Symphony of a City (1947)
A Movietone Specialty: Symphone of a City (US version)
Människor i stad, Arne Sucksdorff, Sweden 1947
Print source: Academy Film Archive, Los Angeles
Running time: 11 minutes
About the print: The film is in excellent condition, with deep, rich contrast and very little scratching or damage. Shrinkage: 0.63%
About the film: Arne Sucksdorff, “the brilliant Swedish artist who has been widely and properly acclaimed for such fresh and evocative short films as Symphony of a City” (New York Times, 1955), won an Academy Award in 1949 for Best Short Subject (One-Reel) with this masterful, poetic depiction of a day in Stockholm.
Father Hubbard's Movietone Adventures: Lost Lake
20th Century Fox, US 1944
Print source: Academy Film Archive, Los Angeles
Running time: 8 minutes
About the print: The Cinecolor process has produced some inconsistent coloring and bars across the image. The physical condition is good. Shrinkage: 0.7%
About the film: Shot in gorgeous Cinecolor, an early subtractive two-color process, Lost Lake follows the famed Jesuit priest, geologist, and explorer Father Bernard Rosecrans Hubbard on his trip to discover a lost lake on top of an Alaskan glacier.
Lowell Thomas' Movietone Adventures: Along the Rainbow Trail
20th Century Fox, US 1946
Print source: Academy Film Archive, Los Angeles
Running time: 9 minutes
About the print: The film’s brilliant Technicolor hues remain astounding, though the print shows some scratching from projection. Shrinkage: 0.7%
About the film: Narrated by the popular writer, broadcaster, and traveler Lowell Thomas, this Movietone News short chronicles a trip down the rapids of the San Juan River ending with a view of the Rainbow Bridge.
Our Navy
George A. Dorsey, US 1918
Print source: George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY
Running time: 11 minutes (at 20 frames per second)
About the print: The tinted and toned print displays some dirt and oil, but very little scratching. Shrinkage: 1%
About the film: Anthropologist and lieutenant in the US Naval Reserve George Amos Dorsey directed this motion picture showcase of US naval forces, featuring some breathtaking shots of metal behemoths at sea.
Let's go to the Movies
Tholen Gladden, US 1949
Print source: Library of Congress, Culpeper, VA
Running time: 9 minutes
About the print: The difference between stock footage from previous productions and new footage shot for this film is noticeable, but the print itself is in very good condition. Shrinkage: 0.7%
About the film: The first in the series of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ documentary shorts celebrating the art and craft of motion pictures, this film features clips of several groundbreaking productions and beloved stars.
Trade Tattoos
Len Lye, UK 1937
Print source: Museum of Modern Art, New York
Running time: 6 minutes
About the print: Despite the shrinkage and warpage, this Technicolor print has not lost its original chromatic brilliance. Shrinkage: 1.15%
About the film: Commissioned by the UK General Post Office Film Unit, Trade Tattoo is a dazzling spectacle of abstract animation in glorious Technicolor, achieved through a complex process of hand-painting, film printing, and color grading.