Consider what follows a natural compliment to The Archive: as a means of navigating their vast database, the Media History Digital Library have created Lantern, a search engine that will, almost immediately, provide decades’-worth of film journal material — much coming from the first half of the 20th century — be it the content of current mainstays (The Hollywood Reporter, Variety) or long-defunct resources (Moving Picture World, Photoplay). A virtual library packed with material, some more than 100 hundred years old, that had been under many an aficionado’s nose for years. [IndieWIRE]
While a good deal of information and, even, sources of entertainment can be scoured in this digital archive — when looking at a 1916 issue of Variety, I was able to do some quick reading about Griffith‘s early screening of Intolerance, along with some buzz surrounding that “big picture” of his — the academic resources it’s to provide could prove incalculable. We’re not only looking at mountains of text, here, but photographic resources coupled alongside international perspectives on cinema, all the way from the medium’s first days. It’s been available for years, but, now, is easier than ever to plumb; yours truly is hopeful that a new, accessible system might encourage the Digital Library to expand in months and years to come.
One can begin reading on the official site.
What do you think of Lantern? Could any personal use be made of the library and its search tactics?