"Another of Mr. Horovitz's fine travel films of the Orient. This time the city of some 400 Buddhist temples, Bangkok, where the Emerald Buddha may be seen. the city is old but some of its new areas are modern. We visit several areas of the city including its waterfront where a large part of the population continues to live with its busy traffic of small boats and river merchants" PSA Journal, Nov. 1959, 48.
"The City was entered by its maker as an experimental film and ended up winning the Travel Film Award. Usually travel motion pictures have a difficult time in festival competitions, but this one came out almost on top. George Hood, who also won an Honorable Mention for Goin' Home, shows you 17 minutes of San Francisco that makes you feel you have lived there all your life - and he does all this without one word of narration, just sounds and music plus excellent filming" PSA Journal, Oct. 1968, 48.
"The curious and, to many of us, unknown peoples of the Bolivian Andes are the subjects of Ciudad de la Paz (City of La Paz), an interesting and colorful film by Eduardo Douglas Di Fiore. The peasants' life, arduous and squalid amid the beauty of their mountain home, has been competently and effectively documented. Their vividly colored costumes and monochromatic, weather-beaten faces take on a new beauty through the dramatic use of an interplay between natural light and shadow, a device which is used tellingly throughout the film. There are times, however, when Mr. Di Fiore tends to belabor his point. These overlong sequences, despite the ever-present beauty and grandeur, detract on occasion from the overall quality of the picture. The music and narrative (in Spanish) complement the mood and tempo of the film effectively." Movie Makers, Dec. 1952, 340.
"When an experienced cameraman such as Oscar H. Horovitz turns his technically competent camera on attractive outdoor subject matter, attractive outdoor pictures are quite likely to result. When, in addition, such a producer lines to discipline his editing, inform his narrative, and make graceful his musical score, a motion picture of true charm and beauty will be his reward. Such is the happy combination which makes up Colonial Williamsburg. A thrifty thirteen-minute study of this handsome 18th Century capital." PSA Journal, 1954, 50.
"Seventeen hundred feet of 16mm. color is a lot of footage through which to sustain audience interest. But, so help us, that is exactly what Lester F. Shaal has done in Colorado Diary, and we don't quite understand yet just how he did it. Perhaps it was the diary-entry continuity device he used, which, with the entries being made in situ on a Colorado dude ranch, permitted a refreshing infusion of flash-back sequences amid the day-to-day activities. ("The flight out here was glorious," notes the attractive diarist, and some superb air footage lends variety to the routines of the corral.) Perhaps it was the side trips from the ranch to ghost mining towns — or to Durango and the narrow-gauge railway country. Whatever the secret, Mr. Shaal has mixed it well with his usually impeccable camera work. Seldom have the vitality and majesty of the West been portrayed more movingly than in Colorado Diary." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 410.
"Dr. Numa P. Dunne has accomplished in Colorful Yosemite what hundreds of other amateur movie makers have failed to accomplish — the production of a simple, well planned and charming scenic of Yosemite National Park. Here was a subject selected by scores of itinerant cameramen before him, yet "muffed" almost invariably through lack of care. Dr. Dunne found no scenic advantages in the great park not offered to others, but he obviously brought to the setting something more than the usual confused and slightly awestruck interest. Tripod steady camera work, well rounded sequences, pleasing compositions and imaginative title wordings all contribute to make up a satisfying whole." Movie Makers, 1938, 618.
"About 1800 John Colter discovered the area now known as Yellowstone National Park, set apart by the United States government in 1872 for the enjoyment of the people. It has an area of 3,458 square miles, approximately 62x55 miles. Colter's Hell, as it was then known, is a national vacation land of thermal activity, wild life, and tourists. In forty-three minutes, the Lawlers take us to all of the important thermal and water activities and a tour thru some of the remote areas where the wild life may be found, including the grizzly. This film has many, many more vistas animals, and birds than the usual visitor would see. If one cannot visit the Park he should at least see the film" PSA Journal, Oct. 1962, 33.
"The feature length photoplay produced in Siam by Nai Bernard Juangbhanich is one of the best of the serious dramatic efforts produced by amateurs. The story deals with the profligacy of a young Siamese who has been educated in Europe. Feeling superior to an ordinary business career, the young man determines to write, with the consequent search for "experience and atmosphere." In the succession of romantic episodes that follow, the theme of the tale is developed with extraordinary skill and, in spite of the manifest satire in several of the sequences, the picture includes many sincere glimpses into the social life and customs of the upper classes of Siam. Completely blinded and embittered as the result of his folly, the protagonist finally comes to terms with himself and actually does succeed as an author. Although this plot follows a familiar outline, Mr. Juangbhanich again proves that it is not the essential plot but the treatment that counts. The picture includes flaws both in photography and continuity but they appear unimportant in view of the general photographic quality and the epic nature of the treatment. It was recently screened for the staff of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." Movie Makers, Dec. 1930, 759, 787.
"Esther Cooke presents an outstanding motion picture. This colorful pageant, filmed against a background of majestic Austrian Alps satisfies in every respect. A masterful eye for beautifully composed scenes is evident throughout the film. The pageant is covered from such a variety of angles, one marvels at Esther Cooke's ability to record the vent single handed. The accompanying musical background and very informative narration are obviously the result of careful research and planning. Leo J. Heffernan narrates the film - truly a masterpiece among travelogues." PSA Journal, Dec. 1955, 34.
Total Pages: 37
Amateur Cinema