“… as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.”Egged On (Charles R. Bowers, Harold L. Muller + Ted Sears, 1926)
Jan
17
inventions
Charley working his Rube Goldberger-esque egg-rubberizing contraption.
An invention for Benjamin Franklin's birthday. Inventor Charley (Charles R. Bowers) comes up with an ingenious method to make eggs break-proof for transport by rubberizing them.
– Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography
Bowers was an almost-forgotten silent era comedian, filmmaker, and animator. In more recent years, his groundbreaking stop-motion comedy has found a new, well-deserved, interest.
comedy
– Now, see! You kill-a de monk!
– Pay him for that baboon… or I'll run you in!The Cameraman (Edward Sedgwick + Buster Keaton, 1928)
Jan
14
National Dress Up Your Pet Day
Buster (Buster Keaton) with Josephine the monkey on his shoulder. DPs: Reggie Lanning & Elgin Lessley.
A funnily dressed pet for National Dress Up Your Pet Day (USA) (please don't!).
After cameraman Buster accidentally knocks over a monkey, he has no choice but to take the sailor-suited simian along on his movie shoots.
“The Kinoautomat in the Czechoslovak Pavilion is a guaranteed hit of the World Exposition, and the Czechs should build a monument to the man who conceived the idea, Radúz Činčera.”Kinoautomat: Člověk a jeho dům [Kinoautomat / One Man and His House] (Ján Roháč, Radúz Činčera + Vladimír Svitáček, 1967)
Jan
10
Representation of the People Act 1918
The audience about to vote for one of two scenes, with two presenters on stage.. DP: Jaromír Šofr.
Voting, for the Representation of the People Act 1918, UK.
Made for the Czechoslovak Pavilion at #Expo67 in #Montréal, Kinoautomat was the world's first interactive film. During nine moments in the story, a moderator would appear on the stage, and ask the audience where the story should go now. Depending on the votes, one of two reels would play.
– The New Yorker
After its very successful performance at Expo 67, and a one year run in Prague, Kinoautomat was banned by the Czechoslovakian government.
“It was the morning of December 31, 1999 when I returned, at last, to judge the living and the dead. Though still, and perhaps always, I had my doubts.”The Book of Life (Hal Hartley, 1998)
Dec
31
1999
The “New York News” of December 31, 1999. The headline reads LAST DAY OF CENTURY BELIEVERS PRAY FOR END. DP: Jim Denault.
“When we behave nobody cares. But when we are bad nobody forgets.”Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen [Even Dwarfs Started Small] (Werner Herzog, 1970)
Dec
30
National Short Person Day
Some of the main cast members, with three women in focus. They're outdoors and several animals, including a kneeling dromedary, can be spotted in the background. DP: Thomas Mauch.
A short main character for National Short Person Day (USA).
– Hombré
La noche de los Inocentes [Night of the Innocents] (Arturo Sotto Díaz, 2007)
Dec
28
The cast in the hospital. Lighting and stances appear theatre-like. DP: Ernesto Granado.
“She must have one complex mechanism!”Die Puppe [The Doll] (Ernst Lubitsch, 1919)
Dec
16
Stupid Toy Day
The doll (Ossi Oswalda) mischievously sticks out her tongue. DPs: Theodor Sparkuhl & Kurt Waschneck .
A ridiculous toy for Stupid Toy Day.
– Lancelot
“I don't need a card to figure out who I am. I already know.”Lonely Are the Brave (David Miller, 1962)
Dec
15
bread
Jerry Bondi (Gena Rowlands) kneads dough. DP: Philip H. Lathrop.
– Jack Burns
Sedmi kontinent [Sedmý kontinent / The Seventh Continent] (Dušan Vukotić, 1966)
Dec
13
Francis Drake's circumnavigation
The first two children to set sail, with Iris Vrus on the right, and possibly Tomislav Pasarić on the left. DP: Karol Krška.
A voyage of discovery on the start of Francis Drake's circumnavigation. Children, ignored by their ever-busy parents, set sail to the Seventh Continent.