(1929) Chip the Wooden Man / (1940s) Merry Christmas скачать в хорошем качестве

(1929) Chip the Wooden Man / (1940s) Merry Christmas

From 1928 to 1930, Kinex Studios, an affiliate of Kodak, produced stop-motion animated films exclusively for home viewing (much like today's "direct to video" features). Their stable of characters included Chip the Wooden Man, Snap the Gingerbread Man, and Daffy Doing in Doodlebugville. Because they were not released theatrically and were never broadcast on television, these films have languished in obscurity for decades. Today they're known only to animation historians, and remembered only by folks of a certain age (including yours truly) whose parents or grandparents had shown Kinex films on their home movie projectors a long, long time ago. This excerpt from "The Magic Wand" (1929) featuring Chip, comes from a Christmas-themed reel that my grandfather compiled many decades ago. By the time I had the print digitized, it was yellowed with age, and riddled with breaks, melted frames, and stripped-off sprockets. I had to use many pieces of splicing tape to patch the film back together (Grandpa had used medical tape!!). Many thanks to Jessica Worthington at Duggal Visual Services, NYC for successfully scanning and digitizing the film for me. (As I was preparing this video, I learned that the Kinex film library was just released on DVD. I should state that I was neither aware of, nor involved with, that production). While Kinex lasted only a few years, Castle Films, which also sold to the domestic market, flourished from the 1930s to the 70s. Their "Merry Christmas," which I also took from my grandfather's Christmas reel, combines newsreel footage with clips from a Hollywood confection. It's an odd mix -- the fictional family is all happy and festive, while the real-life holiday shoppers look downright dismal - but Santa's arrival on Christmas Eve ultimately brings the show to a charming, nostalgic conclusion. Those were the days when an electric train set and a new doll were the niftiest gifts a brother and sister could ask for. I've edited out all of the inter-titles, except for the last one. They were mostly inane ("Santa's Helpers Work Hard", etc.). George Hinke (1883-1953) was a classically trained illustrator whose colorful depictions of Santa were widely reproduced throughout post-WW2 America by Ideals Publications; the set design of Santa's workshop seen in "Merry Christmas" is clearly influenced by Mr. Hinke's illustrations. You can see what I mean by looking up "George Hinke Santa" in Google's Image Search. Happy Holidays, everybody! Robert Martens Dec. 10, 2010    / robertwmartens