Film Clears Boy of False Charges! Read... um, WATCH all about it!

The Evidence of the Film (1913)
Starring: Florence La Badie, Marie Eline, and William Garwood
Directors: Lawrence Marston and Edwin Thanhouser
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

When a messenger boy (Eline) for a crime, a sharp-eyed film editor (La Badie) spots exonerating evidence accidentially captured on film by a crew working on location.

This may not be the first film to feature filmmaking and the film industry as part of the plot, but I think it may be first one to feature the literal backshop of the cinema business--the editing suite where pieces of film are spliced together into movies.

The various story elements are engaging and the acting is as naturalistic as can be expected from a film of this vintage; Florence La Badie seems particularly subdued in her scenes. William Garwood was the most expressive of actors, doing exaggerated sneaky and dramatic gestures as befitting his villainous character. With only 13-minutes of run-time, there isn't much room for character development, but nearly every character that is involved in some way with the story is given tiny moments that show its personality. This all adds up to a feeling that this story and cast could have supported a much longer film.

As much as I enjoyed this "The Evidence of the Film", any suspense that might have been generated from the poor messenger boy going to jail for a crime he didn't commit is dispelled by the fact the title gives away how he might be exonerated. On a related note, any suspension of disbelief on my part was also completely shattered by the way the film crew didn't seem to care that a child and a man wandered into the shot but just kept on cranking... and that the man didn't notice a camera pointing at him as he enacted his sinister plan to frame the child. Maybe audiences in 1913 didn't think along lines, because movies were still a new thing.

Despite these glaring flaws, I found this to be a highly enjoyable little film, with a talented cast and a well-paced story. It makes me feel it's a terrible shame that not more of the output of the Thanhouser film company has survived to the present day. But at least we have this one--and it's in excellent shape, despite missing its opening and end title cards.

Take a look for yourself by clicking below. And please let me know if you agree or disagree with my take by leaving a comment.

Interesting gothic romance that's too slow in the wind-up

The Portrait of the Lady Anne (1912)
Starring: Florence La Badie, Henry Benham, and William Russell
Director: Lloyd Lonergan
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

A restless spirit (La Badie) manifests from a portrait to stop her descendent (also La Badie) from making the same life-altering mistake that she did.

First off, let me say up front that if you're a fan of gothic romances, you're going to get a kick out of this film. Its strengths with definately amplify your enjoyment while what I view as the film's major drawback may not bother you at all.

From a technical aspect, "The Portrait of the Lady Anne" is impressive for the time in which it was made. The in-camera special effects that make Lady Anne manifest herself are very effective. There are also more involved scene set-ups and coordination of activities during those scenes that is typical for films of this vintage, with some scenes having noteworthy activity taking place in the foreground, middleground and background. The way locations are filmed from several angles is also something that wasn't common at the time. And then there's the cross-cutting to show things at different places happening at the same time.

Wardrobe-wise, the period costumes are fabulous to look at; fans of period dramas will greatly enjoy the elaborate dresses, as well as the ornate outfits worn by the men during the section that takes place during the 18th century. I wonder if one of the marching orders for the filmmakers from the production company was, "Use as many of these costumes as you can... we've paid for them, and we want to get as much milage out of as many of them, in as many productions, as possible!"

When it comes to the story, I remained enamored with the concept of the spirit getting involved in the romantic life of her descendant, but I almost didn't get to the good parts of the movie because the wind-up is so slow. Almost every scene until the final 1/4 or so of the movie goes on too long, usually starting too slow and then lingering for just a bit too long after everything that's worthwhile has happened in it. It isn't until we're treated to Florence La Badie playing the dual role of Lady Anne and her modern-day descendant that the filmmakers get the pacing right. Since this section is already the best part of the film--and where La Badie's talent as an actress and her great screen presence shine brightly; it's easy to see why her was known to audiences even though the studio at which she spent her entire career at never put actors' credits on their films.

Despite the film's slow wind-up, I think that you won't regret sticking with it to the end. I know I didn't. (Another plus -- the film provides the nicety of a denouement. This is another thing that wasn't common to film from this period.)