The average cineaste will know that Kino Video Catalog has been around for quite a while. As with many other catalogs (Critic’s Choice Video and DVD, FACETS.org) much of the fun is in reading the synopses of the various assortment of videos literally covering all cinematic genres.
So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon this collection in my currently Kino Video Catalog mailing:
When you select the individual titles make sure to scroll to the bottom and you can enjoy a little “trailer” of the videos.
On a more sombre note, there was another video that I discovered:
At first I thought it would be cool to have the video. My father then doused my spirits be telling me that these videos (he watched as a student during the 1950s and 1960s) were actually quite graphic. Further reading of the catalog description bears this out. According to the catalog, may a student was left quite traumatized by what they experienced watching these “educational and enlightening” videos.
Kino must be aware that they have a real gem on their hands; they have even dedicated an “Official” website to a very niche homage to the educational film genre.
The Magic of Charles Dickens
They are the stories of secrets, the distinction (and frivolity) of class in 19th century England. I speak of course of Little Dorrit and Bleak House. The latter I am only now seeing for the first time in its entirety.
For some reason these works are best when they are delivered over a long running time and have as close to the exacting details of their source material. This runs counter to my usual theory that the problem with too many films nowadays is that they unnecessarily drag out the story to fill a 90 minute to two hour running time. I make an exception in the case of Charles Dickens.
His stories deserve the treatment that only television and especially public television can allow. There are so many plots and subplots in his story that are integral to the final plot movements that any major omission would be catastrophic. I am glad that they are this long. Sure it takes forever for them to watch, but at the end they are well worth the wait.
I have seen a couple of big screen adaptations (not all) of his work and they have left me a little less than satisfied. With the outstanding noted exception of 1951′s Scrooge (A Christmas Carol) starring Alistair Simm. I think the reason this works in a 90 minute film is because the source material was not a novel but rather a novellette so instead of having to be compressed for time you have just the right amount of time to tell a story.
For more on the life and times of Charles Dickens, I highly recommend this program which also aired on PBS.