"This was a story by animated drawings. It was of the fairy tale type, but well executed, well handled and convincingly portrayed. Sakamoto deserves special commendation for his patience and for the splendid completion of a very difficult task." American Cinematographer, Feb. 1936, 73.
"War of the Ants is a deft piece of animation against elaborate stage settings and masterful props. No scale tells us how big the ants are, but their movements and actions are superb. The story has a similarity to human warfare in its satirical approach" PSA Journal, Aug. 1967, 36.
"A witch who tires of her venomous role decides to transmit her characteristics to the soul of a cat. In this utterly charming film, William A. Thomas shows that he understands this soul perfectly — in both its winsome and its wilder aspects. With inexhaustible patience, he has recorded all the mischievous doings of a lively kitten that finally sees the light of love and casts off the witch's spell — i.e., the cat has kittens. Mr. Thomas's staging of the witch scenes — a role played with relish by Olive Thomas — is eerie and effective, while his sequences on the satanic feline are done with amused affection. The Witch Cat will appall those who "can't bear the beasts," delight those who adore them." Movie Makers, Dec. 1949, 455.
"Possibly the first student film ever made, this tale of a magical instrument was shot by the newly formed Cambridge University Kinema Club. While the film is a daft comedy, its creators went on to careers straight from a thriller: director Peter Le Neve Foster spent years filming behind the Iron Curtain, his assistant director Cedric Belfrage was a suspected Russian spy, and Pembroke Stephens - the lovesick youth - was killed in 1937 while reporting on the Japanese invasion of China." (BFI Player)
"…a legend of Merlin set locally. Everything was done, with the exception of the laboratory work, by members of the society at a cost of about £20. The picture runs for twenty minutes" (Anon 1927, 50).
Total Pages: 5
Amateur Cinema