But that's a horn well worth tooting--THE MOVIES BEGIN set is essential 
for any basic Film Studies collection, as is the EDISON: THE INVENTION 
OF THE MOVIES set that Jessica Rosner mentions.

In case you're all interested, I've created a web page on "Early Cinema 
on DVD" for the library here at Emory University:

http://musicmedia.library.emory.edu/research/early_cinema.html

It has listings for other DVD and VHS titles as well.

Best regards,
James Steffen

Quoting Jessica Rosner <[log in to unmask]>:

> Um I hate to toot my ( or rather my company's) own horn but the single best
> compilation of early films is Kino's Five volume DVD set
> THE MOVIES BEGIN. It has Melies, Lumiere, Edison, Porter, Griffith, etc
> 2 Volumes are from material from the BFI and 3 from film
> historian/preservationist David Shepard. As it was an "early" DVD release
> straight from the previous VSH no real extra's though there are few narrated
> Docs from the BBC on it. Here is the link to the info
>
> http://www.kino.com/video/item.php?product_id=694
>
> We also have a terrific VERY elaborate 4 volume set of Edison films
> Done with MOMA  & LOC material. Alas our great Lumiere DVD is out of print
>
>
>
>
> On 9/13/06 8:17 AM, "Jeff Evans" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> My department is slowly replacing films on VHS cassettes w/ those
>> on DVD.We're looking for suggestions for anthologies of early film
>> that would conveniently include the likes of the Lumieres, Edison,
>> Melies, Porter, etc. (I remember seeing a long time ago a
>> wonderfully self-conscious Melies' short called, I think, "The Magic
>> Box.")
>>
>> Any suggestions on or offline will be appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Jeff Evans
>> University of Maine
>>
>>
>>
>> ----
>> Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
>> http://www.ScreenSite.org
>
>
>
> Proud Resident of a BLUE STATE
>
> Jessica Rosner
> Kino International
> 333 W 39th St. 503
> NY NY 10018
> [log in to unmask]
> 212-629-6880
>
> ----
> Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
> http://www.ScreenSite.org
>



-- 
James M. Steffen
Film Studies and Media Librarian
Theater Studies Subject Liaison
Marian K. Heilbrun Music and Media Library
Emory University
540 Asbury Circle
Atlanta, GA 30322-2870

Phone: (404) 727-8107
FAX: (404) 727-2257
Email: [log in to unmask]

----
Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.ScreenSite.org