Christmas Past - Vintage Holiday Films From:William Bechtel , Viola Dana , Carey Lee , Shirley Mason , Marc McDermott , Ashley Miller , Bannister Merwin , Charles Kent , Charles M. Seay , D.W. Griffith , Kino Video ,
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See larger picture. | | Amazon Sales Rank:# 48225 User Rating: Customer Reviews List Price:$24.95 Amazon.com's Price:$19.99 Prices subject to change. You Save:$4.96 (19.88%) Availability:Usually ships in 24 hours |
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0738329023225
Format: Black & White
Format: DVD-Video
Format: Silent
Format: NTSC
Label: Kino Video
Audio Format: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Manufacturer: Kino Video
Number Of Items: 1
Packaged Height: 58 hundredths-inches
Packaged Length: 710 hundredths-inches
Packaged Weight: 18 hundredths-pounds
Packaged Width: 542 hundredths-inches
Publisher: Kino Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2002-08-06
Running Time: 121 minutes
Studio: Kino Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1905-12-16
Product Description:
A collection of enchanting silent films, "A Christmas Past" offers a nostalgic peek into the Yuletide pleasures of the early 1900s. Evoking the Victorian charm of Currier and Ives prints, these picturesque comedies and tender dramas were produced as cinematic Christmas cards offered to moviegoers of the silent film era. Includes D.W. Griffith's "A Trap For Santa" (1909, 16 min.); the Edison Studio's "A Winter Straw Ride" (1906, 7 min.), "A Christmas Accident" (1912, 15 min.), "The Adventures of the Wrong Santa Claus" (1914, 14 min.), "Santa Claus Vs. Cupid" (1915, 16 min.), "A Christmas Carol" (1910, 10 min.), and "The Night Before Christmas (1905, 9 min.); plus "A Holiday Pageant At Home" (1901, 5 min.) and "Santa Claus" (1925, 29 min.). Features an original score by Al Kryszak.
Customer Reviews:
17 of 17 customers found the following review helpful:
 A lovely Christmas valentine from another era, 2006-12-15
Kino Video's lovely A CHRISTMAS PAST is for a limited audience who knows the names of Edwin S. Porter, Thomas Edison as a filmmaker, and D.W. Griffith when he was still doing short subjects. Over 121 minutes, it presents a nostalgic Currier and Ives-like Christmas in silent tales ranging from 1901 to 1925. The prints are flawless by any standards, and the music score includes violins and Christmas bells.
A HOLIDAY PAGEANT AT HOME (1901) runs 5 minutes and has kids presenting a little skit for Mom and Dad.
A WINTER STRAW RIDE (1906) should be called "A Winter Sleigh Ride". It runs 7 minutes and was directed by Edwin S. Porter for the Edison Corp.
A TRAP FOR SANTA (1909) is a 16 minute D. W. Griffith short about two kids trying to trap Santa in the middle of the night to see if he really exists. It has poignancy because a destitute father runs away from home and Mom plays Santa. But then Dad returns, and there are two Santas!
A CHRISTMAS ACCIDENT (1912) is a 15 minute Edison Corporation short, directed by Bannister Merwin. I think this is the one with wealthy and poor families living side by side, and the wealthy family doing something nice for the poor family at Christmas when a roast is delivered to the wealthy house.
THE ADVENTURES OF THE WRONG SANTA CLAUS (1914) has a father and a burglar fighting it out over who is the real Santa for a family. The burglar steals all the presents, and Dad goes after him in costume to have a happy ending. This is also a 14 minute one reeler from Edison.
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1905) is the first version of Clement Moore's famous story. It runs 7 minutes and was directed for Edison Corp. by Edwin S. Porter.
SANTA CLAUS VS. CUPID (1915) was written for the Edison Corp. by Alan Crosland (1927's THE JAZZ SINGER). This Christmas romance runs 16 minutes.
SANTA CLAUS (1925), ostensibly filmed with the real Santa at the real North Pole, focuses on Christmas Eve and delivering presents. But two children ask Santa what he and Mrs. Claus do the rest of the year. At 29 minutes, this is the longest film here and the most recent.
Finally, we have a 10 minute version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL from 1910 and the Edison Film Manufacturing Corporation. It is fun to see an attempt to tell the story in one reel.
A CHRISTMAS PAST will not be for everyone. But audiences excited by what I say about the contents should find it the ultimate Christmas Eve or Night treat. This is a long ago Christmas and quite exquisite.
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