British newsreel cameraman Jack Cotter, working for Pathé Gazette in 1922
I need to do a little more to separate news pieces from background, more discursive pieces, and so I’m going to introduce The Bioscope Newsreel. This will be a gathering of news alerts on silent cinema, with links to further information, released at what will no doubt be irregular intervals. Nevertheless, just like the newsreels (which were of course an invention of the silent cinema), each release will be numbered, there will be an average five stories per reel, and each story will have a mildly jokey title. So here goes with issue number 1…
Filming the father of Indian film
A feature film is to be made of the life of Dadasaheb Phalke, who made Raja Harishchandra, the first Indian fiction film, based on Hindu mythology, in 1913. Learn more.
Read all about it
The bi-monthly PDF magazine on silent cinema, The Silent Treatment, is now available online, with back issues for 2007. Learn more.
Hard times
Flicker Alley is to release a DVD of the important American social dramas Traffic in Souls (1913) and The Italian (1915) in July 2008, under the title ‘Hardships of the New Land’. Learn more.
More from the alley
Flicker Alley is busy at the moment, because also promised in September 2008 is its DVD release of Abel Gance’s pacifist classic J’Accuse (1919) and a Douglas Fairbanks boxed set in November 2008. Learn more.
Repatriation
A collection of American newsreels, documentaries, trailers and promotional films, dating 1912-1927, is being repatriated from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia to American film archives. Learn more.
‘Til next time!
The Bioscope 
Hi I was very pleased to read your story on the Bioscope and also the photo of Jack Cotter My Dads Brother ,my uncle I have never sean this photo before Thank you Rgards James C otter….end
Hi James,
How interesting to hear from you. The photograph of Jack Cotter is a frame still from a 1922 newsreel made by Topical Budget (who employed Cotter during the 1920s) showing him when he was working for Pathe Gazette (the film feattures a newsreel cameramen’s race – details ere: http://public.bufvc.ac.uk/BUND/detail.php?&id=2709&&story_id=128664).
Regards
Luke
Hi Luke have just noted your reply sorry for delay to answer ,very pleased that you responded to my email.what part of the world are you in. I live in Kent England. How can i veiw the ‘men who film the world for you’ from 1922. I also had another uncle Terry Cotter who worked for pathe news back then he was a sound man do you know anything about him.Regards Jimmy Cotter………end.
I’ll answer by email.
Luke
Hi Luke its me again I see there is a film (clip)called Men who film the world for you.would my uncle Jack Cotter be in this and is it available to buy,I have been serching for John Cotter ,Jacks son tracked him down to somerset he had passed on 11 years ago,He worked for ITN in the 50s and 60s as a film manager and used to drive there car in the Monte Carlo Rally for at least 4 years without success .Regards James Cotter……….
Men Who Film the World for You is streamed from the BFI’s Screenonline site, here: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/754449/index.html. However, it can only be seen in UK libraries, universities and colleges which are signed up to Screenonline.