$89.99
As if to prove there's nothing new on the screen, this third collection of early shorts and features — kept in the vaults of U.S. archives, presented by the National Film Preservation Foundation and distributed by Image Entertainment — bulges with big angry issues. For starters: immigration, abortion, atheism, organized crime, Native American rights, women's rights and the treatment of wounded veterans. If there was a debate that could start a fight, the first moviemakers were instantly ready to dramatize and exploit it. You'll find Cecil B. De Mille spectacle, cliff-hanging serials, cartoons, documentaries and newsreels — all fascinating to anyone who cares about, not just old movies, but how Americans 80 to a hundred years ago faced the problems that still vex our society.
— Richard Corliss