Bill Morrison's films straddle film history and avant-garde expressionism, mining the wealth of silent film history while exploring the abstract beauty of decaying nitrate film—a particularly volatile medium that breaks down over time. Dawson City: Frozen Time celebrates the "Dawson Film Find" of 1978, which uncovered thousands of reels of film buried in the permafrost, and it also tells the history of the titular Yukon town founded during the 1890s Gold Rush. Dawson City was the end of the line for some 500-plus silent films out of distribution—considered worthless to the studios—which were stored and finally buried in an old swimming pool. The film features no narration and only a few interviews; instead, the story is told almost entirely through archival photos and film clips (both dramatic fiction and newsreel/home movie) with the briefest of explanatory captions on the screen accompanied by an atmospheric musical soundtrack. Along with unexpected connections to film history (the entrepreneurs behind the Pantages theatre chain and Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood got their start in Dawson City), this work celebrates the power of cinema as a time capsule and features numerous clips from films recovered in Dawson (every one duly identified) that help tell the story of the city and illustrate the wonders of the world that films brought to citizens in the 1910s and ‘20s (including rare footage of the infamous 1919 World Series). Extras include original Dawson City film reels, an interview with Morrison, a postscript to the film, and a booklet with essays by author Lawrence Weschler. A compelling production that serves up a slice of 20th-century film history, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Axmaker)
Dawson City: Frozen Time
(2016) 120 min. DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $34.95 ($349 w/PPR from www.kinolorberedu.com). DRA. Kino Lorber (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 1
Dawson City: Frozen Time
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