Tweet Silent film journals online

With the recent release of an astonishing 83 digitised Italian silent film journals by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (on top of the ten they'd previously made available), plus the recent announcement of David Pierce's hugely welcome Media History Digital Library Project (digitsing Photoplay, Moving Picture World and many more, in time), the number of silent film journals online has become prodigious. I calculate that there are at least 118 titles available (from one or two issues to complete runs), from the USA, Austria, Italy, Brazil, Sweden, France, Spain and the UK.

To document these, I've created a new journals section of the Bioscope, an offshoot of its book library:

http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/library/journals/

This lists everyone of those 118 journals, with basic descriptions and link to online source. I'd welcome any further information from Nitratevillians to help keep this a comprehensive resource of value to all.

This Bioscope report covers the Museo Nazionale del Cinema digitiation work: http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/more-silent-films-journals-online-much-more/

and this is on the Media History Digital Library: http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/photoplay-and-more/

With the recent release of an astonishing 83 digitised Italian silent film journals by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (on top of the ten they'd previously made available), plus the recent announcement of David Pierce's hugely welcome Media History Digital Library Project (digitsing Photoplay, Moving Picture World and many more, in time), the number of silent film journals online has become prodigious. I calculate that there are at least 118 titles available (from one or two issues to complete runs), from the USA, Austria, Italy, Brazil, Sweden, France, Spain and the UK.

To document these, I've created a new journals section of the Bioscope, an offshoot of its book library:

http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/library/journals/

This lists everyone of those 118 journals, with basic descriptions and link to online source. I'd welcome any further information from Nitratevillians to help keep this a comprehensive resource of value to all.

This Bioscope report covers the Museo Nazionale del Cinema digitiation work: http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/more-silent-films-journals-online-much-more/

and this is on the Media History Digital Library: http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/photoplay-and-more/

As Kay Fwancis would say, bwess you!

...I'd welcome any further information from Nitratevillians to help keep this a comprehensive resource of value to all...

Several years ago someone informed me of a link to some online Canadian fan magazines (in French) which were published around 1919. But I can't seem to find the link. Perhaps others here have also come across them and can advise you.

I've been scanning some obscure magazines from my library and placing them in the Internet Archive, but since there's only a few scattered issues, they might not be worthy of inclusion in your journal section. My additions are linked from
http://www.taylorology.com/ia.php

The Movie Weekly centerfolds would not fit onto my scanner, so I digitally pasted them together, with acceptable results:

I've been scanning some obscure magazines from my library and placing them in the Internet Archive, but since there's only a few scattered issues, they might not be worthy of inclusion in your journal section. My additions are linked from
http://www.taylorology.com/ia.php

They are more than worthy of inclusion. Thank you for letting me know - I'll add them to the list with both Taylorology and Internet Archive links.

If anyone knows about the Canadian 1919 fan magazines, please say.

Several years ago someone informed me of a link to some online Canadian fan magazines (in French) which were published around 1919. But I can't seem to find the link. Perhaps others here have also come across them and can advise you.

That would be Le Panorama (1919-1921). Try:
http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/pano/

Magnifique!

I've rearranged the list of silent film journals by grouping them by country rather than just a plain alphabetical list. Hopefully this should make searching for English-language titles a little easier:

http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/library/journals/

Wow! Fantastic job!!!

Over the past month I have continued to add publications to the Internet Archive, including:

Photoplay (2 issues from 1914)
http://www.archive.org/details/Photopla ... neNov.1914
http://www.archive.org/details/Photopla ... neDec.1914

Motion Picture Magazine (2 issues from 1914)
http://www.archive.org/details/MotionPi ... ineMay1914
http://www.archive.org/details/MotionPi ... neJuly1914

Film Truth (1 issue from 1920)
http://www.archive.org/details/FilmTruthNov.1920

Picture-Play (3 issues from 1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/Picture- ... neJan.1922
http://www.archive.org/details/Picture- ... eApril1922
http://www.archive.org/details/Picture- ... ineMay1922

Screenland (1 issue from 1923)
http://www.archive.org/details/ScreenlandOct.1923

Photodramatist (3 issues from 1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/ThePhoto ... tMarch1922
http://www.archive.org/details/ThePhotodramatistMay1922
http://www.archive.org/details/ThePhoto ... stJune1922

New Zealand Theatre and Motion Picture (1 issue from 1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/NewZeala ... re1May1922

Each issue is word searchable.

--Bruce

Great news - I'll be adding the links to the Bioscope journals list too.

http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/library/journals

Over the past month I have continued to add publications to the Internet Archive, including:

Motion Picture Story Magazine (1 issue from 1912)
http://www.archive.org/details/MotionPi ... neDec.1912

Photoplay (6 issues from 1915)
http://www.archive.org/details/Photopla ... neJan.1915
http://www.archive.org/details/Photopla ... neFeb.1915
http://www.archive.org/details/Photopla ... eMarch1915
http://www.archive.org/details/Photopla ... eApril1915
http://www.archive.org/details/PhotoplayMagazineMay1915
http://www.archive.org/details/Photopla ... neJune1915

Silverscreen (1 issue from 1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/SilverscreenMarch301922

That last publication seems to be quite obscure, as I don't find it listed in standard reference works, or libraries.

--Bruce

I've added them to the Bioscope listing (with IA and Taylorology links):

http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/library/journals

Please do report any other online silent film journal additions or discoveries.

Wow! These Journals are priceless treasures. Just wonderful! Great photos, articles, reviews, and ad's. Thanks much for posting them.

Urbanora,

You've made me a very happy man, keeping my fingers clean and keeping me from the heartbreak of a page which crumbles under them

spadeneal

Whoa, Quite the site to see Dorothy Mackaill doing her Deep Knee-Bends on top of a high-rise. Please don't tell me that THE HUNTRESS is a lost film? Lo!

Like everyone else, I think this is tremendous and all involved deserve a huge, huge pat on the back.

2 questions:

- in quickly reading the link for the Media History Digital Library, I got the impression that the original magazines are being digitalized. Is that correct? Somehow, I always thought that someone would invent a way to convert microfilm to a digital media. Wonder if there are rights issues?

- should Moving Picture Stories be on the list? (I have a weak spot for those film fictionalizations that they ran even if they were very often crudely crafted...especially if they are for a lost film)

Again, great job!

Steve

- in quickly reading the link for the Media History Digital Library, I got the impression that the original magazines are being digitalized. Is that correct? Somehow, I always thought that someone would invent a way to convert microfilm to a digital media. Wonder if there are rights issues?

It is perfectly possible to digitise from microfilm, but as I understand it all of the Media History Digital Library work is being done from originals. All of the journals are US public domain, either pre-1923, or journals published between 1923 and 1963 where the copyright was not subsequently renewed.

- should Moving Picture Stories be on the list? (I have a weak spot for those film fictionalizations that they ran even if they were very often crudely crafted...especially if they are for a lost film)

On another list, maybe.

Thanks, Luke.

This is my favorite cover so far: So BLARNEY is lost? Also BANDELERO? Blast! Well, at least Renee has a bunch of surviving pictures that I haven't seen yet. Hey, I didn't know that THE EXQUISITE SINNER was a Comedy? Now I want one of these Dolls!




Renee Adoree with Renee Doll Photoplay November 1926

This is an incredibly exciting project. But aside from David Pierce's initial postings to archive.org, when does the rest of this material start becoming available?

This is an incredibly exciting project. But aside from David Pierce's initial postings to archive.org, when does the rest of this material start becoming available?

I have several additional groups of material lined up; forward movement has been delayed by the distraction of my recent move from the UK to the US. This is my fourth household move across the ocean in a decade, which I would not recommend to anyone.

- in quickly reading the link for the Media History Digital Library, I got the impression that the original magazines are being digitalized. Is that correct? Somehow, I always thought that someone would invent a way to convert microfilm to a digital media. Wonder if there are rights issues?

- should Moving Picture Stories be on the list?

Surprisingly, it is no cheaper to convert from microfilm to a digital format than to work from the original bound volumes. Given the often poor quality of the microfilming and the weak quality control (e.g. numerous missing pages), it makes more sense to work from the originals. This captures the color, and is often much sharper. Also, the automated microfilm-to-digital systems are set up to work with individual pages, while most journals were microfilmed with the left and right pages side by side.

As for Moving Picture Stories, it wouldn't be high on my list, but the consideration would be the availability of original copies in bound format, the brittleness of the paper and perhaps a financial sponsor who was willing to champion that magazine.

David Pierce

I have recently added a few more publications to the Internet Archive, including:

Filmplay Journal (Jan. 1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/FilmplayJournalJan.1922

Film Players Herald and Movie Pictorial (Feb. 1916)
http://www.archive.org/details/FilmPlay ... alFeb.1916

Pantomime (2 issues from 1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/PantomimeFeb.251922
http://www.archive.org/details/PantomimeApril11922

Links to all the issues I submitted can be found here:
http://www.taylorology.com/ia.php

All issues are word-searchable.

BRUCE!!!! So you're the person and source behind almost all of the stuff at archive.org! You are the greatest!
Have to tell you I've found various things on Ben Turpin that I either missed over the years or didn't even know existed in some of those magazines within the last five years. I've supplemented my research with a number of things (both substantial and piffle) thanks to you and the organizations like Variety, and various online newspapers. And to think I spent 35 years scouring many library magazines (Billboard, Moving Picture World, Motography, Picture Play, Photoplay, Screenland, etc, etc) and have nearly went blind - well, cross-eyed anyway.
Online searching has made digging so quick and easy and what we need are more sources and resources. I'd gladly pay for access to a run of rare movie mags; I've been doing it! (Variety, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, NYTimes, etc) But it's people like you, Bruce, the internet archive and google who give so much and not ask for a dime. We Love You! LOL Thanks so much!

Steve Rydzewski, practically penniless in Philadelphia

BRUCE!!!! So you're the person and source behind almost all of the stuff at archive.org! You are the greatest!...

Well gee, thanks, but the several dozen individual issues that I've added are only a drop in the bucket compared to what David Pierce's Media History Digital Library Project is adding.

Another amazing web source that I recently became aware of is
http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html
which has a ton of New York publications online and searchable, including the Clipper, the New York Dramatic Mirror, and many newspapers.

BRUCE!!!! So you're the person and source behind almost all of the stuff at archive.org! You are the greatest!...

Well gee, thanks, but the several dozen individual issues that I've added are only a drop in the bucket compared to what David Pierce's Media History Digital Library Project is adding.

Another amazing web source that I recently became aware of is
http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html
which has a ton of New York publications online and searchable, including the Clipper, the New York Dramatic Mirror, and many newspapers.

Bruce, how do we nominate you for sainthood?

Indeed many thanks are duly to the saintly Bruce Long, David Pierce and others for sharing silent film journals online for the benefit of all.

I'm attempting to list every silent film journal available online on the Bioscope, and I've just added Bruce's latest offerings:

http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/library/journals/

The list of American film journals now available in this way is impressive, though the greatest number of journals from the period continues to be from Italy.

To Urbanora and Bruce and David Pierce:

I've spent a small fortune on original materials over the last few years, and seeing MPW digitized was already a first step toward canonization for you . . but just this afternoon I was wondering where to get the text (in lieu of the originals) of the Florence Lawrence "autobiography" in the 1914-15 Photoplays, and I could hardly believe my eyes! Thank You!!!

...Bruce, how do we nominate you for sainthood?...

Indeed many thanks are duly to the saintly Bruce Long...

I relayed those quotes to my wife, and asked her "Did you know you were married to such a saintly person?" She replied, "If they lived with you they would know better!"

I've also used your magazines in research, Bruce - thanks to yourself, David Pierce, and everyone else who is being so generous! It may sound like hyperbole to say so, but to me, these sorts of projects really do signal a new era for film scholarship. It is literally possible to do in a day what once would have taken three months in dusty library. Everyone benefits.

I have a whole bound volume of Motion Picture Magazines from around 1911-12 that I'd love to contribute, just as soon as I find an easy way to do so ... it's about as thick as a phone book (remember those?) so it will take some time to scan them all.

I've added them to the Bioscope listing (with IA and Taylorology links):

http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/library/journals

Please do report any other online silent film journal additions or discoveries.

Hi Urbanora,
I am sending the link to the Dutch Royal Library website, where you can see two volumes full of film promotions from 1926-1928. These books are from the Asta theater in The Hague.
http://www.kb.nl/bladerboek/asta/index.xml

I'm afraid it is not easy to use when you don't speak Dutch, however, you can see there is a listing of names of actors and directors.