or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
Sorry!
More Buying Choices
25 used & new from $59.99

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

or

Get a $15.00 Amazon.com Gift Card
 
   
The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913
 
See larger image
 

The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913 (1902)

Starring: Film Preservation Associates, British Film Institute Rating: NR (Not Rated) Format: DVD
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

List Price: $99.95
Price: $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save: $9.96 (10%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Thursday, November 12? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
19 new from $60.90 4 used from $59.99 2 collectible from $99.90
Amazon Video On Demand
Amazon Video On Demand Special Offer
Purchase any DVD or Blu-ray and receive $5 towards select TV shows at Amazon Video On Demand. Here's how (restrictions apply).

Frequently Bought Together

The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913 + Edison - The Invention of the Movies (1891-1918) + Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 1
Total List Price: $229.89
Price For All Three: $200.97

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913 DVD ~ Film Preservation Associates

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details

  • Edison - The Invention of the Movies (1891-1918) DVD ~ Thomas A. Edison

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details

  • Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 1 DVD ~ Thomas Edison

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Save up to 45% on Duplicity, the romantic thriller starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen: Shop now.

  • Save at least 41% on Land of the Lost: For a limited time, pick up Will Ferrell's latest on DVD and Blu-ray. Shop now.

  • Seinfeld for $14.99. For a limited time stock up on Seinfeld for less. Hurry, offer only good while supplies last. See details

  • Sci-Fi Sale Extravaganza: Over 600 Sci-Fi movies & TV shows are now on sale as part of our Sci-Fi Sale Extravaganza. Sale ends November 23. Shop now.


What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913
49% buy the item featured on this page:
The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913 4.3 out of 5 stars (10)
$89.99
Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 1
30% buy
Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 1 4.8 out of 5 stars (20)
$20.99
Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 2: The Magic of Melies
8% buy
Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 2: The Magic of Melies 4.6 out of 5 stars (8)
$26.99
Edison - The Invention of the Movies (1891-1918)
6% buy
Edison - The Invention of the Movies (1891-1918) 5.0 out of 5 stars (9)
$89.99

Product Details

  • Actors: Film Preservation Associates, British Film Institute
  • Format: Box set, Black & White, DVD, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 5
  • Rating: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: Kino Video
  • DVD Release Date: February 12, 2002
  • Run Time: 379 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00005YUO9
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,677 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
  • For more information about "The Movies Begin - A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894-1913" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The home-video revolution has yielded a wealth of valuable compilations, but few are as miraculously definitive as The Movies Begin. Equally suited to home or classroom viewing, this authoritative five-volume set is a vital document of film history, providing a one-stop destination for anyone wishing to witness the first two decades of motion pictures. That period--from 1894 to 1913--saw movies develop at a breakneck pace, from the earliest "actualities" of the Lumière brothers in France to D.W. Griffith's audacious development of dramatic action in the Biograph shorts of the early 1910s. Sensibly organized into pivotal stages of technical and creative progress, each of these volumes represents the priceless value of film preservation; all 133 films in the set are presented in the finest condition available, from archival prints to complete restorations, and accompanied by music that perfectly captures the spirit of each film and the time of their creation.

Under the expert guidance of film historian David Shepard, this collection is uniquely comprehensive, with fact, fiction, and fantasy represented in equal measure. All major figures are included; it's fitting that one volume is devoted to astonishing shorts by movie magician Georges Méliès, while other volumes serve as "greatest hits" compilations of movie innovations by Edwin S. Porter, Cecil Hepworth, Max Linder, Alice Guy Blanche, and many others. The breathtaking growth of movies is fully apparent by volume 5 ("Comedy, Spectacle, and New Horizons"); most viewers will find this the most entertaining, but each volume is a revelation, offering films that haven't been widely seen since they were first produced. To understand and appreciate the foundation upon which modern filmmaking is built, The Movies Begin is truly essential. --Jeff Shannon



Additional features

Each DVD of The Movies Begin includes concise, authoritative onscreen program notes by film historian Charles Musser, offering illuminating details about nearly every film in the set. Volumes 2 and 3 are further enhanced by Barry Salt's historical commentary, defining the cultural contexts and creative advances of the films under discussion. Together, these valuable supplements serve as further proof that The Movies Begin was produced with the utmost concern for serious students of motion-picture history. --Jeff Shannon

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 1

Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 1

DVD ~ Thomas Edison
4.8 out of 5 stars (20)  $20.99
Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 2: The Magic of Melies

Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 2: The Magic of Melies

DVD ~ Landmarks of Early Film
4.6 out of 5 stars (8)  $26.99
Treasures From American Film Archives - Encore Edition

Treasures From American Film Archives - Encore Edition

DVD ~ Laurence Fishburne
4.1 out of 5 stars (20)  $69.95
Battleship Potemkin (The Ultimate Edition) (2pc) (Full B&W)

Battleship Potemkin (The Ultimate Edition) (2pc) (Full B&W)

DVD ~ Sergei Eisenstein
4.2 out of 5 stars (79)  $24.99
Griffith Masterworks (The Birth of a Nation / Intolerance / Broken Blossoms / Orphans of the Storm / Biograph Shorts 1909-1913)

Griffith Masterworks (The Birth of a Nation / Intolerance / Broken Blossoms / Orphans of the Storm / Biograph Shorts 1909-1913)

DVD ~ D.W. Griffith
4.3 out of 5 stars (19)  $89.99
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(5)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be missed, November 14, 2002
By Gwen Kramer "gwenhwyvar" (Tehachapi, CA United States) - See all my reviews
To the casual movie viewer, the history of cinema begins in the 1930s, when silents were totally replaced with the new talkie medium. Beyond an occasional showing of The Phantom of the Opera or a few Keaton or Chaplin movies, silents- and especially early silents- are a part of the murky past. This collection is a real eye opener to either a movie fan who wants to broaden their knowledge or someone who, like me, is a silent movie fan who wants to see how it all began.

This collection offers a broad variety. From early melodramas and comedies to newsreel footage and special effects vehicles. The two most famous early silents- The Great Train Robbery and A Trip to the Moon- are shown here but other, more unusual films such as the Golden Beetle and the Grass Widower are also allowed to shine. The picture quality is excellant especially considering the age of these films.

The music by Robert Israel is wonderful, always appropriate and quite a bit less sober than most silent movie music. Even my mother, who likes silents but dislikes silent movie music enjoyed it. It should please both purists and casual fans.

One fault I found with this collection is that some movies have narration whether you want it or not. It surely would not have been difficult to include an on/off function for the commentary track. Also, at points the sound is badly mixed so that the music drowns out the narrator. However, this fairly minor flaw did not ruin my enjoyment of the collection.

I particularly enjoyed the pre-WWI French films, it is easy to see why the French imports could outshine much of the American output. They are beautifully produced, make no bones about their staginess and have an element of playful fantasy. The last disc has a film of the wonderful French comedian Max Linder, it's a shame that he never regained his pre-war popularity because his comedy is spurisingly modern and he has obvious charisma.

The newsreels are also a highlight, Russia in the winter, various "working dogs", an english biscuit factory... all are valuable historically as well as very amusing.

This set is cheap at the price and while not all of the films can be called masterpieces, they are all important in reconstructing a period of cinema history that is too often ignored. If you have any interest in the story of earlky cinema, I recommend this set without reservation.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Tremendous Collection, July 26, 2002
By Mark Pollock "educator" (Davis, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This set contains over 100 films from the early days of the silent cinema - beginning with some of the early serial photography experiments by Edward Muybridge.

We see the works of the Edison Studio, the early Lumiere Brothers films, and a great selection of Melies films.

Most amazing to me were the tinted films from the Pathe Freres company. There are two films that are absolutely astounding, as every frame of the film was tinted by hand. The colors are vibrant and surprisingly consistent. Friends who have watched these films have come away simply shocked.

The films presented here are not all interesting. There are quite a few films from the infancy of cinema, when the camera was used to create scenes that are really the equivalent of postcards, where a still camera would have produced the same effect. Many films are incomplete, a sad fact of cinema preservation, and often frustrating when you don't get to see the second half of the film! There are no Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, or Fatty Arbuckle films to be seen here, and only one D.W. Griffith film. (Griffith will be well represented in a future release put together by David Shepherd's "Film Preservation Associates" on Image DVD.)

What is here are the true beginnings of an art form, the experiments that made film what it is now. There are also excellent program notes by Charles Musser, which really help explain what is being seen, especially when parts of a film are missing. Kudos to the Kino company for including these notes!

If you are a cinema nut, and interested in the origins of film, then this set is highly recommended!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Essential, but by no means perfect, August 10, 2005
By K. Oleszczyk "gkchest" (Tarnowskie Gory, Poland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
There's no doubt that this is an essential purchase for anyone interested in early cinema: MOVIES BEGIN includes many of the landmarks, as well as some fascinating rarieties. There are tons of fun: classics by Cecil Hepworth, Edison, the Lumieres, and many others. There's no other such extenstive DVD compillation on the market and KINO ON VIDEO should be immensly praised.

However, if you consider it not for its educational values, but as a DVD edition per se, there are major flaws. First of all, commentary track (no matter how insightful) isn't optional, which is below any standards. Secondly, all the foriegn films have electronically imposed English subtitles which are impossible to reduce - it makes a bad „old video tape" impression. Film notes included on the disc itself are very interesting, but the edition as a whole simply yields for a booklet which could accompany you while watching. Furthermore, there's no precise information on the sleeve notes about the exact duration of each separate movie, only enigmatic „total running time", which makes it less comfortable to use e. g. during classes.

It may seem that I sneer at something very beautiful and indeed it is so - but every beautiful thing may be improved upon. In fact, the amazing recent edition of the Edison films also by KINO proves that they are learning.

Whatever are my complaints, this one remains a compulsory viewing.

Michal Oleszczyk, Tarnowskie Gory, Poland
Comment Comments (3) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars PRICE IS TOO HIGH FOR WHAT YOU GET
D.W. Griffith 2 dvd sets have a total time that exceeds this 5 disc volume. In other words, all this material 5 dvd's worth could have been put on 2 dvd's. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Hedley Lamarr

3.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Addition to a Film Student's Library
This series of films on DVD makes a nice addition to the library of any student of early silent-era cinema. Read more
Published on September 21, 2007 by Cleatta R. Morris

5.0 out of 5 stars An extensive collection of earliest cinema
This is an incredible collection of 133 complete films from the earliest days of cinema. The first 20 years of movies are covered, with numerous examples from many of the pioneers... Read more
Published on January 5, 2007 by calvinnme

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Silent Film Library Around
Covers history of silent films with textual menu and includes 133 complete motion pictures. The best historical treasury of silents films I have ever seen.
Published on August 18, 2004 by M. Gordon

5.0 out of 5 stars The Movies Begin
... I'd reccomend this for anyone(except the first part)So here's my review and description of each Volume.
Volume one produced by D. Read more
Published on May 10, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome...
This was a magnificent look back into history. My one set of grandparents were born respectively in 1927 and 1930. They never thought that movies were older than the 1920's. Read more
Published on February 20, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Piece of History
This 5 DVD set is not, by any stretch of the imagination, cheap, but if you have any interest in silent films, or the history of movie making, it is a must-have. Read more
Published on May 10, 2002

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Silent Film? 0 March 2009
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   




Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.