Product Details

• Format: Black & White, Flash, Full length, Full Screen, Original recording remastered, Restored, NTSC
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: A2ZCDS.com
• DVD Release Date: October 3, 2005
• Run Time: 63 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000ARGHD2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,394 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Studio

This innovative DVD features some of the earliest motion pictures made by legendary inventor T.A. Edison. Included are 39 short films of various lengths and themes, each reflecting the stage at which cinematographic technology was back in the 19th Century. This DVD by A2ZCDS is a fascinating odyssey through time. It was a historical discovery - a sequence of individual still pictures, when set in motion, can give the illusion of movement. When this phenomenon was put under scrutiny, it was called persistence of vision, whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed. Various imaginative attempts were made to capitalize on this discovery, most notably in the form of the zoetrope and the Magic Lantern. Various inventors got into the act and a number of devices were made. However, an historical absolute held true – no invention will see the light of day until its time has come. When celebrated American inventor Thomas Alva Edison finally authored the Kinetoscope (a machine for recording actual movement on film and another machine for viewing the resulting images) in the 19th century, he had the findings of other pioneers like Eastman and Muybridge to draw on. However, he is rightly credited with the making of the first workable motion picture projector. The world of cinematography as we know it today is a direct descendant from this and later inventions by this genius. The History of Motion Pictures - Early Films by Thomas Alva Edison 1899 DVD by A2ZCDS presents 39 unique examples of the motion pictures from the 19th century. Each comes directly from the historic recording studios of Thomas Edison himself – Thomas Edison Inc.

About the Actor

A2ZCDS is the world's largest and fastest growing innovative multi-media library. Through its vast and unique distribution network, the company provides historical and educational CDs and DVDs covering thousands of topics to every corner of the globe. The ceaseless research and polling process at A2ZCDS constantly identifies and responds to existing and emergent areas of interests.

As a result of constant innovation, exemplary products and outstanding customer service, A2ZCDS is quickly becoming a household name. It numbers amongst the most trusted, efficient and user-friendly sources of educational and entertainment media on the market today.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A look at Edison's motion picture work at the turn of the 20th century, January 8, 2007

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
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This review is from: History of Motion Pictures - Early Films by Thomas Alva Edison 1899 DVD (DVD)

This DVD includes 39 of the 102 films shot by the Edison manufacturing company from the year 1899. There are more films that actually tell a story or perform a more complete function than those in the 1891-1898 set, due to the increased experience with the medium of film. Also, more of the films are over a minute in length than in the 1891-1898 pack, but there is nothing here that would be considered a "feature-length film" by today's standards. Some of the included films are:

Astor Battery on parade - Filmed as the Astor Battery appeared in New York on Saturday, January 21, 1899, on their return from active service in the Philippines. The picture is taken as they cross Broadway, Union Square, north. The mounted police are followed by the band, then the famous Astor Battery itself, marching 24 abreast. The members perform their drill with aplomb and make a spectacular sight.

U.S. troops and Red Cross in the trenches before Caloocan - Taken during the Spanish American War, this clips shows U.S. troops after having driven the Filipinos out of the trenches. After firing one or two volleys, they press on in pursuit. The enemy returns the fire and the forward rush is marked by a trail of dead and wounded. Following close behind is the hospital corps. Stretchers are quickly brought out and the nurses tenderly care for the fallen and carry them to the rear.

Raising Old Glory over Morro Castle - Also from the era of the Spanish American War, this short film shows the ceremonious lowering of the Spanish flag, to be replaced by America's Stars and Stripes. This symbolizes the end of the tyranny and oppression that has ruled in the new world for four hundred years. Also visible in the distance are the turrets and battlements of Morro, the last foothold of Spain in America.

Three Acrobats - Taken from The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920 files, this short film shows the antics of two male and one female clown engaged in the time-honored mock-violence of circus clowns. Amongst other things, this film demonstrates that very little has changed about what made people laugh in the 19th century, and now. The actors clearly show their enthusiasm in performing for a moving camera; at one point the female clown gives a quick wave in the middle of action.

Love and War - An illustrated song telling the story of a hero who leaves for the war as a private, is promoted to the rank of captain for bravery in service, and meets the girl of his choice, who is a Red Cross nurse on the field. He finally returns home triumphantly as an officer to the father and mother to whom he bade goodbye as a private. The film presents this beautiful song picture in six scenes, each of which has a separate song, making the entire series a complete and effective novelty. In 1899, they just did not make movies much longer than this, and so the film-makers must have thought out carefully how to pack the most meaningful material into a short running time. It could easily have been expanded into a worthwhile movie at several times its length, yet it would still be a fair number of years before that would become commonplace.


"Columbia" Winning the Cup - The decisive moment in the great International Yacht Races is shown in this picture. Against a background of well defined clouds, the Light Boat is seen marking the finishing line in this great aquatic struggle. As the Columbia crosses the line, followed closely by the Shamrock, we see the steam from the whistle of the Light Ship announcing the well earned victory of the American yacht.

You'll really enjoy these early Edison films if you are a film history buff and/or you are interested in the work of Edison in this arena. If you are neither, you might not appreciate this DVD as much as you could.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Perspective, May 22, 2006

By 

Arthur (America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Motion Pictures - Early Films by Thomas Alva Edison 1899 DVD (DVD)

The early Thomas Edison films are legendary, simply because they were the first things ever put on moving pictures. This was before the days of Holywood and people didn't really know what the mass market would want to see and if the medium would be accepted or not. Therefore, Edison experimented around with a large range of film subjects, from news events to short dramas to travelouges. YOu get an excellent sample of each type of film making he was considering and it all comes together well as a historical perspective on the history of film.