09-11-2018, 05:49 AM
Who doesn't know the story of the 500 reels of Nitrate film discovered under a building in Dawson City? (I had a long incredulous discussion with The Queen when she told me she didn't know about Dawson City. Every one knows about Dawson City. Okay. Maybe it's only in my squirrel brain) The reels of film were an amazing discovery since it is estimated over 75% of the early silent films were lost. And here was a trove of 500 of them.
This documentary does three things. It tells the history of Dawson City and the start of the Klondike gold rush. Fun fact: Most of the gold was taken out of the ground after most of the miners had left and conglomerates took over the fields. The movie also tells the story of the discovery of all the film reels. Dawson was the end of the distribution pipeline so it was cheaper to just destroy the films rather than send them back to the studio. Finally, the documentary tells the story of early 20th century America and the world using the discovered newsreel footage.
As a film buff, it's fascinating to see these early movies. Granted, some of the clips are in horrible condition. But some of them are in excellent condition. It's amazing to see the artistry in those early films. It's quite I'm often I'm awed by the finds.
But here is the problem. I'm about half way through the film and I don't know if I can continue. Since the film concerns the silent era of films, the film makers decided to not use narration in the film. It's all just sub-titles and pictures much like a silent film would be. But there is also a score. A score that makes me want to drive needles in my ears to make it stop. It's just dirges and drones. Rises and falls. I want to punch the screen. My brain is at war with itself loving the images and loathing the sound track.
I'm thinking long and hard about whether I can complete this one. Plus, it runs at over 2 hours.
This documentary does three things. It tells the history of Dawson City and the start of the Klondike gold rush. Fun fact: Most of the gold was taken out of the ground after most of the miners had left and conglomerates took over the fields. The movie also tells the story of the discovery of all the film reels. Dawson was the end of the distribution pipeline so it was cheaper to just destroy the films rather than send them back to the studio. Finally, the documentary tells the story of early 20th century America and the world using the discovered newsreel footage.
As a film buff, it's fascinating to see these early movies. Granted, some of the clips are in horrible condition. But some of them are in excellent condition. It's amazing to see the artistry in those early films. It's quite I'm often I'm awed by the finds.
But here is the problem. I'm about half way through the film and I don't know if I can continue. Since the film concerns the silent era of films, the film makers decided to not use narration in the film. It's all just sub-titles and pictures much like a silent film would be. But there is also a score. A score that makes me want to drive needles in my ears to make it stop. It's just dirges and drones. Rises and falls. I want to punch the screen. My brain is at war with itself loving the images and loathing the sound track.
I'm thinking long and hard about whether I can complete this one. Plus, it runs at over 2 hours.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
