Customer Reviews

Edison - The Invention of the Movies: 1891-1918

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This beautifully packaged set of 4 discs is both an education and a real pleasure to watch, thanks to an excellent interface that allows you to enjoy watching the films only, or go in-depth with program notes on each film, as wellas interviews and commentaries on many aspects of the Edison Company's productions. The educational aspect is, of course, the development of movies: from the very first experiments in 1889 which last only a few seconds, to the distinct steps towards telling a story and its evolution into the format we know today. The first disc comprises mainly these early experiments and quick glimpses into the past, lasting from a few seconds to several minutes, and which cover a wide range of subjects. One has to keep in mind that moving pictures were a novelty in those days, and it took some years for the concept of a narrative film for proper entertainment to emerge. Thanks mainly to the innovative pioneering spirit of Edwin S Porter, who directed nearly all of Edison's early short films in the period 1902-1908, we can clearly see how the foundation was laid for what was to follow, such as D W Griffith's Biograph Shorts. In fact, I'm sure that anyone who has enjoyed Griffith's Biograph work will enjoy the bulk of the Edison Company's productions. These shorts (about 10-20 minutes in length) cover a broad range of themes from simple but charming love stories to more involved plots with social and other themes: always interesting but perhaps overall not as intense or dramatic as many of Griffith's Biograph shorts. Apart from 3 or 4 short films that have suffered irreverisible damage, the picture quality is very good overall, and the traditional organ or piano accompaniment is varied and suited to the scenes. My personal favourites are these varied short films from 1905 to 1915, then after a break of 3 years, the final Edison production on disc 4 is a feature film of nearly 90 minutes made during World War I. "The Unbeliever" shows how a young man's experience at the front in Europe changes some of his prejudices and makes him a better person, which makes it more than just a war propaganda film. Although the picture quality is not the best here, I still got a lot out of the story, and it is a good end to the entire set which shows all the steps involved in the invention of the movies.

While the subject material of this set as well as the price ensures that it will not be for everyone, those with an interest in early cinema or early 20th century history cannot afford to pass this one up. An unprecedented collaborative effort between MOMA, The Library Of Congress, and Kino International, EDISON: THE INVENTION OF THE MOVIES allows us to witness the birth, the development, and the ultimate demise of America's first movie company and one of the most influential companies in cinema history.

140 Edison films are included in this 4 DVD set. Many of the earliest ones from the 1890s are less than a minute long and are time capsules of people and places from over 100 years ago while the mainstay of the collection are the one reelers directed by Edwin S. Porter between 1902 and 1908. Disc 2 in particular shows just how good Porter really was. Films like THE KLEPTOMANIAC, THE WHITE CAPS, and THE TEDDY BEARS are as good as any of the short works done later at Biograph by D.W. Griffith.

Ironically as Edison's films got longer and more polished the artistic level of their movies declined as they moved away from their original working class audiences and into the world of the middle and upper classes. The films lost their early edge and became safer and more predictable. In its last years Edison was at its best with non-dramatic pieces like THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CARE OF INFANTS and THE WONDERS OF MAGNETISM although THE PASSERBY is a remarkable dramatic gem of bitter irony. The company did go out in a big way with the World War I feature THE UNBELIEVER which featured a young Erich von Stroheim.

While this set gets 5 stars all the way for its historical significance and for its packaging of interviews and extras, I do have a few complaints. There are a few selections such as FIRESIDE REMINISCENCES which are so badly deteriorated that I wonder why they were included considering the wealth of material there was to draw from. I also found the various music scores that accompany the films to be rather bland as a whole. While not unsuitable, they do little to enhance the material which in some cases really needs to be enhanced.

However these are minor quibbles compared with the historic value and the surprising artistic achievement of some of these films and I cannot recommend this set highly enough to students of early cinema and to silent film enthusiasts. To be put on the shelf next to THE MOVIES BEGIN and the TREASURES FROM AMERICAN FILM ARCHIVES series.

If you love film history, this is the best collection of Edison films available. Kino does its usual great job with the extras (but where is Edison's "Frankenstein"?). Those looking for entertainment, and not history, will find this tough to get through, though. Having seen most of these films on earlier video releases, let me warn you that these films are the earliest and the crudest of all films ever made. Film was not in its infancy here; it was embryonic. The invention was fresh out of the lab and no one was quite sure what to do with it. The result was two decades of clumsy plodding along, trying this and that, and coming up with only a very, very few films that still interest anyone but historians. You may find watching these films an endurance test. The historical commentaries are what these films are all about and Kino delivers.

What a fantastic set. I'm really only 6 hours into the 12 hours of film material but this some wonderful set! I've been collecting Edison films on video for about 20 years. To not only have them in one place with great prints, but to have the interesting interviews (2 hours worth) is fabulous. If I have one gripe it's the menu. If you are watching a DVd all the way through including the commentary and stop in less than the 3 hours the disc runs, you have to fast forward the next time to the place you were at. There is a film index but if you chose a film from that list it only plays that film and goes back to the index. Well, after watching it through once, I'll be using the index in the future.

Great packaging as well. Bravo to Kino and MOMA!

Steve Ramm

Prior to watching the films on this set, I had only seen a handful of films from the 1890s and Aughts combined, and was barely better-acquainted with the films of the Teens, only having seen thirtysomething films from that decade. This collection really serves to fill a hole for people whose primary experience with early cinema comes from the Twenties and Teens. I actually found myself liking the first two discs best, the films from the 1890s and the early and mid-Aughts. It's really a wonder how back then you could fit so much into only a film that was like five to fifteen minutes long, and rarely ever need intertitles to explain anything. The films from the 1890s are even more wonderous to behold; none of them are over a minute long, yet people back then didn't care, since they had never seen moving images before. This was really a breathtaking thing for them, short as they may be. These very early films also documented many vaudeville acts, providing a small window into a long-bygone form of entertainment. Watching all of these films and interviews and going through all of the bonus material isn't a one-day project, that's for certain. (The program notes on the first disc even have some bonus films that aren't listed on the main film index!) It's not for people who are looking only to be entertained, but for those who are serious about film history and just history in general (so many of these films document things that are long gone, like styles of dress, cars, horse-drawn carriages, sidewalk markets, social codes, and technology), it's a real treasure-trove. Maybe a second volume will be released someday?

This set contains 140 films made by the Edison Company during the years 1891-1918. Unlike the other bundle of Edison's movies, this one has extensive commentary so that you get a real feel for Edison's place in motion picture history, his successes, and finally what caused the downfall of the movie-making part of Edison's extensive empire. Most early Edison films are under a minute in length and were done as experiments as much as anything. However, Edison's 1903 film, "The Great Train Robbery", is considered the very first success at making a popular motion picture that even remotely resembles what we have today, and is included in this set.

The set pretty much goes forward chronologically in time from disc one through four. Disc one has Edison's earliest films including his experiments with sound on film. Edison, in fact, underestimated the problems involved and originally predicted that movies with synchronized sound could be accomplished by 1910. Discs two and three have the more popular Edison films on them, and even show director Edwin S. Porter as emerging with a unique directorial style. Disc four was not as much fun for me as the first three, since it largely documents the decline and fall of the Edison Company, and the films on that disc demonstrate why. As directors such as D.W. Griffith were turning feature films into an artform, the Edison Company was largely making movies about industry and even some campaign films. This is really essential viewing for anyone who wants the details on Edison's place in motion picture history.

This set is great for early film buffs. But, since most of them are in the public domain, they are easily found online at government sites to download free. Spending a few hours downloading from the Library of Congress site, and you will have the same collection.

If you have any interest in the first years of American movies, this boxed set will fascinate you.
Thomas A. Edison invented many of the processes that made motion pictures as we understand them possible. From his earliest, very brief test films made in his miniature studio the Black Maria, to the full-lenth feature "The Unbeliever" about a privileged man's education in the trenches in World War I, you can watch Edison's work become steadily more professional and entertaining.
Among the short films shown, one especially, a comedy called "Black Eyes," fascinated me, as I am a big Laurel and Hardy fan. Watching "Black Eyes" I can see where Stan and Ollie got the basic idea for several of their movies, including their best feature, "Sons of the Desert."
There are more than 16 hours of unique entertainment beginning in the early 1890s here; they're well worth the price.

This is a great set of 4 DVD's that chronicle Edison's contribution to the film industry. It is for the most part in chronological order to demonstrate the evolution more of films than of the industry that actually go hand in hand.

You have the option of just watching the films or including interspersed interviews. Most documentaries (not this one) have some snot telling you what you can see for yourself or trying to make some left field point as in the film "The Uninvited" (1944) trying to tout is as al lesbian film. In this case there are a few but they are offset by the excellent reviews by Charles Musser, author of "Before the Nickelodeon". Charles ties all the films and presentations into one coherent offering. Now you do not see this presentation as separate films but more of a metamorphosis and have a better understanding and appreciation for the early film industry.

I will not go through the films in detail as that is why you are purchasing the product. I will say that this set should be of interest to historians and the curious in many other fields as it captures sites and attitudes from a time gone buy.

It is packed with information and can be quite a chore to watch at one time without taking time to digest. You will also want to view this documentary again to pick up on the nuances missed the first time around.

Before the Nickelodeon: The Early Cinema of Edwin S. Porter

KINO's 4-DVD set of Edison company films demonstrates a unique chronological decline from the brilliance of the 1890s and early Aughts to ordinariness (1908-13) to mediocrity ('14-'17) and predictible flash-out in 1918.

There's a correlative tapering of expert commentary, as well. The optional pre-film contributions of several authorities on Disc One make this three hours an indispensible classroom on cinema's beginnings. Disc Two and Three have far less of these compelling intros and in a steep downward slope. Disc Four is worst of all in this regard: a single preview of the final 85 minute title, then some epilogueish parting shots.

Many of the earliest selections are reproed from deteriorating paper reels held by the Library of Congress. Some shorts included here (from MOMA's stash) are so degraded, the celluloid seems about an hour away from turning to goo. These are distressing to watch both for their appearance and for what has clearly been irretrievably lost. Later movies, that is, after Edwin Porter's departure, are in wonderful shape, but are only of mild interest.

It baffles how this collection is so logically contradictory. Immediate-post "Train Robbery" efforts often have cardboard sets, no intertitles or screen credits, with little plot and ordinary-looking actors, while the late-Teens Kinetoscopes identify now-pulchritudinous cast members, include dialog cards, and feature real sets, yet these films are a yawn in comparison to their more primitive ancestors.

It could be the obvious newness of this medium and a delight in experimention, as demonstrated on the first two DVDs, is what holds our attention. Or perhaps a "let's crank out another cinematic sausage" attitude which comes across too obviously in the set's second half that makes these films so easy to dismiss.

Despite inconsistent overall quality of story, material and condition, I rate content a generous 5 stars. A lack of interest from either commentators or this product's overseers in prologuing the majority of post-Porter titles rates only 3 stars, for an average of 4.


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