The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

74 School Department The Educational Screen The Highway through Wonderland (SunsetBurrud)— Hardly up to the standard set by other Sunset-Burrud subjects. The record of an automobile trip from San Francisco to Portland. Algeria, the Ancient (Prizma)— Taking this French colony of northern Africa as a general subject, the reel devotes itself to showing something of Mohammedan life, the desert market place in Biskra, and a glimpse of typical desert dwellers at work making sun-dried brick. Beautifully photographed. The Cape of Good Hope (Prizma) — A reel especially illuminating to those who least expect to find beauty and evidences of progress in "darkest Africa." Here scenes of Table Mountain, Cape Town, the bay, its rocky shores and bordering highlands, are followed by views of the late home of Cecil Rhodes, on Table Mountain, and evidences of his achievements in South Africa. A Dream of the Sea (Sunset-Burrud) — A succession of beautiful views done in polychrome coloring, and titled with lines from Whittier-ra true scenic poem. The Blanket Stiff (Educational) — A scenic and industrial subject which the producers tried to make so entertaining by injecting a story, and dressing it with slangy titles, as to make it almost worthless for instructional purposes. Contains some fine scenes taken in the wheat fields of the Northwest. The Lake of the Hanging Glaciers (Federated Film Exchanges)— A pack train trip along a wilderness trail through a portion of British Columbia. The reel is worthwhile only for its views of the glacier at close range. Poorly titled. The City Chap's Chant (Rothacker)— Too much chant, and only a few views that deserve the term scenic. NATURAL SCIENCE The Four Seasons (4 reels) Hodkinson— One of the most remarkable nature study pictures ever filmed. It shows the response of animal life to its different environment from one season to the next. Beautifully photographed, and titled with real artistry. Honey Makers (Pathe)— The life story of the bees and their work, entertainingly told, and admirably adapted for classroom use. Contains some remarkable closeups, and unusual views of the workers at their various tasks. One of the series of Wonders of Life in the Plant and Animal World. Ants, Nature's Craftsmen (Pathe)— These marvels of intelligent community life form the subject of this reel. The life cycle is traced, and scenes show in detail the structure of ant dwellings, and the remarkable way in which the ant "workers" care for the young as they are hatching. Major Jack Allen's Wild Animal Pictures (Pathe) — Each a reel in length entitled, respectively. Netting the Leopard, Roping the Black Panther, and Capturing Lions by Aeroplane. They are indirectly a study of these animals in their native haunts, but much more emphasis is laid on the chase and the capture. The latter reel is especially poorly photographed and titled. Wonderful Water (Prizma) — Combining all the excellent features of the best scenic with scholarly treatment of the subject matter: the effect of running water and wave action upon the land. Rich in educational material, and titled with simplicity and directness. Neptune's Neighbors (Prizma) — Glimpses of under-water life in the ocean. Novel in subject matter, and entertaining in presentation. Seeing the Unseen (Prizma) — A study of minute organisms by means of greatly enlarged models. Photographed under the direction of the American Museum of Natural History. Depths of the Sea (4 reels) Ditmar — A series dealing with odd forms of under-water life. Rather unusual in that it seems a "natural" presentation, free from the aquarium backgrounds so common to subjects of this sort. Its deep-sea actors are especially generous in performing for the camera. Jungle Vaudeville (Educational)— "Science in a lighter vein"— a reel in which various animals take part in a vaudeville program. An original idea for a comedy, but carrying no value for instructional purposes. INDUSTRIAL White Pine— A Paying Crop for Idle Lands (U. S. Department of Agriculture)— Shows the reforestation of cut-over lands with white pine, field planting and nursery practice. The How and Why of Spuds (U. S. Department of Agriculture)— A story of the potato industry as it is practiced with modern farm machinery in Aroostook County, Maine. Alligator Hunting and Farming (i4 reel) Fox— A response to the increasing demand for leather. The industry as it appears in some of our southern states, showing in addition the hunting of the animal in his native environment. The Making of a Book (3 reels) Doubleday Page and Company— The various processes f. through which a book must go from linotype ,•