"The Valley 8mm Club of North Hollywood has turned toward drama for its newest scenario production. A touching story of a sick mother in rather meager circumstances and in need to medical care. The youthful daughter and the druggist carry out the leading roles with effective realism. There is a remarkable accomplishment of lip sync as needed in a few places through the use of strobe-tape. The dramatic ending completely detaches us from the mother's illness" PSA Journal, Nov. 1959, 47.
"Misdirected medical research, with gruesome and very exciting consequences, is the basis of the plot of The Scalpel, a photoplay produced by Richard H. Lyford, with the aid of a group of boys and girls of high school age. The plot is extravagant, the story is rather too filled with amazing action, and there is not a doubt that the melodrama as a whole puts too great a burden on the acting ability of a group of young people, even though they are surprisingly able. Nevertheless, here is an amateur made thriller of the Frankenstein and werwolf tradition that really sends chills chasing down your spine. The transition of the unfortunate doctor into a demented and abnormal creature involved makeup that is really astonishing outside of a theatrical studio. It can't be said that the handling of the episode is any less convincing in this amateur production than are the same undertakings in the best Hollywood films of this nature. In addition to being really successful in its object, this picture offers some excellent technical work and very competent management of a large cast." Movie Makers, Dec. 1936, 550-551.
"All the title implies-death does bring silence to the dead, and in this instance peace and quiet for the survivor. The man is disturbed, his nerves are frayed with a noise beyond his endurance and he decides the end is the cure. The Orange County Cinema Club has turned a neat little trick with this film" PSA Journal, Nov. 1958, 46.
‘Ayako prays at the grave of her brother. Returning home, she helps Seizo - her late brother's young friend - to release his kite caught in the trees; an interlude that restores memories of the departed. Rural life and customs and the special delights of childhood are skilfully conveyed’ (EAFA Database).
Referred to "Sister and Brother" in 1932 American Cinematographer competition.
[Also known as Foiled or The White Slaver]
"the story deals with the activities of a notorious blackmailer who gets a financier and his sister into his clutches" (HMHT 1932: 222).
"a crime story which has a background of blackmail and intrigue" (Lovell Burgess 1932: 17).
"Amateur filmmaker, cinema historian and railway engineer H.A.V. Bulleid utilizes colour tinting and complex montage to create a surreal portrait of a young woman's dreamscape. Taking a sleeping pill before bed, Kathleen's worst fears come to life as the medication begins to affect her dreams. Surreal nightmares of love lost amidst the bleak countryside and love's unwanted return on the city streets, twist the boundaries between her unconscious state and waking life" (EAFA Database).
"Amateur filmmaker, cinema historian and railway engineer H.A.V. Bulleid presents a tale of paternal foreboding and rural tragedy. When a man dies, his widow seeks a suitable replacement to care for her and their son. Torn between two rival suitors - Dr. Vincent Moire and the mysterious Richard Grafton - the mother is unable to make a decision, despite her son expressing a clear preference for the doctor. When he is called away to town, Grafton seizes his opportunity and, wanting rid of the boy so that he might live with the mother in peace, shoves him over a cliff to his death. But when Grafton returns to the village, he spots the doctor - who has made an unexpected return - walking arm in arm with the widow. Distraught and defeated, Grafton claws at his neck and face in desperation, reaches into his jacket, pulls out a gun and kills himself." (EAFA Database)
"The Story of Bamba is a drama filmed in Africa by Ray L. Garner for the Harmon Foundation in New York. This reviewer calls the production a film drama advisedly, for, although it is made as a report of the medical work of a missionary group in Africa, the picture is, in itself, an entertaining photoplay. The boy, Bamba, is the nephew of the tribal witch doctor who cures sickness with his fetishes. Bamba is to become the medicine man's successor, but he falls ill with the fever and is deserted by the tribe when they hurriedly flee their village to rid themselves of a plague. Rescued and cured by the native representative of the missionary medical center, Bamba is sent to school so that he too, can cure in the white man's way. An adult, he returns to his own tribe, where he meets and finally overcomes the resistance of his uncle. Thus, the plot unfolds clearly and entertainingly, yet the story does not interfere with a complete exposition of the medical work of missionaries. Skillful handling of native actors is apparent in every scene, for there is scarcely an unconvincing piece of business in the whole film. Camera treatment is matter of fact but adequate." Movie Makers, Dec. 1939, 637.
"The Stray is a well written little story concerning a lonely little woman who returns to her husband, but finds he wants no more to do with her, for reasons explained as the story unfolds. Its ring of sincerity, coupled with good acting on the part of both the woman and her husband, was most surely the primary basis for the film landing in the top ten" PSA Journal, Aug. 1967, 36.
"Filmed by Arthur H. Smith of San Francisco, the story opens with Jackie, a lad of 4 years, playing on the sidewalk near his home. Observing a kitten crossing the street, his natural inclination toward pets impels him to run into the street after it. An unseen car bears down upon the boy and the driver is unable to avoid striking him down. Jackie is rushed to the hospital where his life is saved with difficulty, although he will be permanently crippled. The doctor advises Jackie's parents that although he has survived the operation, the lad has only a short time to live." Home Movies, Dec. 1946, 749.
Total Pages: 12
Amateur Cinema