What Do Those Old Films Mean?

Originally broadcast on BBC, these intriguing looks at the history of early cinema by film scholar Neal Burch examine the social aspects of films from various countries. What's particularly interesting about the films is that they definitely demonstrate that film was used as a medium for criticism as well as an art form quite some time before we traditionally date the beginnings of cinema. We examined the first and third volumes in the series, dealing with British and Danish cinema, respectively. In Great Britain 1900-1912--Along the Great Divide, Burch shows excerpts from a number of one-reelers such as The Tramp and the Baby's Bottle, Modern Pirates, and When Extremes Meet, which clearly show a marked sympathy for the working class and an unmistakable hostility towards the aristocrats. And in Denmark 1902-1914--She!, early Danish films such as Bride of Death, The Flying Circus, and The Dangerous Ape demonstrate not only an early acute sense of human psychology (which we've come to associate with Scandinavian cinema today) but, more specifically, a daring--for its time--portrait of women as capable of feeling sexual desire. The other titles in the series are: U.S.A. 1902-1914--Tomorrow the World, France 1904-1912: The Enemy Below, U.S.S.R. 1926-1930--Born Yesterday, and Germany 1926-1932--Under Two Flags. An amusing and thought-provoking series. Highly recommended. (Available from: Facets Video, 1517 West Fullerton, Chicago, IL 60614.)