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Last year, the American Film Institute (AFI) released their list of what were considered the greatest motion pictures of all time—100 years, 100 movies. To celebrate the cinema’s centennial, let’s look at two documentaries from Kino Video that explore the early years of the film industry: From flipbooks to magic lanterns, FILM BEFORE FILM chronicles the shadow shows, parlor illusions, children’s toys and optical novelties that led to the development of moving pictures. But that only serves as a prologue to THE MOVIES BEGIN, a five volume video collection containing 122 films made between 1894-1914, offering a peepshow paradise of pictures in motion. As nickelodeon offerings evolve into experimental epics, we see rare slices of life from the turn of the century, and collections of silent shorts that can still thrill or make us chuckle. “Volume 1: THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY and Other Primary Works” shows how a handful of men (such as Edison, Porter, Lumiere and Melies), all working independant from (and often ignorant of) the others, laid the foundation for an international empire...an empire of entertainment, born out of a debate over whether this new novelty was an art or a science. “Volume 2: The European Pioneers” offers a look at film footage, both documentary and drama, that has rarely been seen in this country. “Volume 3: Experimentation and Discovery” reveal an early interest in special effects (and even crude color!) in an attempt to recreate historical events, or depict fantastic adventure on the screen. “Volume 4: The Magic of Melies” is a collection of short films by—along with a mini-biography of—stage magician George Melies, the “Father of Special Effects,” whose fantasies took us from the floor of the ocean to the surface of the moon. Finally, the series is capped off by “Volume 5: Comedy, Spectacle and New Horizons,” presenting us with early epics, the komedy of the Keystone Kops, as well as the art of animation. All in all, there is a treasure trove of treats here for the serious cinephile. The character of Ebeneezer Scrooge is as familiar a figure to the holidays as that of Saint Nick himself. It is harder to imagine a more unlikely hero than the miser who is reformed by the visit of three ghosts on Christmas Eve. Rarely does a character take on a life of its own, existing beyond the boundaries of the story from which it sprang, but Scrooge is such a creature. Perhaps as the spirits paint a portrait of his past, showing how Scrooge has become the man he is, and how what he does in his daily life will affect his future, it causes all of us to reflect a bit on ourselves and take an emotional inventory. Whatever the reason, the figure of Ebeneezer Scrooge has haunted the holidays ever since his first appearance in Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel “A Christmas Carol.” Early on, filmmakers recognized him for the remarkable creation that he is, and have made him a familiar fellow to audiences over the years. Television has borrowed frequently from the novel, either in straight adaptions or in plagiarized plots for seasonal episodes of weekly series. And still Scrooge endures, rekindling holiday spirits like an old friend. SCROOGE (1970) is a whimsical musical, starring Albert Finney in the title role. Perhaps one of the most lavish adaptions of Dickens to date, this festive film features locations and sets that create an enchanting Victorian faery tale. A CHRISTMAS CAROL (originally released in Great Britain as SCROOGE, 1951) has long been considered the classic version of the timeless tale, and Alastair Sim’s performance as Scrooge is still looked upon as the definitive interpretation. Also noteworthy is the 1984 television production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, starring George C. Scott. With a strong cast of acclaimed actors, director Clive Donner’s video version has quickly become a traditional favorhte. AN AMERICAN CHRISTMAS CAROL (1979) relocates the Dickens narrative to Depression-era America, with Henry Winkler as Slade, a Scrooge-like financier whose heart is as hard and cold as ice. Other variations include A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL, which casts Kermit the Frog opposite Michael Caine as Scrooge, and MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL, an animated adaption featuring Disney favorites in the yuletide tale.
It doesn’t have to be Saint Patrick’s Day to take a trip to the Emerald Isle for Walt Disney’s classic family fantasy, DARBY O’GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE. Based on the stories by H. T. Kavanagh, this lavish Technicolor tale follows the exploits of Darby O’Gill, a lovable, if incorrigible) Irishman out to catch the King of the Leprechauns (both played by Albert Sharpe). Although Darby manages to manipulate his Lordship into granting him three wishes, he finds it will take more than Blarney to outwit the Banshee when the fearful spirit comes to claim his soul. Veteran Disney director Robert Stevenson weaves adventure and lush locations with a love/hate romance between Janet Munro and a singing Sean Connery (in his pre-James Bond days) to create a rich faery tale tapestry. A tragedy tore at the heart of our hometown when, on April 6, 1968, an explosion ruptured Richmond, with a blast of such force that wreckage was literally scattered for miles, attracting the attention of the nation. In addition to forever changing the face of the downtown area, the loss of life that Saturday left long-lasting scars, scars that remind us of the courage of the community that united to help heal the wounds. With all the media coverage of the event, it seemed at the time as if the whole world watched while Wayne County wept. One of the reporters on the scene was Richmond native Bill Kehlenbrink, who was a cameraman for Channel 7 News out of Dayton. His work, presented in the video DEATH IN A SUNNY STREET, takes us back through the decades to the disaster, an instant in time that had more impact on the city than anything before or since. While Richmond has always been a community of opportunity, this moment is a monument to the spirit of her citizens. During the Christmas season of 1973, filmgoers received a ghastly gift: THE EXORCIST. Hollywood’s horrifying holiday offering opened to do blockbuster business beyond anyone’s expectations, and went on to terrorize ticket buyers around the world. Based on the book by William Peter Blatty (itself inspired by an actual incident), the story revolves around Regan (Linda Blair), a young girl who is in contact with the spirit world through a Ouiji board. However, the doorway she has opened has allowed a fiendish friend to come through...an unclean spirit that takes possession of her soul...and threatens to take her life. Regan’s one hope lies in an elderly academic, Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow), assigned to the case by the Vatican in an effort to drive the demon out. Although an unlikely yuletide (ghoul-tide?) tale, a quarter of a century later finds this fable of faith has lost little of its impact in depicting the struggle between good and evil. Despite the excess of contemporary cinema, the picture remains one of the most macabre movies ever made, forever changing the face of fear. Spawning two sequels and a following that has become legion, THE EXORCIST is rumored to soon be remade by Blatty as a mini-series, while a recent reissue of the film to video includes interviews and unused material, documenting the creation of a nightmare.
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