Wednesday, July 31, 2024

NFR Project: 'From Stump to Ship' (1930)


From Stump to Ship

Dir: Alfred K. Ames, Howard Kane

Scr: N/A

Pho: N/A

Ed: N/A

Premiere: 1930

30 min.

 This is an early and amateur industrial film. Industrial films highlight the activities of various businesses or sectors of the economy, usually in a promotional mode.

In this case, the owner of a lumber company in Maine, Alfred Ames, decided to document the process of harvesting lumber. This he did with a trusty 16-millimeter camera and the assistance of another film buff, Dr. Howard Kane.

The result is a fairly interesting silent documentary that preserves the lost art of lumberjacking in the pre-technological era. More recent prints of the film have an added soundtrack and a recording of the original narration that Ames used to recite when he showed the movie.

The NFR is one writer’s attempt to review all the films listed in the National Film Registry in chronological order. Next time: The Kidnappers Foil.

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