"Mathis Kverne returns to the winner's circle with another delightful and imaginative animated cartoon, Strokets Kavalerer—which has been translated for us "Main Street Romeos." This time we meet two boy paint brushes who try, with varying degrees of success, to win the hand of an attractive girl brush. One, a wordly boulevardier, plies her with costly presents, while the other, a real booby, offers her naive, if presumptuously intimate, gifts. When the lady has at last been won—by the booby, of course—we follow the happy couple through their marriage and the birth of their first born, a yellow brushlet of undetermined sex. Although this film may not captivate the viewers as completely as did Mr. Kverne's Muntre Streker (Ten Best 1952) that picture's promise is more than fulfilled. The animation here is smoother in all respects, the development of the story line more definite and the personalities of the individual characters more precisely realized. The result is a film of lighthearted charm which will enchant one and all. And puzzle them too, for the animated methods used by Kverne are still his own secret!" PSA Journal, Jan. 1954, 49.
"Scenes of a wedding party held in a large garden. There is a large marquee, the bride and groom are mingling with guests and there are a large number of bridesmaids. Some of the guests are extremely well-dressed - furs and big hat for one woman - and the priest is shown talking to some of the guests. As the couple depart, the guests assemble on the house steps to throw streamers. Other scenes show a family in the garden, with the children playing ring-a-ring-a-roses." (NWFA Online Database)
"Under the able direction of Kenneth E. Carrier, ACL, a production unit of the Grand Rapids Amateur Movie Club has produced an engrossing film drama based on a short-short story from a Billy Rose column. Two Paper Cups begins as if it would tell the familiar tale of a bored husband plotting the murder of his wife for the love of that "other woman." But a double switch at the plot's end saves the life of the married woman and, with irony but without need, takes the life of the husband. Top notch photography, expert staging and lighting, good acting and skillful editing make this photoplay an outstanding example of cooperative filming at its best." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 410.
"'The Voice of the Key' is a magnificently staged photoplay, beginning with the very professional series of opening titles and featuring remarkable interior photography, considering the limited equipment at the disposal of the filmer. Charles Carbonaro, using photo-floods entirely, has achieved some truly professional illumination in his interior settings, and his camera technique displays an artist's genuine feel for forceful and dramatic story telling with a camera. The story concerns a murder of an unfaithful wife's lover by her husband, and the steps the husband takes to conceal his part in the crime, only to be tripped up by his door key as the incriminating evidence. Carbonaro used a Cine Special Camera and Eastman Super X panchromatic film. The script, which he wrote himself, was adapted from a story published in 'This Week', Sunday supplement magazine of national distribution." American Cinematographer, Apr. 1950, 133.
"Great ambition and a wide knowledge of both amateur and Hollywood camera techniques mark Charles J. Carbonaro's The Voice of the Key. The film is a whodunit, involving many of the human reactions — from love and hate to cynicism, impatience and sudden passion — all of which have to be registered by the actors at Mr. Carbonaro's command. It's a large order, and the film does not quite fill it dramatically. But the good things about The Voice of the Key are very good indeed." Movie Makers, Dec. 1950, 468.
"Film is a mostly animated cartoon featuring an animated woman and men. The film backdrop often features life images of an old house in winter. The film begins by showing a few pages from the Dec. 7, 1867 'The Milkspur Beacon' newspaper. The woman is in the middle of getting married when she decides to run away. After going back and forth between at least two men, she gets married again" Archives of Ontario.
A short excerpt of the film survives, showing a wedding celebration in Złaków Borowy, Poland. The film also circulated with the title, "Une Noce a la Campagne."
"Out of his own experience and happy recollections, Sidney Moritz presents in telling terms a warm and affectionate recounting of the marriage and honeymoon. A bright sun filtering through the stained glass of the church lights the solemn exchange of vows amidst swelling organ tones. The scene dissolves to preparations for the honeymoon, the contentment of a pastoral setting, the first months of life together, the small details that contribute to gracious living, and finally a fond recalling of the beginnings — the stained glass and sunlight, two people in love, the music and the prayer. A sympathetic scoring complements this sincere and moving record film." Movie Makers, Dec. 1948, 496.
"Any husband who has ever cast a wandering eye in the direction of a neighboring redhead should appreciate the husband and wife shenanigans related in The Wolf's Tale, by George A. Valentine. In addition to its redhead, and further complications, Mr. Valentine's film has the great merit of brevity, though it includes several travel shots and a little family background as well as its smoothly told story. Basically, however, the moral of The Wolf's Tale is: Leave redheads alone." Movie Makers, Dec. 1948, 495.
"After a day of domestic squabbling, an imposing wife and bumbling husband have their furniture appraised. When two men show up as assessors the confusion begins, ultimately giving the husband a chance to prove himself." Chicago Film Archives
Total Pages: 6
Amateur Cinema