Purely Joyful Movie!

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

In the Grip of the Blizzard (1899)A lot of times people question why I watch such early films. There's no doubt that a lot of them aren't really ground-breaking or show anything of great importance but I always argue that it's terrific getting to see how things were over a hundred years ago. This film is the perfect example of that because you get to see New York City as it was in 1899 and you also get to witness a snowstorm, although I'd fall short of calling it a blizzard. We get some terrific footage of the snow-covered streets and we also get to see several horse carriages and trolley cars. Another benefit of watching films from this era is that you get an authentic view of the types of clothes people were wearing. This here certainly has a lot of good visuals.

Films around the turn of the century were, by and large, dull little things--very short, EXTREMELY mundane and lacking technical prowess. In fact, I wouldn't even bother reviewing most of them because they are so short and uninteresting. However, this one stands out for several reasons. First, it shows New York City (around 14th and Broadway) in one of the earliest film records of the town. Second, you get to see how people lived--the trolleys (which were electric), horse-drawn carts, pedestrians and police--all coping with the snow. It's all very interesting--seeing how things have changed. However, the third reason to admire the film is something most will miss. In 1899, films were STATIONARY. Movement was almost unheard of by the cameramen and as a result the films were very confined. Here, however, the camera moves--creating a panorama shot. It might just be the earliest example you'll see of this and you have to admire the film for being so innovative. My very high score of 9 is relative to other films of the day...so take this in consideration and don't assume I'm insane for rating such a simple little film so highly.

The snow falls and the camera pans counter-clockwise in Manhattan's Union Square in this interesting short film, preserved on the Image Entertainment DVD: "Unseen Cinema Vol. 5", a tribute to NYC.The value of these primitive and brief films from the first decade of the art form is capturing historical scenes still of interest over a century later. The movie company's offices were located on Union Square, and here's a chance to see an entirely different look than most people now alive can remember: horse-drawn carriages and trolleys traveling along the snowscape above 14th St.A worthwhile example from a previous era.