Edison - The Invention of the Movies: 1891-1918
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Actor: Charles Musser, Thomas A. EdisonBrand: Kino International
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 730 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 3832
Studio: Kino Video
Product features:
- EEDISON-THE INVENTION OF THE MOVIES (DVD MOVIE)
DVD Reviews of Edison - The Invention of the Movies: 1891-1918
DVD Review: Perhaps the Most Important DVD Release
Summary: 5 Stars
This set, released by Kino in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art, is perhaps the most important DVD release from a historical standpoint. It's a chronological collection of a vast number of films produced by the Edison company, from their earliest experiments (which exist merely as fragmented still frames today, and that have been re-animated here to provide a demonstration of how they were intended to move), to the first Kinetoscope releases, following the progress from single, static-shot actualities to multiple-shot narrative films, and finally ending with some of the best work being done in films in their time, especially Oscar Apfel's brilliant "The Passerby" from 1912. The most recent film on this set is "The Unbeliever", a war-time feature directed by Alan Crosland and featuring Erich von Stroheim in a supporting role.
Technically, the discs are flawless. The films feature a nice variety of music scores (and unlike so many recent DVD releases of silent films, these scores are all very appropriate for the films). Clearly, these films are accompanied by truly talented musical accompanists, not up-and-coming musicians who use the silent film merely as a backdrop to showcase their music. This is to Kino's credit, and all the accompanists who worked on this collection deserve our thanks.
The picture quality is quite good throughout. Even when the original films survive in less-than-pristine condition, Kino's transfers are always state-of-the-art. The layout of the disc is interesting-the viewer has the option of watching only the films (chosen from a menu), or watching the films interspersed with interviews by a number of Edison and early motion picture historians, archivists and professors. The first disc features some nice bonus material, including some of the early Kinetoscope films with their original "Kinetophone" musical accompaniment, which patrons could hear through headphones in the first Kinetoscope parlors.
Finally, there are extensive notes (including production history and cast and crew information when available) on all the films in this collection. These are also available as .pdf files attached to the disc.
The set is truly staggering in how successfully it showcases virtually the entire history of the Edison Motion Picture Company. For anyone seriously interested in the history of film, this is a must. I suspect the largest audience for a set like this will be film schools and colleges, where it would make a valuable addition to any media library. As one historian points out, these films are no longer just of value to film students, but students of architecture, technology, fashion and sociology, as they provide filmed records of the past as it really existed.
Description of Edison - The Invention of the Movies: 1891-1918
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