"produced in a garage in Prestwick… the story of a man who spends the night in a waxwork show for a bet, but does not live to tell the tale" (HMHT 1933: 450).
"A bridge party invite a mysterious stranger to make up a fourth at their table, only to be unpleasantly surprised by his card tricks. When their fourth player arrives late, the strange interloper disappears, leaving an oddly familiar Joker in his place" National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive.
"Supernatural thriller made by a teenage girl." Filmpreservation.org
"15 year old Mary is bored. With her parents permission she writes her chum Martha to come for summer vacation and they will make a movie. In the meantime two convicts escape from the nearby prison. To frighten the girls away the convicts decide to play ghosts. Film ends with posse, capture and hand colored inferno." Oregon Historical Society.
"The tranquil countryside of east Lancashire belies its sometimes turbulent history, and Pendle Hill, overlooking the area, is to this day associated with the infamous witch trials of 1612. In this short colour film by amateur filmmaker Kenneth Prior, we visit the locations of the notorious events, in a county that saw more of an upsurge in supposed witchcraft activity than any other in the north." (BFI Player)
"A fickle (or is it haunted?!) elevator disrupts a man’s daily routine, ending tragically in a stairwell." Chicago Film Archives
"David Bradley, the dynamic heart of Willow Films, producers of Macbeth, has behind him a long and amazing record of outstanding dramatic pictures. Among these are his productions of The Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens; Emperor Jones, by Eugene O'Neill, and Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen. His Macbeth is the greatest of them all. And in a sense, this moving evocation of the brooding Shakespearian tragedy is the end product of them all — since, in it, Mr. Bradley's creative and cinematic abilities have come fully and splendidly of age. The character of this brilliant achievement may perhaps best be illumined by Mr. Bradley's own words from his plans for the film. "We realized clearly," he has written, "that the strength of our Macbeth must be found in stimulating cinematic treatment, portrayed with such angular camera compositions as to suggest the twisted, supernatural aspects of the drama. We planned our lighting for harsh contrasts and textures, so that, on occasion, the brooding menace of cold, murky stone could almost be felt. For our Macbeth was to be, above all, a movie, depending on atmosphere more than acting, 'punch' more than pomp, for its ultimate success or failure." That it has been success, not failure, is rewardingly the case." Movie Makers, Dec. 1947, 534, 536.
"Mag the Hag" is a 1925 amateur fiction film shot and edited by Hiram Percy Maxim (1869-1936), founder of the Amateur Cinema League. It is one of the earliest amateur fiction films shot on 16mm in Northeast Historic Film's collections. It features Maxim's daughter, Percy Maxim Lee, in the lead role of Percy Proudfoot. oldfilm.org
"Story of murder during a treasure hunt." Movie Makers, Nov. 1933, 475.
"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.
"Three Wishes is a fantasy, done by Earl L. Cochran with a delightful touch of originality. The story is told in footage that is relatively brief, yet clever editing and planning make it thoroughly complete. Here we have the familiar legend of the fortunate mortal who is given exactly three wishes by a supernatural power — and what happens when these three wishes are granted. The feat that Mr. Cochran accomplished was to tell such a story humorously and effectively, but without resort to complicated camera trickery. Except for one double exposed scene of the inevitable jinni which is evoked by rubbing a silver teapot (and this is a very good shot, too!) the film tells its story with straight cinematography. While the interior and exterior technique of scene recording, including a shot of an auction, was completely adequate, the outstanding feature of this film is its story telling quality, accomplished by careful cutting. An excellent performance was given by the single lead character of the photoplay, while the brief appearance of the jinni was very expertly handled." Movie Makers, Dec. 1940, 600.
Total Pages: 3
Amateur Cinema