Product Review

A complete night at the movies-- exactly as it was presented in 1917. This DVD contains a complete program of films made by the legendary Edison film studio: a feature film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped" and all four shorts that originally accompanied it: a live-action silhouette performance of Little Red Riding Hood, the scientific short Microscopic Pond Life, the Roman era slapstick comedy Friends Romans and Leo and the travelogue Quaint Provincetown. Ads for the series of Conquest Programs boasted that it was an "open road to romance and knowledge" and that the films were "guaranteed censor proof" with their combination of family-friendly comedy, drama, science, history and travel. The Kidnapped program was the ninth in this series. This is the first time the entire program has been available to the general public since its release in 1917. All of the films feature authentic period tinting and original piano scores composed and performed by Ben Model. They were preserved and transferred by the Library of Congress from 16mm prints derived from producer George Kleine's personal collection. The entire production was successfully crowdfunded in 2017. This release is a rare opportunity to enjoy a complete authentic silent era movie experience and is invaluable to collectors, historians and educators. **Please note that this edition DOES NOT INCLUDE A BOOKLET, which was a special bonus for backers of the crowdfunding campaign.