Oz University(1936)

Dante's Inferno(xx)

A two-reel adaptation of Dante Alighieri's Inferno from the Divine Comedy by Helios Film. It is less well-known than the five-reel feature produced the same year by Milano Films, but it was released earlier in 1911.

Maple Leaf Viewing(ja)

A reel of the Noh drama Momiji-gari, in which Danjuro Ichikawa played opposite Onoe Kikugoro V as an ogress who has disguised herself as the Princess Sarashina. Filmed by Shibata Tsunekichi in the open air on a windy day in November 1899, Danjuro would allow only the one take, so that when his fan blew away in mid-performance the scene had to stay. The film re-emerged at the Kikikan theatre in 1907 where it was a great success and inspired a wave of fiction filmmaking based on traditional Japanese narratives.

Dorothy and the Scarecrow in Oz(en)

Dorothy and the Scarecrow are now in the Emerald City. They have become friendly with the Wizard, and together with the woodman, the cowardly lion, and several new creations equally delightful, they journey through Oz -- the earthquake -- and into the glass city. The Scarecrow is elated to think he is going to get his brains at last and be like other men are; the Tin-Woodman is bent upon getting a heart, and the cowardly lion pleads with the great Oz for courage. All these are granted by his Highness. Dorothy picks the princess. -- The Dangerous Mangaboos. -- Into the black pit, and out again. We then see Jim, the cab horse, and myriads of pleasant surprises that hold and fascinate.

John Dough and the Cherub(en)

John Dough gives his assistance in the celebration of the Fourth. No end of trouble results from the invasion of his peaceful rest by the much-despised Miffkits. Then comes the cherub, who introduces Dough to his animal friends, incidentally secures supplies. He then visits the fairies' garden and later interviews the Princess Ozma, who makes a prophecy: "The throne of Lo-Hi shall vacant be until the coming by air or sea of an oven baked man and a Cherub wee." Accordingly John Dough drops into the Land of Oz and meets the Cherub.

That Girl in Wonderland(en)

Anne Marie imagines herself in the stories "Alice in Wonderland," "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," "Hansel and Gretel," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Cinderella".

The Enchanted Spectacles(fr)

A parlor full of bon vivants pass around an enchanted pair of spectacles that “reveal the personality and pleasures of the one who wears them.”

Japanese Fantasy(fr)

This subject presents a remarkably clever series of illusions in which a Japanese lantern, several dolls, chickens, mice and grasshoppers play a very prominent part.

Modern Education(fr)

The great men of letters and military conquest pose on subsequent pages of a very special history book.

The Master of a Fashionable Game(fr)

The film presents a drawing room meeting of enthusiastic puzzle workers. One gentleman has a new way of solving his puzzle. He puts a handkerchief over the game and immediately the picture is made. Under the handkerchief, we see how, piece by piece, it is put into one finished picture. His success makes him an object of envy, however, and the gentleman meets with considerable trouble before the party is over. (Moving Picture World)

The Fantasies of Agénor Maltracé(fr)

Simple line drawings undergoing the usual transformations so beloved of French filmmaker Emile Cohl.

The Return of Peter Grimm(en)

"Old Peter Grimm makes his ward Katie promise to marry his nephew Frederik [ sic ] and then dies. Frederik proves to be a scapegrace and Peter's spirit returns to right matters and finally succeeds in doing so by communicating with Jimmie who is in a delirium." ( Moving Picture World, 20 Nov 1926, p164.) Peter thus thwarts selfishness and greed and rewards virtue.

Diabolical Physics(fr)

The devil performs his magical powers.

Baby Fisherman(fr)

Brains Repaired(fr)

Depicts a doctor looking into his patient's brain and seeing a collection of hideous and grotesque figures.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland(en)

Made by the Edison Manufacturing Company and directed by Edwin S. Porter, the film starred Gladys Hulette as Alice. Being a silent film, naturally all of Lewis Carroll's nonsensical prose could not be used, and, being only a one-reel picture, most of Carroll's memorable characters in his original 1865 novel similarly could not be included. What was used in the film was faithful in spirit to Carroll, and in design to the original John Tenniel illustrations. Variety complimented the picture by comparing it favorably to the "foreign" film fantasies then flooding American cinemas.

Return to the Emerald City(ru)

Inspired by the classic books by L. Frank Baum and Alexander Volkov

The Troubadour(fr)

On an elaborately decorated stage, the titular troubadour of the title bows. He then proceeds to pull several cards out of mid air and arrange them on the floor. Then, taking a banjo he multiplies himself into seven different troubadours, each playing a different musical instrument. A moment later, they all vanish and we are left with the troubadour who we were first introduced to at the beginning of the film. He explodes in a puff of smoke, and an enormous fan appears and unfolds. On it appears a vision of a castle tower with a maiden in it, and the troubadour outside the tower window, talking to her. The vision dissolves, and the troubadour bows, thus ending his performance.

The Hallucinated Alchemist(fr)

The Flicker Alley DVD "Georges Méliès: Encore New Discoveries (1896-1911)" misidentified a partial hand-colored print of the 1906 film "Alchimiste Parafaragaramus ou La cornue infernale" (The Mysterious Retort) as this film, "L'hallucination de l'alchimiste" (An Hallucinated Alchemist) from 1897, which continues to be considered a lost film.

Earthbound(en)

When Jim Rittenshaw learns that his friend Richard Desborough is having an affair with Jim's wife Daisy, Jim kills Richard. The murdered man's ghost then takes up residence and attempts to positively influence the lives of those he had wronged.

Feet of Clay(en)

Kerry Harlan (La Rocque) is unable to work because he was injured in a battle with a shark, so his youthful wife Amy (Reynolds) becomes a fashion model. While she is away from home, Bertha, the wife of his surgeon, is trying to force her attentions on Kerry and is accidentally killed in an attempt to evade her husband. After the scandal Amy is courted by Tony Channing, but she returns to her husband and finds him near death from gas fumes. Because they both attempted to make suicide, their spirits are rejected by "the other side," and learning the truth from Bertha's spirit they fight their way back to life. This film is presumed lost.