world of video

I don't know about you, but I've noticed the demise of a lot of movie rental shops in recent times. I can only guess it's the combined impact of Netflix, Redbox and other internet streaming tools that have made it difficult for these shops to survive, especially in this economy. So a few weeks ago, I was all in the mood to watch a movie and I didn't have anything in from Netflix that I hadn't watched and the nearest Redbox was a half a mile away (that's far when you live in Manhattan) and I thought— maybe, just maybe, there's actually a movie rental shop in my neighborhood. I Googled it and found a super shop called World of Video. (It's such a straightforward title that it sounds ironic and hipster.)

via Total Film Gallery

via Listal

World of Video is located a convenient 5-minute walk from my front door (awesome) and boasts more than 30,000 titles (wow), including a collection of silent films. Because of the vastness of the collection, it's a natural place to go when you're looking for something obscure, which, in fact, I was. I was looking for one of my absolute favorite movies, The Out-of-Towners remake from 1999 with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. For some reason, this movie seems to be so difficult to find. Netflix doesn't even have it in stock! (Say wha?!) I walked in, and the friendly staff at World of Video pulled it off the shelf within seconds. Admittedly, they did rib me when I said it was one of my favorites and asked me if I've seen the original. (I'll be honest, I haven't.) The guys behind the counter are serious movie watchers. There is a poster for each staff member on the front of the counter that has their names and their top 10 favorite movies. They recommend titles and I hear they have specialties. (Here's an article about the store.)

The only problem is that it's pricey— $5 for a one-night rental. You can buy an annual membership (first year, just less than $22) that comes with a few free rentals and then rentals are $4.75. Or you can buy rentals in bulk for cheaper. Even at these prices, it doesn't feel like a rip-off, since they are a specialty shop in a business that's changing, and they're paying West Village rent.

All in all, 4 stars. Enjoy :)

photo by Shanti Knight, Los Angeles, California, August 2007

105-year-old movie clip

105 years ago in San Francisco, somebody had the foresight to attach a video camera containing some of the first 35mm film ever to the front of a cable car. The most conspicuous landmark in this video is the clock tower, which is still there today, at the end of Market Street at the Embarcadero wharf.


I got this in a chain email, the author of which revealed more details of this piece of history. David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum read New York trade papers' announcing of the film showing. He researched car registrations and plate numbers. He also observed the weather conditions seen in the video (wet streets from recent heavy rainfall) and shadows indicating time of year, then compared these to weather records from the time period. From all of this, he concluded this was shot on April 14, 1906— just four days prior to the Great San Francisco Earthquake. It was shipped to New York via train to be processed.


For me, seeing something like this and truly appreciating it can be a bit of a challenge. Our movie industry is so awesome, it makes me almost desensitized to seeing this actual footage and realizing that these are actual people, not actors, and these were actually their lives. For me, the trick is letting go of everything I think I know and just letting myself sink in and really see this. These are people, like you and me, just dodging streetcars and horse-pulled wagons and going to work. Except that at work, there were no computers. And Teddy Roosevelt was the President. The Titanic hadn't even sunk yet!


I'm struck by how few women are on the street. There are women, but in proportion to the men— quite few. The author of the email noted that at the 33-second mark, a policeman crosses in front of the cable car. He's carrying a truncheon, which apparently was a 26-inch club. I kind of like the way he carries it so casually. The author also astutely observed that some of the steering wheels on the cars are still on the right side and wondered about when they were standardized. (According to this answer from the Antique Automobile Club of America, it was around the early 1920s, though, of course, it's still technically legal today.)


And just so it doesn't go unsaid— awesome music choice, am I right? It almost feels like a Luke Wilson movie. That's just the vibe. But the beat of the music seems to jive perfectly with the pace of the street.