"Among the films awarded honorable mention is The Grand Teton Country, carrying with it a breadth and sweep of all outdoors, a Kodacolor film by H. W. Voss, ACL. This picture is, first of all, an eloquent and colorful reply to those who do not believe that long shots can be taken successfully by this process. Time and again, in viewing this film, one is astonished by the clarity and detail of distant mountains, rearing their majestic, snow capped heads up into the cold blue of the sky, while the foreground is shown in all of its true colors. Mr. Voss has proved to skeptical Easterners that Rainbow Falls really lives up to its name. His Kodacolor camera, skillfully handled so as to produce a dark background for the rainbow formed by the sun shining on the spray, reveals perfectly that faint, tenuous beauty which is all the more remembered because evanescent. But solid, palpable colors are pictured here, too. Mountains and canyons, lakes that are mirrors, desert flowers and all the glowing colors that are part of the West, are arranged on Mr. Voss's film palette. Especially well considered was his continued use of the various neutral density filters in order to give distant shots their correct value in the brilliant sun and the inclusion of interesting action in each scene." Movie Makers, Dec. 1932, 560-561.
"To impart life and interest to a film about growing alfalfa requires more than ordinary patience and perseverance. Mildred J. Caldwell has supplied these in her picture, Green Gold. Filmed throughout the year, it shows the plowing, seeding, mowing, bundling and threshing, to create a story with depth and perspective. There were times when the movie maker had to climb on stacks of baled alfalfa or ride on a lumbering machine while it performed some vital operation in the culture of alfalfa. Hemet Valley, in California, was the setting, providing pleasant scenic backgrounds for the different operations." Movie Makers, Dec. 1947, 537-538.
"Louise M. Fetzner is a housewife who plainly likes the thrills of running the rapids down dangerous rivers while she makes movies that really move! In Green River, Mrs. Fetzner has a well paced, well photographed and altogether literate account of the adventures which she and her companions had on the Colorado's main tributary. The film is interesting and exciting, and tells its story concisely and without padding. The accompanying narrative is written and delivered effectively, although occasionally the level of the background music rises to overwhelm the narrator's voice." Movie Makers, Dec. 1953, 344.
"Al Morton has conquered another river. This time it is the unruly turbulence of the Green River in Utah. Not content to be simply a passenger, Mr. Morton built his own boat (and named it Movie Maker!) for shooting the rapids, one of three craft making up the river party. Green River Expedition is a record of lazy, sunny days on quiet stretches, of motor trouble and of scenery along the banks, of back breaking portages where the rapids are too dangerous to maneuver, and finally of the breath taking excitement of riding the tumultuous waters. To partake of this dangerous sport would seem accomplishment enough, but Mr. Morton puts it all on film as well, in about as sparkling, steady photography as one will ever see. The narrative accompaniment, while informative concerning the technique of river boating and the historical background of the surrounding country, seemed overfull. It is enough, in parts, to devote one's whole attention to the thrilling action on the screen." Movie Makers, Dec. 1950, 464.
"A delightful film of the home is A Greene Christmas, produced by Mildred Greene. Here is a record of a domestic Christmas that may well serve as an exemplar to other movie makers who are tempted to wander far afield. No startling new stunts in technique or effects of continuity are displayed, yet the film is so homelike, pleasant and sincere that it commands recognition as an achievement. Naturally, however, all departments which contribute to the completion of the film are more than adequately handled. The interior lighting, which resulted in perfectly exposed color shots in the familiar home settings, is noteworthy. Special recognition should be accorded the successful, well exposed shots of the subjects out of doors at night in one sequence. All the actors, members of her immediate family and friends, including the producer, were naturally and pleasantly shown, but the palm for outstanding characterization must go to Miss Greene's mother, who played the part of herself in a most delightful and unaffected way. The preparation of the color titles for this film deserves special mention because of their perfect exposure, fine backgrounds and outstanding arrangement of metal script letters. (Miss Greene tells about making A Greene Christmas in Stretching Christmas, in this number of Movie Makers.)" Movie Makers, Dec. 1939, 609.
"2 part travelogue film of Hawaii capturing the scenery, resources and people of the islands. Part 1 visits to a lava flow and other natural wonders such as Haleakala Creater and a black sand beach as well as numerous shores and valleys along the way. Stop motion animation of a toy car or ship tracks a change in location. Part 2 features footage of tropical flowers, picking coconuts, family picnic, farming and factory processing pineapple, Hula dance performances, surfing and canoeing competitions, and sunsets."
"2 part edited travel footage taken in numerous Hawaiian locations. Focuses on events and people as well as the natural scenery. Includes traditional dancing, a festival and a visit to an aquarium as well as religious locations." Chicago Film Archives.
"Louis Dishotsky and Arthur Rosenthal have put together in High Card Goes an entertaining variation on the travel record film. A definite story line replaces the usual slight continuity device. A pair of tickets for a Florida trip are won on a radio quiz show, but since both parents and two children cannot go, the mother and the father draw cards, high card winning. Wifey tops her mate's king with an ace and takes off for Florida, with the older child. The luckless husband is left to tend the baby and the house. While the acting is fine and the production is technically competent, the pictorial-dramatic pace is rather slow. Tighter editing is indicated." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 411-412.
"In Holiday in Dixie, Morton H. Read, a Yankee from Massachusetts, has so well understood the essence of the Old South that he has called back from its storied urns a breath which inspires the whole film so intimately that Southern hats should come off to him. His remarkable sympathy with the remains of the Cavalier era has made it possible for him to present them with conviction and fire. Mr. Read first shows us Washington with its dignity and spaciousness, by carefully chosen shots. He pauses for an inspection of the caverns at Luray, and then he goes on to study the lovely cities of Lexington and Williamsburg. We reach the deep South at Charleston and the Ashley River; it is in this part of the film that its maker establishes his vivid emotional identity with a past epoch. A sequence of Negro rural life is brilliantly handled, and the film comes to an amazing climax with scenes of the trees and flowers in the gardens of ancient estates. With music and with a narrative that sets a new standard in this newer phase of personal movies, the mood of the film is not only sustained, but amplified, so that, after the projection, one wonders which of the three — film, music or words — one will longest remember." Movie Makers, Dec. 1940, 599-600.
"Using the moving camera technique, the audience is carried from the first, hesitant beginnings of the Civil War, through the major campaigns, to the inevitable ending of this bloodiest of all American conflicts. Using old wood block prints for his pictorial material, Edward McCarthy has done a remarkable job of breathing life into this segment of history" PSA Journal, Oct. 1963, 41.
Total Pages: 23
Amateur Cinema