TV series featuring early silents

[StormChaser]

There was a show I saw on public television in the
mid-eighties that focused on very early silents (1903 to 1914)
The opening had the host (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) walking up
to a nickelodeon and walking in out of curiosity. We then see
clips from some of the movies featured on the series.

The name of the series escapes me but it was the first
time I saw a clip from the serial JUDEX (in dead silence, none-
theless).

Is this series on DVD or does it have rights clearence
problems like HOLLYWOOD?


Mark

[Richard Roberts]

Post by StormChaser
There was a show I saw on public television in the
mid-eighties that focused on very early silents (1903 to 1914)
The opening had the host (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) walking up
to a nickelodeon and walking in out of curiosity. We then see
clips from some of the movies featured on the series.
The name of the series escapes me but it was the first
time I saw a clip from the serial JUDEX (in dead silence, none-
theless).
Is this series on DVD or does it have rights clearence
problems like HOLLYWOOD?
Mark

I remember the series well. I think it was called THE GOLDEN AGE OF
SILENT CINEMA or some such thing. It did feature a number of clips from
early American and European films, including L'INFERNO and amazingly,
footage from the 1910 Edison FRANKENSTEIN (apparently they got the
diabolical mr detlaff to deal).

I doubt there would be rights clearance problems for pre-1914 films, but
I have never seen the series available on video.



RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Robert Miller]

The series was called THOSE AMAZING YEARS OF CINEMA.

Doug Jr. hosted it from what was supposedly one of Britain's earliest
"picture palaces," a sort-of late Victorian jewel-box Nickelodeon called
"The Electric Theatre".

The series concentrated on pre-1920s cinema by genres and was fairly
multi-national in its content.

I have it on tape and sometimes show excerpts from it in my film history
classes.

This fine series constitutes yet another worthwhile candidate for DVD
reissue,
if/when the money-and-lawyers folk determine there's a viable market for it
and (stop me if you've heard this one before...) clear the rights, if not
for the PD clips themselves, at least for the initial access to the footage
given by various archives and collectors and for the work of the creative
and production folk who assembled the TV series.

Post by Richard Roberts
I remember the series well. I think it was called THE GOLDEN AGE OF
SILENT CINEMA or some such thing.

[G. Marsh]

The Fairbanks Jr. hosted show was actually 'The Amazing Years Of
Cinema', a fascinating syndicated tv series which doesn't deserve to
be forgotten. This was the first time I saw footage of the 1910
Frankenstein!

Gary

Post by Richard Roberts

Post by StormChaser
There was a show I saw on public television in the
mid-eighties that focused on very early silents (1903 to 1914)
The opening had the host (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) walking up
to a nickelodeon and walking in out of curiosity. We then see
clips from some of the movies featured on the series.
The name of the series escapes me but it was the first
time I saw a clip from the serial JUDEX (in dead silence, none-
theless).
Is this series on DVD or does it have rights clearence
problems like HOLLYWOOD?
Mark

I remember the series well. I think it was called THE GOLDEN AGE OF
SILENT CINEMA or some such thing. It did feature a number of clips from
early American and European films, including L'INFERNO and amazingly,
footage from the 1910 Edison FRANKENSTEIN (apparently they got the
diabolical mr detlaff to deal).
I doubt there would be rights clearance problems for pre-1914 films, but
I have never seen the series available on video.
RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Jeff NY]

Post by StormChaser
There was a show I saw on public television in the
mid-eighties that focused on very early silents

While not the show you describe, your post reminds me of >another< TV series
(also from the mid-80's) that aired on PBS once and then seemingly vanished. A
British import (called, perhaps "The Camera"?), it traced the history of
photography and film. At least three episodes were devoted to early/primitive
British moving pictures, and it was chock full of footage I had never seen
before... nor since. All narrated by a fellow with a very thick Scottish
accent. Any of this ring a bell with anyone?

j e f f

[Robert Miller]

The series you describe might be "The Silent Revolution" a.k.a. "What Do
These Old Films Mean?". It was a 1985 co-production of the French Ministry
of Culture and Britain's Channel Four. There were only six episodes, and
each one examined (from a Marxist/sociological perspective) the early silent
films of a single country: USA, UK, USSR, France, Germany, and Denmark.
Many of the prints used were excellent; the contemporary music/noise score
was less so. Legendary film theorist Noel Burch ("To the Distant Observer")
and documentarian Hubert Niogret ("Fritz Lang -- Circle of Destiny") were
the program's writer and producer, respectively. Facets Multimedia
distributed the series on VHS for several years, and although it's now out
or print, a public or school library that bought it can probably be located
through interlibrary loan.

Post by Jeff NY
While not the show you describe, your post reminds me of >another< TV series
(also from the mid-80's) that aired on PBS once and then seemingly vanished. A
British import called, perhaps "The Camera"

[Bruce Calvert]

It is already out on DVD from Facets, although it is "no longer available"
on their website...

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/movie/pid/1185276/a/Silent+Revolution++What+Do+Those+Old+Films+Mean%3F++Box+Set.htm
http://www.mountainbikingaddiction.com/a/1565802446/Silent-Revolution-What-Do-Those-Old-Films-Mean-Collection.html

Bruce Calvert

Post by Robert Miller
The series you describe might be "The Silent Revolution" a.k.a. "What Do
These Old Films Mean?". It was a 1985 co-production of the French Ministry
of Culture and Britain's Channel Four. There were only six episodes, and
each one examined (from a Marxist/sociological perspective) the early silent
films of a single country: USA, UK, USSR, France, Germany, and Denmark.
Many of the prints used were excellent; the contemporary music/noise score
was less so. Legendary film theorist Noel Burch ("To the Distant Observer")
and documentarian Hubert Niogret ("Fritz Lang -- Circle of Destiny") were
the program's writer and producer, respectively. Facets Multimedia
distributed the series on VHS for several years, and although it's now out
or print, a public or school library that bought it can probably be located
through interlibrary loan.

Post by Jeff NY
While not the show you describe, your post reminds me of >another< TV

series

Post by Jeff NY
(also from the mid-80's) that aired on PBS once and then seemingly

vanished. A

Post by Jeff NY
British import called, perhaps "The Camera"

[Rich Wagner]

Although not the series in question, as a teenager back in the mid
60s, I was introduced to the fascinating world of silent films by a
series called "Silence Please". I saw it a few years back in the
"Critics Choice" Catalog but it may not be available on DVD.

[StormChaser]

A short subject that I recorded off the air from the local PBS
station in the mid-eighties concerned the findings of the film
collection, posters and other artifacts of early twentieth
century showman Lyman Howe.

The opening showed the items discovered. One film
was promoted by Lyman Howe as the first film shot
from an airplane. It shows a view of a field and people
running out of their houses and toward the plane as
it lands.

Among the films found in the collection were examples of
Buster Brown, a Pathe phantasmogorical set-piece (this one
featured a dancing shaman), and The Whole Dam Family (1905)
a series directed by Edwin S. Porter.

The Whole Dam Family was a series that featured moments
in the life of the Dam Family. The opening montage featured:

(The had names but I only remember their roles)

Father, who seems to suffer from perpetual Hayfever.

Mother, who graciously speaks to the camera, though
no one can hear.

Oldest Son, who puffs away on a cigarette and looks side-
ways into the camera.

Oldest Daughter, who smiles at the camera until a curl above
her forehead begins to loosen, then a look of worry comes over her
face.

Youngest Son, who bawls uncontrollably.

Youngest Daughter, playing with her gum and
stretching it outside of her mouth.

Letters arrange themselves to spell The Whole Dam
Family and The Dam Dog.

And to think there are still those who believe that a series
depicting a dysfunctional family began with The Osbornes.


Mark

Post by Rich Wagner
Although not the series in question, as a teenager back in the mid
60s, I was introduced to the fascinating world of silent films by a
series called "Silence Please". I saw it a few years back in the
"Critics Choice" Catalog but it may not be available on DVD.

[p***@gmail.com]

Hi:

It's many years since this original discussion, but I too recall "The Amazing Years of Cinema" with Fairbanks as host. I watched it on the Discovery Channel in the U.S. back in the summer of 1988 and loved it. A couple of the episodes have been posted to You Tube (see https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPV3nUyTvwwrvfHqx-MBgfg8ntYt2iKtR), but as for a release, it appears that it was only made available for the home market via a Japanese laserdisc in 1987. Truly sad. I was fortunate enough to acquire a very reasonably-priced new set of "What Do Those Old Films Mean?" several years ago. Another gem that, while watching it, got me thinking about this old Fairbanks-hosted series.

Post by StormChaser
There was a show I saw on public television in the
mid-eighties that focused on very early silents (1903 to 1914)
The opening had the host (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) walking up
to a nickelodeon and walking in out of curiosity. We then see
clips from some of the movies featured on the series.
The name of the series escapes me but it was the first
time I saw a clip from the serial JUDEX (in dead silence, none-
theless).
Is this series on DVD or does it have rights clearence
problems like HOLLYWOOD?
Mark