Rating: 
Summary: An Introduction to Early Cinema in One Package
Review: Considering the age of the source materials, this is an extremely well-produced package. As previous reviews indicate, it's strength is its variety. You'll see rare tinted films and unusual subjects, along with a sampling of D.W. Griffith, Edison and the Lumiere Brothers. All the names you'd be reading about in any beginning film class. I only wish there had been a couple more of the magical "trick" films of Georges Melies! If you have an interest in early film history, this is a great assortment.
Rating:
Summary: An Introduction to Early Cinema in One Package
Review: Considering the age of the source materials, this is an extremely well-produced package. As previous reviews indicate, it's strength is its variety. You'll see rare tinted films and unusual subjects, along with a sampling of D.W. Griffith, Edison and the Lumiere Brothers. All the names you'd be reading about in any beginning film class. I only wish there had been a couple more of the magical "trick" films of Georges Melies! If you have an interest in early film history, this is a great assortment.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive list and excellent transfer
Review: Each chapter is a very high quality transfer. Worth much more than the purchase price. All are complete (not just clips) and many preserve the original hand-coloring. Because the list is not above, here's the content: 1. Muybridge series photography 1877-1885, 2.EDISON KINETOSCOPE FILMS 1894-1896: The Kiss, 3. Serpentine Dances, 4. Eugene Sandow, 5. Glenroy Brothers (Comic Boxing), 6. Cockfight, 7. The Barber Shop, 8. Feeding the Doves, 9. Seminary Girls, 10. LUMIERE FILMS 1895-1897 Exiting the Factory, 11. Arrival of Train at La Ciotat, 12. Baby's Lunch, 13. The Sprinkler Sprinkled, 14. Dragoons Crossing the Saone, 15. Promenade of Ostriches, Paris Bot. Gardens, 16. Childish Quarrel, 17. Lion, London Zoological Garden, 18. Demolition of a Wall, 19. Transformation By Hats, 20. Carmaux: Drawing Out the Coke, 21. Poultry-Yard, 22. Snowball Fight, 23. Card Party, 24. New York: Broadway at Union Square, 25. A Trip to the Moon (1902), 26. ACTUALITIES 1897-1910 Pres. McKinley at Home (1897), 27. Pack Train on Chilkoot Pass (1898), 28. Sky Scrapers of New York City... (1903), 29. San Francisco: Aftermath of an Earthquake (1906), 30. The Dog and his Various Merits (1908), 31. Aeroplane Flight and Wreck (1910), 32. The Great Train Robbery (1903), 33. The Whole Dam Family & the Dam Dog (1905), 34. The Golden Beetle (1907), 35. The Policememn's Little Run (1907), 36. Troubles of a Grasswidower (1908), 37. Nero, or The Fall of Rome (1909), 38. Winsor McCay and his Moving Comics (1911), 39. The Girl and Her Trust (1912), 40. Bangville Police (1913).
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive list and excellent transfer
Review: Each chapter is a very high quality transfer. Worth much more than the purchase price. All are complete (not just clips) and many preserve the original hand-coloring. Because the list is not above, here's the content: 1. Muybridge series photography 1877-1885, 2.EDISON KINETOSCOPE FILMS 1894-1896: The Kiss, 3. Serpentine Dances, 4. Eugene Sandow, 5. Glenroy Brothers (Comic Boxing), 6. Cockfight, 7. The Barber Shop, 8. Feeding the Doves, 9. Seminary Girls, 10. LUMIERE FILMS 1895-1897 Exiting the Factory, 11. Arrival of Train at La Ciotat, 12. Baby's Lunch, 13. The Sprinkler Sprinkled, 14. Dragoons Crossing the Saone, 15. Promenade of Ostriches, Paris Bot. Gardens, 16. Childish Quarrel, 17. Lion, London Zoological Garden, 18. Demolition of a Wall, 19. Transformation By Hats, 20. Carmaux: Drawing Out the Coke, 21. Poultry-Yard, 22. Snowball Fight, 23. Card Party, 24. New York: Broadway at Union Square, 25. A Trip to the Moon (1902), 26. ACTUALITIES 1897-1910 Pres. McKinley at Home (1897), 27. Pack Train on Chilkoot Pass (1898), 28. Sky Scrapers of New York City... (1903), 29. San Francisco: Aftermath of an Earthquake (1906), 30. The Dog and his Various Merits (1908), 31. Aeroplane Flight and Wreck (1910), 32. The Great Train Robbery (1903), 33. The Whole Dam Family & the Dam Dog (1905), 34. The Golden Beetle (1907), 35. The Policememn's Little Run (1907), 36. Troubles of a Grasswidower (1908), 37. Nero, or The Fall of Rome (1909), 38. Winsor McCay and his Moving Comics (1911), 39. The Girl and Her Trust (1912), 40. Bangville Police (1913).
Rating:
Summary: An amazing collection
Review: For cinephiles, or anyone interested in the history of film, this is an unbelievable collection. In addition to their interest for understanding the development of film "language", it is striking how many of these films I also found tremendously entertaining in their own right. It's really quite amazing to think how, within one or two decades of the introduction of the medium, people like Melier and Griffith had figured out how to use it to tell stories and entertain us in ways that can still be enjoyed almost 100 years later. That first twenty or so years was a wild ride, though, with a lot of amazing innovations happening as to how to use the new medium, and this collection captures that wonderfully.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing collection
Review: For cinephiles, or anyone interested in the history of film, this is an unbelievable collection. In addition to their interest for understanding the development of film "language", it is striking how many of these films I also found tremendously entertaining in their own right. It's really quite amazing to think how, within one or two decades of the introduction of the medium, people like Melier and Griffith had figured out how to use it to tell stories and entertain us in ways that can still be enjoyed almost 100 years later. That first twenty or so years was a wild ride, though, with a lot of amazing innovations happening as to how to use the new medium, and this collection captures that wonderfully.
Rating:
Summary: hugely entertaining collection
Review: I only have one problem with this disc, really - the lack of credits within the notes; without other sources telling you would you know who was responsible for 'Nero, or the Fall of Rome' or who the stars of 'The Girl and Her Trust' were? A minor point with a collection like this, but a definite niggle.Still - what we have here is a fabulous 2-hour collection. I think only one hiccup in the descriptions has been identified elsewhere (The film billed as 'The Whole Dam Family and The Dam Dog' is actually 'I B Dam and the Whole Dam Family', its remake, but the original title certainly suits this charming little vignette) and this is a rich selection ranging from the earliest attempts by Edison and the Lumieres to capture events and people on film, to more sophisticated stories by Edwin S Porter, Georges Melies, DW Griffith, and others. There's a lot to see and admire here, and I didn't spot one dud amongst the whole collection. There's so much more that has survived from this era in early film and surely it is time to make more examples widely available?
Rating:
Summary: A trip in time ...
Review: I purchased this disk to get a copy of "A Trip to the Moon" and am nothing short of thrilled with the purchase. It is fascinating to see how sophisticated films became in a 15-20 year period. The D. W. Griffith 1912 entry, "A Girl and Her Trust" is a jewel in this collection as well.
Rating:
Summary: A trip in time ...
Review: I purchased this disk to get a copy of "A Trip to the Moon" and am nothing short of thrilled with the purchase. It is fascinating to see how sophisticated films became in a 15-20 year period. The D. W. Griffith 1912 entry, "A Girl and Her Trust" is a jewel in this collection as well.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I suppose watching Landmarks of Early Film is the closest we will come to traveling back in time to the late-19th century. One has a very intimate and visceral sense of the subjects that are being recorded. For many of the selections, there is no sense of performance as one might see in a modern documentary, as the people being filmed obviously have little or no idea that their activities are being captured. Most striking about this collection was the obvious speed with which film created and refined itself as an art form. While there is an awkward experimentalism to the very early films, one soon sees an amazing flowering of techniques and uses for the new medium. This is obviously a very well crafted collection, created by individuals who truly love the subject matter. The quality of the films is great, and the selection well thought-out.
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