 173.
"Various family members are seen in the garden of a large house, possibly The Beeches. A woman and baby sit on a blanket in the middle of the lawn. A uniformed nanny joins them with another baby. Concludes with a shot of the two babies together on the blanket" (NWFA Online Database).
"Beach Holiday, an 8mm. story in Kodachrome, deserves high praise because of its smooth and interesting treatment of material that is directly within the reach of every movie maker. Made by Raymond O'Connell, this subject is a fine example of natural continuity, done in a simple, straightforward manner. The interior shots, which show the family getting up in the morning, their planning and preparation for a day at the beach and, at the end of the film, their return home, afford excellent examples of good exposure and technical work on 8mm. interior scenes. Many of the transitions are well planned, notably a clever shot which shows the final packing of the picnic hamper at home. Its cover is raised in the kitchen, so that the hamper fills the entire frame. The cover is then lowered, revealing a beach scene in the background. The outdoor work gives an excellent exposition of a day at the beach, complete with swimming, sports and boardwalk amusements." Movie Makers, Dec. 1937, 628.
"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: 19
Amateur Cinema