Home Movies (1954)

WHAT OTHERS ARE SHOOTING rum LIBRARIES 8MM and 16MM FILMS . . . Where To Rent or Buy . . . Sound or Silent CALIFORNIA COMPTON Evangelistic Audio-Visual Association 2342 E. 1 26th St. NEvada 6-51 18, NEwmark 1-9920 HOLLYWOOD Hollywood Camera Exchange 1600 Cahuenga Blvd. HO. 3651 LOS ANGELES Films Incorporated 5625 Hollywood Blvd. SAN FRANCISCO Brooks Cameras 56 Kearney Street LOUISIANA NEW ORLEANS Delta Visual Service, Inc. 815 Poydras St. (12) MARYLAND BALTIMORE Lewy Studios 853 North Eutaw St. at Biddle NEW YORK NEW YORK CITY Films Incorporated 330 West 42nd St. National Cinema Service 7 1 Dey St. Nu Art Films, Inc. 1 1 2 West 48th St. (19) Peerless Camera Stores Film Library 415 Lexington Ave. SEAFORD, LONG ISLAND Reed & Reed Distributors, Inc. 1797 Seaman Neck Rd. OHIO CLEVELAND Sunray Films, Inc. Film Bldg., 2108 Payne Avo OREGON PORTLAND Films Incorporated 716 S. W. 13th Ave. PENNSYLVANIA PHILADELPHIA Ted Kruger 3145 N. Broad St. RHODE ISLAND PROVIDENCE Samson's Picture Service 35 Portland St. (7) WISCONSIN KENOSHA Cairo Home Movies 5815 Eleventh Avenue MILWAUKEE Movie Mart — DeVry Corporation 4518 W. Burleigh St. UP 3-9932 (open Mon. and Fri. Eves.) MANY DEALERS LISTED ABOVE RENT PROJECTORS AND SCREENS; ALSO HAVE COMPETENT PROJECTOR OPERATORS AVAILABLE Professional Junior Tripod — used by more professional cameramen than any other tripod in the world. Shown with friction type head which handles all 16mm cameras, with or without motor. Also 35mm B & H Eyemo, DeVry. Interchangeable with gear drive head. "Baby" tripod base and "Hi-Hat" also available. If you're a professional — you need "Professional Junior" Tripod. See it today SPLICES NOT HOLDING? Try Jefrona all-purpose cement. Send for FREE sample. TO BUILD A FIRE — By Harry At wood, 8mm, color with sound-on-tape. 250 ft. Ths film is based on a story of Jack London; adapted to film by Harry Atwood. The story concerns a young prospector who makes a lone trip despite the advice of an old sourdough not to travel in the Arctic alone. Accompanied by his dog the prospector has an uneventful journey for the first few miles, but after that illluck dodges his foosteps and he doesn't make it. He succumbs to the cold and dies. Atwood, as always, does a fine photographic job. He has a variety of unique long shots, close-ups and panoramas which describe the terrain exactly as it is. But he falls down on the narration. For example, when a bank of snow rolls down and extinguishes his fire, the viewer knows that the fire is out. Yet Atwood chooses to announce this fact via the narrator, and we feel that this is absolutely unncessary. He does it again when the prospector, numb with cold and already half frozen, falls into a stream of water and hastily removes shoes and socks in order to prevent a very quick freeze. Now let's take the story. To be a story, any scenario must have a beginning, a middle and an end. We do have this here, after a fashion, but the film states only that a man struck out in snow to reach a certain point, and does not make it. So what? Now suppose that the man dies, after making every effort to survive, and then, in the last sequence we dissolve to a small cabin, no more than 300 yards away, inhabited by a lonely prospector who is talking to his dog. The dialog might concern the possibility of going out that afternoon, or not going out. After a few moments of reflection the man decides to stay inside, and in the meantime, our hero freezes quietly to death. The irony of such a situation would make the film far fresher and much more exciting. This way, we have merely the record of an unsuccessful trip in the North Country and that is all. The tempo is a little draggy and this can be overcome by eliminating part of the first sequence. It takes too long to get started. But the cutting and choice of angles are both very good. Now let's consider the narration. As we said before, there is too much talk. The picture alone carries the story very well, and very little nar ration is required. Atwood loused this up with too much yakking. And besides the narrator did not know how to use his voice. All in all, it is a pity that Atwood didn't use a twist or gimmick at the end, similar to the sequence we suggest here. But it isn't too late, because he can shoot the cabin sequence, splice it in, making the story grow to a full climax as it reaches the last fade-out. If this is done, Atwood would have one of the best films which we have seen to date, this year. Shot in Anchorage, Alaska, the picture has authentic backgrounds and this is another reason why the final scene should be added. And this picture prooves again and again what can be done with 8mm. The story is the thing, and it matters little whether it is shot in 18mm or 16. — H.P. 313