The Land Beyond the Sunset

Art combines with messaging in cinema's first nonprofit promotional film, October 1912's "The Land Beyond Sunset." The short movie, sponsored by the still active non-profit organization The Fresh Air Fund, encourages poor city children to make an effort to visit the outdoors. The ending is absolutely stunning.

Edison Studios took on the task of creating a story--script written by Dorothy Shore--of convincing people, especially children, to escape the confining tenements of the big cities and journey into the countryside. An abused boy constantly being beaten by his drunken grandmother, takes up the offer to go on a children's trip to a countryside lake. The excursion proves to be such an eyeopener and refreshing that he's hesitant to return to his nightmarish home environment.

This first ever promotional movie was eventful and convincing to those in the audience. Yet the film, directed by Harold Shaw, is so beautifully done that it set the template of how to produce a persuasive message on film by an organization who wants to improve the lives of those in destitute.

This little film has a powerful, haunting final scene that gives me a chill, not only when I watch it, but when I think about it. An unusual film for 1912, particularly the ambiguity, the lack of a comforting ending. Reminiscent of the final scene in Hitchcock's The Birds — the uneasy ambiguity, of being on edge, of having the viewer fill in the finale. I am reluctant to write more, as I follow the view of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, who said he refrained from producing more written works, because it was an "unnecessary stain on the silence." This is a short film that should be paid respect with an equally short review.

This thoughtful, memorable drama is the kind of movie that sticks with you after it is over, and it provides some thoughtful, sensitive commentary on problems that are, unfortunately, still all too present in our society. It is also one of the best Edison Company films of the 1910s, and while they did make a fair number of entertaining movies during this time, "The Land Beyond the Sunset" stands out in addressing a sensitive subject without resorting to easy answers.

The story focuses on Joe, a young newsboy living in a squalid situation, who one day has the opportunity for a pleasant outing in the country, courtesy of the Fresh Air Fund. The story is simple, but it portrays the characters quite realistically. For a time, you expect to see an upbeat if pat resolution of Joe's struggles, but the finale is much better than that. Another reviewer here has very aptly described its "haunting ambiguity", because indeed it rejects all easy answers, leaving the viewer challenged to think for himself or herself.

There are also a couple of fine moments on the technical side. The one that stands out most of all is the crucial scene when the children on the outing are listening to the fairy tale told them by their well-meaning hosts. The composition is excellent, catching the detail in the foreground with a partial glimpse of the expanse of water in the background, fitting in nicely with the content of the story and the situation. Then there is added a double exposure shot that communicates exactly what Joe is thinking, nicely setting up the finale.

It all works very well, and is well worth taking the time to watch if you have any interest in silent dramas.

A young impoverished boy wins the opportunity to spend a pleasant day out in the countryside. The under privileged children are told a fairy tale and this transforms the young lad. He imagines a land beyond the sunset. The film ends on a poetic enigmatic note.

The film is an unusual combination of social drama and otherworldly fantasy. It has to be said that these two seemingly opposing genres are combined here quite beautifully. There is definitely a social conscience here. The squalor of the city slums is compared to the country and it's clear that the film implies the latter is much better and purer. The fairy tale sequence itself is very nice, helped a great deal by the lilting Irish music accompanied by it in the version I saw and fitted with the images perfectly. The ending itself is somewhat ambiguous and open to different interpretations but this is one of the very reasons it is so effective and why this old film still feels so fresh.

You can see this and other terrific rare and vintage movies on THE TREASURES FROM AMERICAN FILM ARCHIVES DVD. I highly recommend this 4 DVD set. The short film itself is a sad tale of a poor street urchin who takes fairy tales too seriously.