Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895 and it instantly drew significant interest from both scientific publications and popular newspapers, worldwide. I think this short film stands in an interesting place in the history of sci-fi, really showing that people were interested in implementing scientific discoveries into high-concept fiction.
That, and the costume design is just lovely. Look at that translucent dress. The umbrella is such a lovely touch~
(I think it's interesting that the plot of this perfectly matches a lot of other 19th-century films: a man trying to briefly woo a woman and the tension created in turn. I'm sure there's writing done on this early genre.)
The main thing to enjoy about this film is the bright and vibrant representation of stereotyped north African communities. The plot is a mess (especially the relationship between the protagonists, it's complete nonsense!), the titular Nile hardly appears, and the way the movie pretends Egypt doesn't exist is... fascinating.
It's not good and because of the relationship drama it takes a while to get going, but this movie knows how to have fun!
This is probably my favorite list on this website. It is extremely diverse with a focus on genre films and non-English features that would all appeal to specific audiences, and because of that I always feel like there's a new gem to discover here. The movies I've watched from this list have all been really special, and some of my favorite movies of all time are in here.
I'm excited to continue going through this list; thank you so much for having this type of list as an Official entry!
I am fascinated by the visual quality of this film as presented by MoMA. I have now seen many short films from this period (including other Biograph 68 mm films), and none of them look anything like what we see here. This looks so much sharper and cleaner than anything I have seen, I have become suspicious of their restoration methods. Social media may have just made me weary of motion interpolation, AI-enhancement, etc. But The Flying Train does look more beautiful and magical than the weirdly optimized videos I've seen on Twitter, so I'm very curious how this was done. The level of detail in this buzzing cityscape with its deep views is gorgeous.
By the by, I do recommend slowing the film down to 50% on Youtube, to get a much better sense for the actual pace of life, and so you don't quite fly through the town at such breakneck speeds. The optimal speed would probably be 66% or something along those lines, but there's a lot to take in anyway.
Comments 1 - 6 of 6
Movie comment on The X-Ray Fiend
Maplestrip
Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895 and it instantly drew significant interest from both scientific publications and popular newspapers, worldwide. I think this short film stands in an interesting place in the history of sci-fi, really showing that people were interested in implementing scientific discoveries into high-concept fiction.That, and the costume design is just lovely. Look at that translucent dress. The umbrella is such a lovely touch~
(I think it's interesting that the plot of this perfectly matches a lot of other 19th-century films: a man trying to briefly woo a woman and the tension created in turn. I'm sure there's writing done on this early genre.)
Movie comment on Nanook of the North
Maplestrip
As a public domain film, it can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkW14Lu1IBoNote the beautiful background music by Timothy Brock, which works excellently with the movie!
Movie comment on The Jewel of the Nile
Maplestrip
The main thing to enjoy about this film is the bright and vibrant representation of stereotyped north African communities. The plot is a mess (especially the relationship between the protagonists, it's complete nonsense!), the titular Nile hardly appears, and the way the movie pretends Egypt doesn't exist is... fascinating.It's not good and because of the relationship drama it takes a while to get going, but this movie knows how to have fun!
Toplist comment on iCheckMovies's Most Favorited
Maplestrip
This is probably my favorite list on this website. It is extremely diverse with a focus on genre films and non-English features that would all appeal to specific audiences, and because of that I always feel like there's a new gem to discover here. The movies I've watched from this list have all been really special, and some of my favorite movies of all time are in here.I'm excited to continue going through this list; thank you so much for having this type of list as an Official entry!
Movie comment on The Flying Train
Maplestrip
I am fascinated by the visual quality of this film as presented by MoMA. I have now seen many short films from this period (including other Biograph 68 mm films), and none of them look anything like what we see here. This looks so much sharper and cleaner than anything I have seen, I have become suspicious of their restoration methods. Social media may have just made me weary of motion interpolation, AI-enhancement, etc. But The Flying Train does look more beautiful and magical than the weirdly optimized videos I've seen on Twitter, so I'm very curious how this was done. The level of detail in this buzzing cityscape with its deep views is gorgeous.By the by, I do recommend slowing the film down to 50% on Youtube, to get a much better sense for the actual pace of life, and so you don't quite fly through the town at such breakneck speeds. The optimal speed would probably be 66% or something along those lines, but there's a lot to take in anyway.
Movie comment on Da zui xia
Maplestrip
I've never experienced such good vibes in a movie before <3