..........little gems from Hollywood's store rooms the forgotten .
IT NEVER CEASES to amaze us how so much great cinematic art seems to be locked away, forgotten or just plain discarded. Rather than being a part of the mainstream output of features, the short subjects field, although intended to be a sort of bonus and throw in for the studios' product, have in their own right left us with a wealth of on screen gems of their own.
WE DRAW YOUR attention to this case in point, GIVE ME LIBERTY (Warner Brothers/Vitaphone, 1936. With its viewing, we are treated to a sort of mini-masterpiece that easily succeeds on several levels. It is an historical novelette; which tells in depth a story which we are all familiar from our own American Revolution. The title is derived from Virginia Patriot, Patrick Henry's most famous quotation; being the first half of: "Give me Liberty or Give me Death !"
THE PRODUCTION TEAM goes into great lengths in making such historical moments as the meeting held while the Virginia House of Burgesses debated its continued relationship with the Crown. Director, B. Reeves Eason, gives us living scenes that may well be the celluloid counterpart to the finest oil painting representations around. In doing so, the production team and he were able to deliver 1936 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Color).
BUT THERE IS one point that we must emphasize is the underrated, though nonetheless, fine acting that is displayed (in this short in particular). And it is the virtuoso performance of John Litel (as Patrick Henry) that has the center stage spotlight.
AS IS COMMON knowledge, every film buff knows of the work of Mr. Litel. He is an ever present force in so many features, giving credence to whatever is the role of the day. This makes him undeniably forever numbered among those players classified as "supporting" or "character" actors.
WELL, THE PERFORMANCE by Mr. John Litel, here in GIVE ME LIBERTY, provides we, the viewers, with solid evidence of the outstanding talents possessed by so many in the movies, who rarely get opportunity to display same.
STRICTLY AS A suggestion from the standpoint of a non-professional, maybe some Hollywood bright boy could come up with puting a whole collection of these Historical Shorts together; making them available for tools of educational supplementation. They generally hold up very well and, being basically "Period Pieces", there is no danger of any fashions displayed going out of style.
IT NEVER CEASES to amaze us how so much great cinematic art seems to be locked away, forgotten or just plain discarded. Rather than being a part of the mainstream output of features, the short subjects field, although intended to be a sort of bonus and throw in for the studios' product, have in their own right left us with a wealth of on screen gems of their own.
WE DRAW YOUR attention to this case in point, GIVE ME LIBERTY (Warner Brothers/Vitaphone, 1936. With its viewing, we are treated to a sort of mini-masterpiece that easily succeeds on several levels. It is an historical novelette; which tells in depth a story which we are all familiar from our own American Revolution. The title is derived from Virginia Patriot, Patrick Henry's most famous quotation; being the first half of: "Give me Liberty or Give me Death !"
THE PRODUCTION TEAM goes into great lengths in making such historical moments as the meeting held while the Virginia House of Burgesses debated its continued relationship with the Crown. Director, B. Reeves Eason, gives us living scenes that may well be the celluloid counterpart to the finest oil painting representations around. In doing so, the production team and he were able to deliver 1936 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Color).
BUT THERE IS one point that we must emphasize is the underrated, though nonetheless, fine acting that is displayed (in this short in particular). And it is the virtuoso performance of John Litel (as Patrick Henry) that has the center stage spotlight.
AS IS COMMON knowledge, every film buff knows of the work of Mr. Litel. He is an ever present force in so many features, giving credence to whatever is the role of the day. This makes him undeniably forever numbered among those players classified as "supporting" or "character" actors.
WELL, THE PERFORMANCE by Mr. John Litel, here in GIVE ME LIBERTY, provides we, the viewers, with solid evidence of the outstanding talents possessed by so many in the movies, who rarely get opportunity to display same.
STRICTLY AS A suggestion from the standpoint of a non-professional, maybe some Hollywood bright boy could come up with puting a whole collection of these Historical Shorts together; making them available for tools of educational supplementation. They generally hold up very well and, being basically "Period Pieces", there is no danger of any fashions displayed going out of style.