DVD Review: Kidnapped in New York (1915) and other short films

This collection of silent shorts is another from the personal library of archivist John Carpenter, who provides his own 16mm prints to Alpha Video for release. John’s intention is to keep these elements of film history preserved and accessible. This particular disc is important because it contains offbeat, interesting films that are not part of other compilations.

The main entry is Kidnapped in New York, directed by one of cinema’s true pioneers, J. Stuart Blackton. As early as the first decade of the 20th century, Blackton was using cinema to recreate such classic literature as Richard III and Julius Caesar, historical subjects like Barbara Fritchie and Napoleon, and everything from documentaries to comedies, to melodramas.

Blackton’s approach for Kidnapped in New York is fascinating in that he opens with a separate introduction -- a series of relaxed establishing shots, showing New York landmarks from Wall Street to The Statue of Liberty; something that was fascinating to moviegoers in the Midwest who had no other opportunities to observe such sights. Then the titles for the narrative come on and we see the story of a rich man’s daughter being kidnapped and a shrewd detective solving the case – the basis for many of movie mystery for decades to come.

Baby Marie Osborne, in only her second film, plays the child. She would emerge as a noted child star in a few short years, and remain doing bit parts in movies as late as 1950, after which she became a costumer. She lived until 2010, dying just days after her 99th birthday. It is fascinating to see such of an early film in her career.

Kidnapped in New York is the longest film on the disc, running about four reels, and is appropriately the headliner.

The other short films on this set are just as interesting. The Thieving Hand is another Blackton film, dating back to 1908. This outrageous comedy features actor Paul Panzer as a one armed beggar who is given an artificial limb by a wealthy man whom he helped out. The limb comes to life and has a power of its own, from flailing to pickpocketing. For being such of an early film, the fantasy element here is impressive, and Panzer’s performance, having to control his own arm as if it is a separate limb under its own control is quite impressive. A fun Vitagraph comedy from early cinema.

The Keystone comedy Court House Crooks features the always funny Ford Sterling as a district attorney who finds a locket and decides to give it to a girl he’s trying to impress. Turns out the girl is the wife of a judge, and the locket had been purchased by the judge for his wife, but subsequently lost. More situational and less slapstick than a lot of Keystones from this period, the film benefits greatly from Ford Sterling’s hilariously over-the-top reactions and a supporting cast that includes Minta Durfee and an uncredited Harold Lloyd in a very early role.

Finally, in line with the main film on the disc, Kidding The Kidnapper is a comedy about a child from a wealthy family who has been kidnapped, and ends up in the care of unwitting bumbler Milburn Morante. Kidding the Kidnapper is a reissue title, and I can’t find any info as to what the original title is. The picture quality on this item is remarkably good.

Another fine Alpha release from the John Carpenter collection, the disc can be purchased at this link: Kidnapped in NY