Movie #3

Movie: Birth of a Nation
Director: D.W. Griffith
Year: 1915
Found at: http://www.archive.org/details/dw_griffith_birth_of_a_nation

This film was definitely a challenge. I wanted to wait to see it in one long setting but a 3 hour, black&white, silent film was just not possible for me. I tried to do it half and half but I watched it late at night on my Christmas vacation and I was just too tired to get through the halves so it took me about 5 viewings. Luckily, the website has great strength and will let you pause it.

I have to admit that I did like the film. I love history so the fact that it took place during the Civil War and then through the Reconstruction Era was interesting to watch. The first half follows the Civil War and ends with the death of Abraham Lincoln. Then the second half is following two families in the South trying to rise above the "Negroe takeover" brought on by the carpetbaggers. Many of the African American characters were dressed in black face which added to the controversial ban of this movie in many different places.

I wish I could have been around in the 1900s so that I could have heard the talk behind the film. With the prevalence of the Klu Klux Klan in the film I can see where it did a lot of damage. It did paint the African American men as pretty hostile. But it's based on a book called The Clansmen, which I haven't read, so I don't know much about it.

The film, from a historical point of view, was actually quite well. I was really worried that it wouldn't hold my attention but it definitely did. Although, it was a very sad part of our history to have watched... Hoping the next film will have a bit more positive light to it.

Movie #2

Movie: The Great Train Robbery, 1903
Directed by: Edwin S Porter
Found at: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/papr:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(edmp+2443s3))+@field(COLLID+edison)) which is the Library of Congress's website as said on the Wikipedia website.

This is arguably the very first Western film. It's about 12 scenes of a train robbery and is a silent film. The book explains how it's very narrative which was new at the time.

The ending has one of the characters firing rounds at the camera. Pretty interesting and I'm sure very captivating for 1903.

*The book notes that one argument against The Great Train Robbery being the first Western film is a film in 1899 called Cripple Creek Bar-Room Scene which you can find at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh7Wkmn7vEk However revolutionary that film may have been I can see the argument that The Great Train Robbery is much more narrative whereas the Cripple Creek Scene is 46 seconds of a drunk man being escorted out of a bar scene. Any thoughts on the argument?

Movie #1

The first movie in the book is: Le Voyage Dans La Lune
Film directed by: Georges Melies, France
I found this movie on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eVtv1YyzOU&feature=related

The Youtube had narration and sound but I muted it as the film was originally a silent film. The book 1001 Movies talks about how this was the first science fiction movie and used a lot of technically advanced concepts with its editing. I thought the rocket hitting the moons face was entertaining.

The movie was also influential in that most movies at the end of the 19th century were only 2 minutes long and this one lasted about 14 minutes on the 14m film reels.

Overall, it was fun. It was short and entertaining. A great start to a very long journey!