DISC ONE: BEFORE HOLLYWOOD

THE CURTAIN POLE (1909) SYNOPSIS:

An upper class drawing room. A gentleman breaks the curtain pole and goes in search of a replacement, but he stops into a pub first. He buys a very long pole, and causes havoc everywhere he passes, accumulating an ever-growing entourage chasing him, until he escapes them through a bit of movie magic, only to discover that the pole has already been replaced.

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THE CORD OF LIFE (1909) SYNOPSIS:

After being refused a loan by a friend, an angry Antonine vows revenge. Finding his friend's child at home alone, he ties the child to a rope suspended precariously over a five-story drop. Then he follows his friend and tries to stab him. When caught, he boasts about the child in danger, giving the father enough time to rush home and affect a rescue.

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ROBIN HOOD (1912) SYNOPSIS:

The earliest surviving Robin Hood film. 

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CHAMPION (2015) SYNOPSIS:

In the early part of the 20th century advancements in motion picture cameras by inventors like Edison made opportunities abound in the American film industry. Entrepreneurs enthralled by the possibilities and fueled by ambition made a go in the film business looking for the American dream. Thousands of films were produced in the silent film era. In those early years two small towns on either side of the nation with an abundance of space and scenery jockeyed for a position as the center of film production, with dozens of bustling studios calling them home. However, only one would ultimately survive as as the undisputed studio town, as the other would fade into history. This is the story of Mark Dintenfass and the Champion Studio.

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THE INDIAN LAND GRAB (1910) SYNOPSIS:

Rush the Indian Land Grab Bill through at once if you want to save them." Thus writes the agent of Arthur Smighting, the lobbyist. The Indians are sending a young chief with companion to Washington as representative before the President and cabinet, to secure justice and proper redress for the fraudulent barter of their lands, to which outrages they have been subjected, owing to their helplessness to prevent it. Smighting is very much perturbed at this possible hindrance which threatens to upset his apparently successful land fraud, and he immediately convenes a caucus at the capitol of those legislators of his brand who can be "approached" for the ultimate motive of securing the passage of the bill. To doubly ensure the accomplishment of his desire, he enlists the services of his family, in that he instructs his daughter to exert her charm over the young Indian so as to possibly keep him away from the object of his visit. Their efforts are successful and the young Indian is installed as a guest at the palatial home of the lobbyist. The young chief becomes enthralled at the beauty and charm of the girl and it is no difficult matter to make him dance attendance on her constantly. His task is an important one, however, and he manages to fulfill his mission in presenting his people's grievances at the capitol, and he so forcibly asserts the injustice of the enactment of this bill that the weaker element of the opposing forces are compelled to pause. They, therefore, arrange a conclusive meeting for the following day at one o'clock. The meeting is actually held at 1 a.m., and not at 1 p.m., as the Indian had naturally supposed. By this trick they lost what probably might have been averted had they been present at the essential moment. To clinch the situation, the lobbyist's daughter held a ball at their home in honor of the guests. In the midst of the dancing, however, an attaché at the capitol appears and apprises the Indian of the deception. Spurning the girl who tries to detain him he reaches the rendezvous only to find that the bill has been passed. He argues and denounces, entreats and implores his adversaries, but of no avail. Despondent and humiliated, he returns to his people. It had required this sudden change of affairs to bring as a shock the realization to the girl that she intensely loves the red man. Determined to undo the wrong perpetrated in the part she played, with earnest entreaties for the righting of wrong, she prevails upon them for a signed statement that will leave the Indians their land. Hurrying westward she arrives in time to prevent the summary death sentence being inflicted on the young chief by those whose cause he lost, through her machinations. Leaving the parchment with the tribe, she follows the young red man into the woods, and at his request to return to her people, she refuses. Finally he is overcome by her witchery and womanly love and her promise to become his squaw among his people.

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A DAUGHTER OF DIXIE (1911) SYNOPSIS:

Nell Collings loved Newton Barry, who was a Northern boy. When war broke out Barry bade his sweetheart good-bye and went away to don the Union blue. Nell's brother fought for the South. The fortunes of war had brought a battle right to the doors of Nell, and two of the participants in that battle were Newton Barry and Tom Collings, the brother. Newton, wounded and separated from his comrades, took refuge in the home of his sweetheart. The Confederates tracked him there, led by Tom. Nell hid Newton in a secret closet, but was discovered by Tom. Seizing a musket from one of the troops, she held it at her brother's breast and there kept it until Newton was far away on his journey. When the war ended Tom was first to join in the glad welcome extended to Newton on his return to wed his sister.

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NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS (1912) SYNOPSIS:

A young seminary girl finds romance.

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FLO'S DISCIPLINE (1912) SYNOPSIS:

Headmistress Flo disciplines unruly boys at her father's school. Her innovative methods include hosing the boys down and locking them inside an ice house. Nothing like stranding the assistant principal on a hoist to make love bloom.

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MARKED CARDS (1918) SYNOPSIS:

Ellen Shannon, the daughter of self-made Irish politician Pat Shannon, is engaged to Ted Breslin, but because Pat began his career as a menial laborer, Ted's mother, Mrs. J. De Barth Breslin, refuses to sanction the marriage. Heartbroken, Ted takes up drinking and gambling with "Poker" LeMoyne and Don Jackson, while Ellen attends a finishing school hoping to improve herself. While trying to elude her chaperone, Ellen unwittingly dashes into a man's hotel room, and from the window, she witnesses Don and "Poker" playing cards, while Ted lies unconscious from too much drink. When the two gamblers quarrel, Don kills "Poker," but Ted is accused of the crime. Fearing a scandal, Ellen maintains her silence, but on the final day of the trial, she enters the courtroom and testifies, thereby saving Ted from the gallows. Deeply grateful, Mrs. Breslin now welcomes Ellen into the family.

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THE VAMPIRE (1913) SYNOPSIS:

Harold is ensnared by the wiles of Sybil, an adventuress. The boy forgets Helen, his country sweetheart. Sybil's influence over him is so evil that he can no longer apply himself to his work. His employer finally discharges him. When Harold's money is gone, the adventuress throws him over. He becomes a drunkard. Helen, failing to hear from him, comes to the city, where she secures a position. Harold decides to become a hold-up man. To pass away the time before midnight, he goes to a theater where Bert French and Alice Eis are presenting their famous "Vampire Dance." The characters are an artist and a vampire, in the guise of a wood nymph. Harold sees the artist attracted by the beautiful creature and then his struggles as he realizes what the result of the fascination must inevitably be. The victim beats her in his frenzy of fear, but is irresistibly drawn into the coils by the vampire's fiendish wiles. The vampire fascinates the man by her beauty and lures him toward a forest dell There the horrible creature succeeds in taking his life. Harold feels that a veil has been torn from his eyes. He seems to have reviewed his life with Sybil, and vows to reform. He succeeds in regaining his position and once more takes his place among men. The boy learns of Helen's presence in the city, but can find no trace of her. Sybil, learning of Harold's prosperity, attempts to drag him into her net once more, but the boy, with the memory of "The Vampire Dance" before him, resists her efforts. That night he finds Helen, and to insure his reformation, proposes immediate marriage. His sweetheart consents, and the knot is tied.

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THE GIRL OF THE WEST (1912) SYNOPSIS:

Dick Graham's father runs the general store in a small western cattle town. Betty, his sister, assists her father in the store; at the same time attending to the housework and in a motherly sort of way, looking after Dick. The store nets the family a fairly good income and old Graham, blindly proud of his son, gives the boy a good allowance and his leisure time with the result that Dick falls into evil ways. His games finally break him and in deep debt he finds it necessary to appeal to his father and confess all or to, in some way, raise the money by going to work. Neither appeals to him, and when the devil, in the person of one Pedro Verez, a Mexican, comes to him with an easy opportunity to re-establish himself without either work or a confession. Dick agrees to join him in the enterprise. Verez knows of a fine string of horses which should net the two a good, round sum, and which might be appropriated with little danger. Yet they have not counted on the alertness of the owner, who comes upon them and succeeds in capturing Pedro, although Dick gets away. The Mexican is turned over to the sheriff and a warrant is sworn out for the arrest of Dick Graham. It is timely to say here that Betty has for some time entertained a young deputy, Dan Morris by name, and it is Morris who regretfully receives the warrant and is told to serve it. Duty bound, he mounts his horse and rides to the Graham store, but just too late, as Dick has confessed to his sister and has begged her to save him. The girl thinks fast and finally, in desperation, dons a suit of her brother's clothes, and while the father has detained the young deputy in the store, has slipped out and mounted to the saddle. Morris, in the meantime, has informed the store-keeper that he will have young Graham if he must demolish the locked door between the store and the living quarters. Just then Betty, in her brother's clothes, rides by the store and is seen by Morris. He of course thinks she is Dick, and after a scuffle with the old man, dashes out of the place, into his saddle and is soon in hot pursuit. Dick joyously listens to the retreating hoofs, then after writing a note of good-bye to his father and sister, in which he makes promises to mend his ways, slips from the house, mounts and rides in the opposite direction. Morris follows the supposed Dick and after an exhaustive chase on foot, the girl drops, faint from sheer fatigue. It is then that Morris discovers the identity of the rider. In his heart he is deeply grateful and as he carries her tenderly back to her horse, he thanks Heaven that Dick has got away. At the store attain, the girl accepts Morris upon his proposal, while the latter wins also the consent of old Graham.

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THE GROCERY CLERK'S ROMANCE (1912) SYNOPSIS:

The grocery clerk's sympathies are aroused by the sight of hard-working Mrs. Brown, whose shiftless husband sits around and smokes, and spends his time at the saloon. The clerk wins Mrs. Brown's gratitude by doing the washing for her, and taking care of the chores around the house. Brown saunters out to the woods and comes upon three conspirators, who accuse him of being a spy and decide to kill him. Brown is tied to a tree stump, a charge of dynamite is placed under him, a fuse attached and lit, and Brown is saying his prayers when his little son finds him. The boy rushes home with the news, and the clerk does all in his power to prevent the rescue party reaching Brown in time. In his frantic struggles Brown frees himself and makes his escape just as the explosion takes place and the rescuers arrive. All believe him dead, and the grocery clerk immediately proposes to Mrs. Brown and she accepts him. They lose no time in getting a minister and the ceremony is about to proceed when Brown, who has gone to the village saloon to steady his shattered nerves, is informed that his wife is marrying the grocery clerk. He dashes to the scene and prevents the wedding, chases the clerk away and takes his unwilling spouse home to work again.

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THERE SHE GOES (1913) SYNOPSIS:

Hans Schmidt, who owns a delicatessen store in the little Western town of Clarksville, has a very pretty daughter, Lena, who was determined to marry Jim Jackson, a cowboy employed in the neighborhood. Hans objected to this wedding and to prevent it he locked Lena in her room. Jackson had a scheme to distract the old man's attention while he and Lena got married. He offered to bet Hans $50 that he could not keep time with the swaying pendulum of the clock, saying "Here she is; there she goes" for half an hour. Hans decided to try it. While he was thus busily engaged, Jim slipped away with Lena and married her. And all during the marriage ceremony Hans kept saying "Here she is: there she goes," never suspecting that his daughter had gone.

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DISC TWO: AFTER HOLLYWOOD

THE DANGER GAME (1918) SYNOPSIS:

A naive débutante longs for a romantic adventure, and sets out to have one, scandalous or not. She rashly decides to burgle a random home, but is caught. At the jail, she's mistaken for a notorious con woman, and nervously is taken into a gang.​

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COSSACKS IN EXILE (1939) SYNOPSIS:

Musical comedy of Cossack refugees who have been sent packing to the Ottoman empire after their fortress has been destroyed.

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GHOST TOWN: THE STORY OF FORT LEE (1935) SYNOPSIS:

Documentarian and film historian, Theodore Buff, captures the "present day" abandoned ruins of Fort Lee, New Jersey - also known as “the original Hollywood.”

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Fort Lee was already a favorite location for New York filmmakers when Mark Dintenfass arrived in 1910 and established Champion as the first of many studios in that sleepy town. Biograph, Éclair, Kalem, Fox and Universal soon followed making Fort Lee and New Jersey the birthplace of the American motion picture industry.

 

Curated by Richard Koszarski, author of Fort Lee, The Film Town and the enclosed 20-page booklet, this special edition 2-disc Blu-ray set gathers 14 wonderful and historically significant films and 2 documentaries from archives around the world. Featuring two restored Biograph chase films by D.W. Griffith (The Curtain Pole and The Cord of Life), the legendary The Vampire (1913), which popularized the character of the “vamp” or “femme fatale,” the earliest surviving film version of Robin Hood, and a new 4K restoration of Edgar G. Ulmer’s Ukrainian operetta Cossacks in Exile (1939) famously shot at Little Flower Monastery in Newton, Made in New Jersey: Films From Fort Lee is a landmark release for cinema history and simply a joy to watch.

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OUR FILM REVIEW

The Blu-ray release offers HD transfers for each of the 16 films featured were taken from the best surviving elements for each film from various film archives and private collections, including the Library of Congress, Alois F. Dettlaff (the holder of the lone surviving print of Robin Hood), Strand Theatre Museum Collection, the AFI, Eye Filmmuseum in the Netherlands, Filmoteca Generalitat Valenciana in Spain, the George Eastman Museum, the Provincial Archives of Alberta, Canada; Cossacks in Exile in particular is the recipient of a brand new 4K restoration from the 35mm nitrate print – with hand-colored fire sequence – held by the film’s producer Vasile Avramenko. The series of selected films certainly aren’t perfect in their presentation with some obvious dirt and tears - but what’s important is that they exist! 

As some of the oldest films to date, they naturally are silent with music accompanying each title - presented on 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks. The new scores are composed and performed by Donald Sosin, Ben Model, Philip C. Carli and Rodney Sauer (accompanied with the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra); however the original soundtrack for Cossacks in Exile does contain minor quality disparages due to its age. Over a hundred years of existence, these films are a marvel that they still exist today and this latest release from Kino Lorber delivers the best experience you can absolutely have with this trip back in history. ​