The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi All,
Being fairly new to this hobby I have noted that in the past several of you have shown pictures of machines from movies and wondered if any of you have seen the above movie which was done in 2000. Staring Adrian Quinn it was a movie that was about the recording of Irish/English ballads and while the songs were amazing thsi movie showcased more Edison machines than I have ever seen in a movie before. If many of you have not seen it I can offer more details and an interesting twist about the movie.
Abe

Yes, I have seen it. It is based upon the life of anthropologist Frances Densmore. It is a fine movie but I don't like the lead's acting, but that is neither here nor there. At any rate, the book A Spiral Way: How the Phonograph Changed Ethnography by Erika Brady (http://www.upress.state.ms.us/books/693) is quite interesting and talks at length about Densmore. Brady, by the way, is the wife of Nolan Porterfield who is Jimmie Rodger's biographer.

Here is a photo of Frances Densmore recording Mountain Chief with an Edison 'Opera' fitted with a recording attachment.

Hi John,
Thx for the reply and the additional information. The twist in this movie is that while the Edison cylinder players, cylinders and other equipment play an important role in it-they were never used. According to additional information on the DVD and a bit of research they tried to get a machine and recording equipment to the homes of the singers but it was so rough and roads did not really exist in the area that they gave up. In the movie they are trying to haul a unit up to a home and the young man pushed it down the hill. From what I found out 3 units were lost trying to get it them into use.

By the way the picture is a great one-is it in the book?

And for those who have not seen this movie, acting aside it really does show off these units.

Abe

I noticed the full movie is currently available on YouTube, in eleven parts:

http://www.youtube.com/user/myraharym#g ... A5226D38A9

I wonder how long it will stay on youtube?
I bought the DVD about 2 yrs ago in an import shop for $2. Money well spent

There were a lot of them running around with their phonographs at that time. Bela Bartok used a cylinder machine in Hungary and Marius Barbeau used one here in rural Quebec and I think Percy Grainger and Ralph Vaughan Williams made a recordings in rural England. And finally Geoffrey O'Hara did some as well in the American southwest. Here's a pic. I think the equipment was supplied by Edison and I THINK they sent an engineer as well. Don't quote me.


Jim

JohnM wrote:Here is a photo of Frances Densmore recording Mountain Chief with an Edison 'Opera' fitted with a recording attachment.

A very rare School machine, actually.