Film Synopses

"It’s a Bird" (Charley Bowers, 1930, 14 Minutes)
Bowers is a recently rediscovered contemporary of Charlie Chaplin who is virtually unknown in the U.S. He directed, wrote and starred in his own original films, yet he was and still is extremely obscure. Though an American, all but one of his films were found in Europe Many turned up in the hands of some gypsies in Europe and Eastern Europe (who would go from town to town showing films in years past). In Europe he is still somewhat of a favorite (perhaps owing to his mother being born in France) and is known by the nickname "Bricolo" (Mr. Do-It-Yourself). Currently, 11 of his 20 short comedies are lost; none of the original negatives are known to exist.

"Now You Tell One" (Charley Bowers, 1926, 22 Minutes)
The "Liars Club" is comparing stories – Charley's story tops them all yet he swears his is true! Unbelievable images, rendered with technologically bewildering originality- Bowers was combining animation with live action long before "Who Shot Roger Rabbit."

"The Fall of the House of Usher" (James Sibley Watson, Jr- Director, 1928, 13 Minutes)
This film is based on the 1839 story by Edgar Allen Poe about Roderick Usher and his sickly twin sister Madeline. It was written and produced by two men- James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber –in a barn behind Watson’s home in Rochester. The story in brief: Madeline’s apparent death sends Roderick into despair and mental depravity, soon compounded by the comprehension that he has buried her alive. She returns to die in his arms and sets in motion the end of the family line as well as their castle. Heavily influenced by European cinema of the time, these two filmmakers are the most renowned and technically successful of early avant-garde American cinema. With its sophisticated camera effects and superimpositions accomplished on Watson’s handcrafted optical printer, "The Fall of the House of Usher" challenges Hollywood on its own terms.

"The Land Beyond the Sunset" (Thomas A. Edison Inc. - 1912, 14 Minutes)
Directed by Harold Shaw, this disarmingly brief film is best described by the American Film Archives (which is responsible for restoring and therefore preserving this piece): "An unhurried story through diverse genres: from a social problem drama through a pastoral fantasy and into an 'unclassifiable poetic finale.'"