Softwing
Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??
WiseRatFlames
An unexpected masterpiece
ThedevilChoose
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Robert Joyner
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
He_who_lurks
What I like about this short is that the print is practically spotless; I can hardly believe the image survived in such a beautiful and pristine condition. Also the subject was interesting and despite the long length of this film I wasn't really bored. Viewers today will be like "Where's the story?" but fans of early cinema will appreciate watching the biscuit-making process from over 100 years ago. (For those who are interested, the film is included in the third volume of Kino's "The Movies Begin" set and is the only film by the directer H. G. Cricks in the whole set).
JoeytheBrit
The name Peek Frean is as familiar to most British people as Ford is to Americans. They've been making biscuits for a long time and so it is quite interesting to see the manufacturing process from over one hundred years ago. This well-produced documentary follows the process from the arrival of ingredients such as milk and flour to the washing of returned biscuits tins prior to re-use and finally on to the horse-drawn wagons carrying the biscuits through the early-morning city streets for delivery to retail outlets. Two things stand out about this film: the number of people required to produce a tin of biscuits (probably ten times the number required in these automated times) and the frank curiosity of a couple of the men working on the production line. It's probably a little overlong, but this early documentary is fascinating nonetheless. It's also in very good condition for its age.
bob the moo
Starting with the delivery of raw material and finishing with the shipping of finishing products to the point of public sale, this early British documentary is slightly interesting in the way that we get to see an industrial process from over a century ago and contrast it with today's working environment. In regards what the process is then, it is a shame that it is something as bland as biscuit manufacture because really there weren't loads of EHS things jumping out at me in the way they often do in some old footage like this. Indeed it is fair to say the whole process is pretty dull in terms of what you can see.However where the film is quite engaging is if you think around what you are watching and the challenges in getting it on film. The old building is clearly large and dark but yet it is really well lit up and filmed very clearly throughout. As such it is interesting from a historical point of view in regards the formative years of early British cinema but, outside of this, there isn't a lot for the casual viewer to be interested in.
Snow Leopard
The photography in this early documentary is pretty impressive, and it is a big reason why this short film makes a bland subject (making biscuits in a factory) seem interesting enough to watch. As with so many films that are this old, it's also interesting to see how they approach a subject without having any standard pattern to follow.Just the fact that they were able to take such clear, well-chosen pictures inside a building not designed for the purpose is noteworthy - it must have been a big job just to get the proper lighting and equipment set up. The photography itself would be very good in any event - most of the shots are set up very nicely, and there is also plenty of panning as it follows the work in progress.For the most part, the film simply follows the process of making biscuits, without too many surprises, and it is noticeable that most of the workers just carry on normally, almost as if there were no camera. The filming does catch a couple of unexpected developments, and from time to time you can also see one of the workers who is particularly curious about the unfamiliar camera. One man, in particular, seems almost mesmerized, and has a rather goofy look on his face. It makes an interesting comparison with the ways that most persons normally react to cameras in our own experience. Overall, this seemingly bland-looking feature is worth watching for a number of reasons.