Author Archive: Retro

Since Zoya Verenskaya’s husband passed away ten years ago, she has been devoted to her daughter Lee. At present, Lee is in poor health, and she is in danger of losing her eyesight. Zoya’s suitor Dmitry wants to get married, but Zoya is determined to wait until Lee is better. Then, on a vacation in the Crimea, they learn Lee’s true feelings for Dmitry, and suddenly all of their lives are thrown into turmoil.

Comedy about a film crew shooting a movie about guns and robbers, when real robbers turn up. Having to go home in robbers costume, they are mistakingly accused. In the end the real robbers are brought to justice.

A fairy brings two dolls to life, part of a short lived stop-motion puppet series

A young woman’s peaceful existence is shattered when she is abducted by the crew of a boat of smugglers, who then also turn against their captain.

A mild-mannered, well-meaning but bumbling janitor gets unwittingly involved in a battle between two opposing political groups, with each side trying to use him to destroy the other, and the secret police–who have already thrown him out of their office when he worked there–watching all of them.

Two Japanese artists having drawn a silk worm on a screen, the animal takes life and starts spinning its cocoon and is soon hidden in its silken prison. The cocoon being now fully in view, it suddenly splits open and a beautiful butterfly takes its flight. After having fluttered for a while the magnificent insect comes back to earth and then undergoes a number of changes, presenting to the astonished eye of the spectator the most glorious display of colors, which blend from the darkest shades into the most delicate hues. This marvelous color dream over the butterfly transforms itself once more and a charming young woman makes one soon forget the beauties of the previous wonder by eclipsing it with a most graceful and fascinating Loie Fuller dance. This feat at an end the woman disappears as by enchantment, and the last scene shows a thousand butterflies rising towards heaven.

This short 1915 Edison films stars Frank McGlynn as the famous president from his marriage to assassination by Booth.