Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1949)

MOVIE MAKERS 471 production. A rather full commentary describes how the courses work. Walter Bergmann, as instructor of the motion picture course, proves with his pupils' film that practical movie making can be taught — and taught well. SAIL FISHING: Al Schmidt's Sail Fishing is a well edited and engagingly pleasant presentation of a theme that might easily get out of hand. Mr. Schmidt has covered all aspects of an exciting sport, including the rarely mentioned sharks. However, the greatest virtue of Sail Fishing is not the film itself but the accompanying narrative, which is delivered calmly and with a good deal of humor. Mr. Schmidt has proved that sharks are exciting in their own right, instead of as a backdrop for a babbling and frenetic narrator. THE CHINESE HANDBAG: An idol stolen from a Chinese temple and the efforts of a loyal retainer to recover it provide George Kirstein with a novel springboard for the unfolding of this unusual travel film. Subsequent events carry the principals from New York to Chicago, through the Southwest to Los Angeles and Hollywood, up the coast to San Francisco and finally back to New York for restoration of the idol. Far from hindering the sightseeing sequences, Mr. Kirstein's device enhances the presentation of this material. While the camera handling is satisfying throughout, tighter editing would speed up the pace and heighten dramatic interest. THROUGH THE VALLEY: Basing his story line on an incident which is said actually to have occurred in Sweden. Harry W. Atwood has proved once again in Through the Valley his imaginative understanding of what makes a true motion picture. For here is camera work of the first order, expressed in meaningful angles and building through a stirring chase sequence to a point of very real dramatic tension. If anything, the film's climax has been staged with a shade too much of melodrama, while a concluding quotation from the Scriptures left these reviewers regretfully more puzzled than uplifted. TRILOGY: In Trilogy, Timothy M. Lawler, jr., submits an interesting and, for the most part, successful effort to match romantic verse with appropriately emotional scenes. For his verse, Mr. Lawler has used Kilmer's Trees, Malay's The Wide World and Shelley's Love's Philosophy. The moods of the movie footage are excellent. The verse suffers a little, however, because it is released on the screen (or in narrative readings) a couplet at a time, at varying intervals, thus breaking into the overall rhythm. On the whole, however, Trilogy is a good approach to an attractive and difficult ideal. TUMBLING WATERS: In Tumbling Waters Leo J. Heffernan has turned his experienced and competent camera I ow SYNCHRONIZED SOUND FOR YOUR 8 AND 16 M.M. HOME MOVIES Wl tk MOVIEVOX Now You Can Add Perfect "Lip-Sync" Sound to Home Movies Using Your Present Projector Now you can dub sound on a wire recorder and play back in perfect synchronization. The new MOVIEVOX synchronizer keeps projector and recorder in perfect step — every time — automatically. Mistakes made in recording can be magnetically erased and quickly corrected. You can't miss with the MOVIEVOX! Connects to any 8mm or 16mm projector — silent or sound. MOVIEVOX — complete with synchronizer, microphone, amplifier, wire recorder, speaker, all necessary cords — sells at your dealer's for $225.00. Or the MOVIEVOX synchronizer can be installed on your Webster wire recorder and projector for only $75.00. See your dealer today — or write for illustrated Ijterature. MOVIEVOX Dept. M, 1113 PLEASANTON ROAD SAN ANTONIO 4, TEXAS THE ONLY BOOK DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO TITLES Every $tep explained .simply and thoroughly. It Answers Every Title Making Problem | Sold Only by Mail | MAIL A DOLLAR BILL TODAY, WESTWOOD SALES CO. 635 victoria AVtMUL SAM FIA IOSCO 17 CA 16 MM 8 MM COPI^ and Easy • Quick • Convenient MOVIES BY MAIL from our FILM RENTAL LIBRARY FREE our 1949 Sound movie catalog, hot off the press. Feature programs as low as $3.75. Write to Dept. R 16 MM" flltt «W? Motion Picture ^Service WRITE FOR PRICES DEPT. M PEERLESS CAMERA STORES FINEST HOME MOVIE SELECTION 138 E.44th St.,New York 17.N.Y. GEO.W.COLBURN LABORATORY, Inc. 164 N. WACKER DRIVE, CHICAGO 6, ILL.