Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat interesting but....
Review: This collection is a little bit strange. It sounds like it should be both fascinating to watch as well as an important historical document. I don't know that it really succeeds as either (although I suppose it does so more as the latter more than the former). A lot of the pieces here are, quite simply, not interesting. I don't think there's really any getting around that. The set fails as a good historical document partly because of the seemingly randomness of the collection, but even more because of the length of some of the pieces. Some of the pieces are way too short(and sometimes this is more interesting pieces, like the Groucho home movies). The packaging is terrible as well... That's the bad side. The good side is that there are some genuinely interesting moments, and some of the shorts are quite bizarre and fun to watch. Overall the set is probably not worth the money; it's little more than a curiosity piece.
Rating:
Summary: Rent (If You Can); Don't Buy
Review: This is a somewhat risky set to buy. Of the twelve or so hours available, I find very little to recommend to anyone. Guests at my place see the set and have my initial reaction (that being "wow," or something like that), and are ultimately let down. Things like, "That's it?" The dry booklet that accompanies the set does't help alleviate things, either. I wathced and wathced, have found a few pieces that I adore, but regret that I spent so much for them.
Rating: 
Summary: The Bureaucrat's Delight
Review: This is just about the most disappointing DVD purchase I've made. To say that is not to detract from the goal of preserving and presenting rarely seen, non-Hollywood projects. Most of the items in these eleven plus hours are passably interesting, and several are more than that. Still, the label "treasures" suggests a qualitative richness that simply isn't there, for the good reason that the selection criteria were obviously political, not aesthetic. By "political" I mean that the goal clearly was to demonstrate the breadth (or, if you must, the "diversity") of American film culture, rather than presenting the best the participating archives had in their collections. So we get standard narratives, experimental shorts, home movies, propaganda, ethnic cinema, records of theatrical performances and documentaries, but what we for the most part do not get is a collection of outstanding films. You can practically feel the politically correct clerks checking off their demographic lists to be certain the collection is "inclusive." The bland results are the perfect bureaucratic solution: the discs won't offend anyone. Some of the films are more famous than others, such as D.W. Griffith's short "The Lonedale Operator" or John Huston's "The Battle of San Pietro." Even these are not necessarily the filmmakers' best work, however, although it is nice to have copies of them for analytical purposes. The less well-known works vary widely in quality and interest. Many seem to have been included just because they are "rare." Rarity does not necessarily imply value, however. (Maybe I should apply for a National Endowment of the Arts grant to preserve *my* home movies.) The navigation is simple, devoid of the gimmicks that can make DVDs more obnoxious than entertaining. With one major exception, the discs are well-produced and handsomely packaged. That exception is the musical accompaniment to most of the films. In small doses, it's passable, but if you watch more than a couple of the films at a time, the impersonal clackety-clack of the solo piano is enough to drive you mad. It makes Techno seem like Verdi by comparison.
Rating: 
Summary: Slices of Film History Preserved on DVD
Review: This is the first review I am writing for amazon because I want to praise a great collection. Yes, there are many "slice-of-life" clips, that once you watch them, you may ask yourself: "Why bother?"
There are many reasons. If you view films as merely an entertaining diversion at best, then this is not the set for you... If you want to see different styles of filmmaking through different periods of history with differing motives, equipment, and budgets, then get ready for a great ride. You are presented with amateurs, professionals, auteurs, and the casual filmmaker, but all of them took their craft seriously enough to warrant being included in this set.
"Rose Hobart" is amazing. "Fall of the House of Usher" is very innovative. "Hell's Hinges" is one of the most straightforward portrayals of redemption I have ever seen with the greatest pre-John Wayne Western actor/director: William S. Hart. "Battle of San Pietro" is an interesting look at John Huston looking at war while making a government film. The Groucho Marx home movie is fun. The films which show life in the early part of the century are priceless.
Laurence Fishburne's commentary on the archive houses is respectful and informative. A fine choice to document the hard work and dedication of these restoration organizations.
A Final Note, There is a film on this collection called "Battery" which is an experimental film melding line animation with photography, and it uses battery park and the world trade center as its backdrop. The music for the film is very compelling, and the shots of an empty battery park with the twin towers appearing obfuscated by trees gave me goosebumps in this post 9/11 world. A very compelling short film...
Rating:
Summary: Slices of Film History Preserved on DVD
Review: This is the first review I am writing for amazon because I want to praise a great collection. Yes, there are many "slice-of-life" clips, that once you watch them, you may ask yourself: "Why bother?"
There are many reasons. If you view films as merely an entertaining diversion at best, then this is not the set for you... If you want to see different styles of filmmaking through different periods of history with differing motives, equipment, and budgets, then get ready for a great ride. You are presented with amateurs, professionals, auteurs, and the casual filmmaker, but all of them took their craft seriously enough to warrant being included in this set.
"Rose Hobart" is amazing. "Fall of the House of Usher" is very innovative. "Hell's Hinges" is one of the most straightforward portrayals of redemption I have ever seen with the greatest pre-John Wayne Western actor/director: William S. Hart. "Battle of San Pietro" is an interesting look at John Huston looking at war while making a government film. The Groucho Marx home movie is fun. The films which show life in the early part of the century are priceless.
Laurence Fishburne's commentary on the archive houses is respectful and informative. A fine choice to document the hard work and dedication of these restoration organizations.
A Final Note, There is a film on this collection called "Battery" which is an experimental film melding line animation with photography, and it uses battery park and the world trade center as its backdrop. The music for the film is very compelling, and the shots of an empty battery park with the twin towers appearing obfuscated by trees gave me goosebumps in this post 9/11 world. A very compelling short film...
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars, but Europeans cannot watch it!!!!!!!
Review: Well, for a silent film fan this content must be truly exciting. But for no good reason the DVD was released with a Region 1 encoding, virtually ignoring DVD viewers in Europe, who aren`t so lucky with silent films released on DVD (at least the BFI is starting now). If the major film industry doesn't have the forsight for a multi-region DVD, at least distributors of silent films could be less ignorant (alas, MCA Universal or Sony Pictures sell 100.000 of copies of their blockbusters, but the market for silent films is small enough, so why a region 1 encoding, ignoring all foreign customers ????!!!!!!) At least Image Entertainment and Kino On Video don`t participate in this nonsense ...... Thank you!!! (a potential customer from Europe)
Rating:
Summary: Available again May 2005?!?!
Review: YES! According to their website. Go to:
http://www.filmpreservation.org/dvd/treasures.html
For me, right now this is the holy grail of OOP DVD box-sets. They never turn up used on this site, and the few auctions that go up on Ebay get up to ridiculous amounts of money (last one went for upwards of $200). I hope to God that this is true. I would love it if Amazon could confirm it and post the date on this page. Finally, it's back (and at a lower price, too!) and I for one am very excited. Let's hope that it goes through OK. Every other reviewer has already spoken for the content you get in this priceless set, all I can say is HALLELUJAH...
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