Multimedia Review

More Treasures from American Film Archives, 1894–1931. 3–DVD boxed set includes fifty films, including Dickson Experimental Sound Film (ca. 1894, 15 sec.), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910, 13 min.), Clash of the Wolves (1925, 74 min.), and Lady Windermere’s Fan (1925, 89 min.). Also contains six trailers, newly recorded music, extensive audio commentary, and a 200–page illustrated book. 2004. National Film Preservation Foundation / Image Entertainment (573 minutes; Picture Format 1.33:1, Sound 2.0; Region All).

Times have changed in media studies. Not so long ago, even if one could track down a copy of a film for classroom use or for personal research, it often cost a fortune or ended up being a poor reproduction. The current completist craze with DVDs has thus been a boon not just for fans of popular media but also for historians, who now have access to entire seasons of sit-coms, collections of commercials, and B-movie compilations, in addition to the most recent studio blockbusters. Better yet, many DVD companies have made a point of adding “extras”—alternate soundtracks, stills, lost footage, trailers, and commentary by everyone from the director to the set designer to the world’s expert on whatever it is you are watching.