Found at “Mostly Lost”

Since 2012, the Library of Congress has hosted “Mostly Lost,” a free workshop in which professional film historians and casual movie lovers are invited to help identify old silent and early sound films. This collection of 11 shorts—identified during the Mostly Lost screenings—provides the first public viewing of these titles since their theatrical releases in the 1910s and 1920s. Several gems are included here: the uncommonly heart-wrenching 1911 short Fidelity is about a woman comforted by her loyal dog after her young daughter dies in a fire; the zany 1921 slapstick romp Fifteen Minutes features Snub Pollard as the victim of endless misunderstandings that result in a prolonged chase involving police officers and a bear; and the 1927 Phonofilm talkie Ventriloquist stars a young William Frawley in a delightfully corny vaudeville sketch as a dubious salesman. Also included here is never-before-publicly-screened test footage of lethargic dime store lizards made-up (rather unconvincingly) like ferocious dinosaurs for the 1940 film One Million B.C. The silent films include new scores by Ben Model, Philip Carli, and Andrew E. Simpson. While the films show some signs of deterioration, this is overall a very entertaining collection. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)