Anyone interested in old news, and in my experience old news is the best kind of news, may be interested in spending a few hours gawping at examples of Movietone Portraits.
Personally, I was very interested in the travelogue-ish films of Instanbul (1931), St Marks Square (1900), London Traffic (1933), Iraq (1940), and Egypt (1931); the undated reels featuring such notable personalties as Dame Margot Fonteyn, Douglas MacArthur, Chiang Kai-Shek; and there is also fascinating footage of Geisha Girls (1930), Corsets in Paris (1959), Alley Soccer (1930), and an English Harvest (1933).
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Interesting site. It is amazing to see these people and places. It is also great to see the old black and white film stock. I saw Jarmusch's latest film "Coffee and Cigarettes" which is supposively one of the last films to be shot in black and white film. (Like most of Jim's films it was very good and very painful and boring at the same time.)
But to see Albert Einstein while I eat cheerios is why the Internet still resonates with me. Also, it gives one the cheap thrill of creating some small digital speck of oneself that lives after you die. Other than that whole soul thing resurrecting that the Jesus guy talks about. Cover your bases is what I say.
Posted by: KHH | June 16, 2004 at 07:31
Yes. The Movietone pictures are fascinating. It is just a shame they substituted music for the original voice-overs.
Posted by: stephenesque | June 16, 2004 at 10:35