Cinema’s First Nasty Women Blu-Ray Review – An Essential Collection Of Forgotten Silent Films

This four-disc set showcase more than fourteen hours of rarely-seen silent films about feminist protest, slapstick rebellion, and suggestive gender play. These women organize labor strikes, bake (and weaponize) inedible desserts, explode out of chimneys, electrocute the police force, and assume a range of identities that gleefully dismantle traditional gender norms and sexual constraints. The films span a variety of genres including slapstick comedy, genteel farce, the trick film, cowboy melodrama, and adventure thriller. Cinema’s First Nasty Women includes 99 European and American silent films, produced from 1898 to 1926, sourced from thirteen international film archives and libraries, with all-new musical scores, video introductions, commentary tracks, and a lavishly illustrated booklet. Curated by Maggie Hennefeld, Laura Horak, and Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi, and produced for video by Bret Wood, Cinema’s First Nasty Women is a partnership of Kino Lorber, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, Women Film Pioneers Project, Eye Filmmuseum, FIC-Silente, and Carleton University.

For thoughts on Cinema’s First Nasty Women, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/EZXKpYBBKKY?t=3990]

Video Quality

Cinema’s First Nasty Women comes to Blu-Ray thanks to Kino Classics with four discs of rarely-seen silent films through collaborations with Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, Women Film Pioneers Project, Eye Filmmuseum, FIC-Silente, and Carleton University. With a set as expansive as this one, it is difficult to list the exact source and quality of each of the 99 silent films provided, but each source seems to be in the best shape possible for work that is over 100 years old. If you do not go in expecting the detail and clarity of a modern production, you should be blown aways by this wonderful presentation. 

These transfers show off a great amount of depth and some tangible detail within the film’s composition. Black levels present with some acceptable depth with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The color-tinted films shine in high definition just as brightly as the black-and-white material, all with natural grain intact. These transfers do allow for some textures on the clothing and within the setting. The contrast is mostly well defined, but the transfer experiences a fair amount of flicker and moments of damage to the print. There are stray vertical lines that make quick appearances without ruining the overall aesthetic of the film. Kino Classics has taken on the herculean task of presenting this wide-range of material to film fans in the strongest way possible, and their efforts should be praised. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents these films with numerous different LPCM 2.0 tracks that sound pretty wonderful. As music supervisor Dana Reason explains in her opening introduction about the music on this set, there have been an array of different musical scores created here, multiple different ones for a single film in some cases. These tracks can range from period-appropriate to experimental in form as the artists were urged to create something unique. Most of the tracks complement their films quite well, and even those that are less traditional at least offer a unique way to take in a film. As these are silent films, the music is the only element to contend with in this track, and it sounds bright and lovely with no clipping or age related wear and tear. Classic film fans should be beyond pleased with the sound quality of these tracks, as the new pieces give a distinct life to the films. 

Special Features

The first pressing of the Kino Lorber Blu-Ray of Cinema’s First Nasty Women comes beautifully packaged in a slipcase and includes a 112-page bound book featuring essays, interviews, photos, and detailed film notes. These works provide a great insight in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows: 

Disc One

• Series Introduction: An 11-minute introduction is provided with series curators Laura Horak, Maggie Hennefeld and Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi in which they discuss the reasons for taking on this massive project, what they wanted to highlight with the different segments of the set, the different themes on display, how many of these films got overlooked for so long, and so much more that puts this experience into context. 

• About The Scores: A seven-minute introduction is provided with music supervisor Dana Reason in which she discusses working with the series curators, the myriad of composers they arranged for this project, crafting the sounds for these films, bringing an emphasis to the composers through a curatorial lens of diversity and inclusion, and much more that is quite enlightening. 

• Léontine

• • Introduction: A two-minute intro with Maggie Hennefeld who gives a brief (incomplete) history of the unknown performer in this section and puts her into context. 

• • Audio Commentaries

• • • Les Ficelles de Léontine: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • La Pile électrique de Léontine: Maggie Hennefeld

• • • Rosalie et Léontine vont au théâtre: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • Le bateau de Léontine: Maggie Hennefeld

• • • Le bateau de Léontine: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • Léontine garde la maison: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • Le peur des ombres: Shelley Stamp

• • Secondary Score Tracks

• • • La Pile électrique de Léontine

• • • Ventilateur breveté

• Catastrophe In The Kitchen

• • Audio Commentaries

• • • Victoire a ses nerfs: Mariann Lewinsky

• • • The Finish Of Mr. Fresh: Pamela Hutchinson

• • • The Dairymaid’s Revenge: Pamela Hutchinson

• • • Mary Jane’s Mishap: Bryony Dixon

• • • Mary Jane’s Mishap: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • Secondary Score Tracks

• • • Victoire a ses nerfs

• • • Her First Biscuits

• • • Mary Jane’s Mishap

• Catastrophe Beyond The Kitchen

• • Intro To Laughing Gas: An eight-minute introduction from Kyla Wazana Tompkins in which she discusses this particular subset of comedy, provides important historical context, explores the presence of the strong Black leads and more. 

• • Audio Commentaries

• • • Laughing Gas: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • Madame fait du sport: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • Eugénie, redresse-toi!: Aurore Spiers

• • Secondary Score Tracks

• • • Mannekängen

Disc Two

• Cunégonde

• • Intro to Little Chrysia: A three-minute introduction from Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi in which she discusses this section of the set, her efforts to find the actress who plays the character, the history surrounding the talent and more. 

• • Audio Commentaries

• • • Cunégonde femme cochère: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • Zoé à la main malhereuse: Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi 

• • • Zoé et le parapluie miraculeux: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.
• Tyranny At Home
  • Intro to Fatty and Minnie-He-Haw: A nine-minute introduction from Arigon Starr who comes from a Native lineage and discusses the problematic elements of the short while giving rich historical context as to why it should be appreciated for many progressive elements. 
  • Audio Commentaries

• • • La fureur de Mme Plumette: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • Daisy Doodad’s Dial: Bryony Dixon

• • • Daisy Doodad’s Dial: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • Hypnotizing The Hypnotist: Jennifer Bean

• • • Lucky Jim: Jane Gaines

• • Secondary Score Tracks

• • • Tilly’s Party

Disc Three

• The Girl Spy

• • Intro to the Girl Spy Films: A five-minute introduction by Laura Horak and Jane M. Gaines in which these two give important background on the creatives behind the scenes and in front of the camera which helps put these films into context. 

• • Audio Commentaries

• • • The Girl Spy – An Incident of the Civil War: Jane Gaines

• • • The Girl Spy Before Vicksburg: Liz Clarke

• Edna “Billy” Foster

• • Intro to Edna “Billy” Foster: A nine-minute introduction by Susan Stryker in which they discuss the presence of transgender representation and gender variants in cinema and this selection of films in particular. 

• Gender Frontiers

• • Intro to The Red Girl and The Child: An 11-minute introduction from Liza Black in which she discusses her initial impression of the film, how this story depicts Native women, the background of the performers, how this upends certain expectations and more that is very worthwhile. 

• • Intro to An Up-to-Date Squ*w: A six-minute introduction from Macinam Jean Cuthand in which she discusses the racism in the film, the depiction of indigenous women, how subversive humor shifts to offensive humor and more. 

• • Intro to A Range Romance: A minute-long introduction from Laura Horak who describes this as a “Brokeback Mountain for the silent era” and delves into its depiction of same-sex eroticism. 

• • Audio Commentaries

• • • An Up-to-Date Squ*w: Joanna Hearne

• • • An Up-to-Date Squ*w: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • The Death Mask: Yiman Wang

• • • The Death Mask: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • • Rowdy Ann: Kristen Anderson Wagner

• • • Rowdy Ann: In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

Disc Four

• Don’t Believe Your Eyes

• • Audio Commentaries

• • • Pranks: Laura Horak

• • • Amour et science  Katharina Loew

• • Secondary Score Tracks

• • • The Boy Detective, or, The Abductors Foiled

• Topsy-Turvy Gender Madness

• • Audio Commentaries

• • • What’s The World Coming To? :In Spanish with no apparent English subtitles provided.

• • Secondary Score Tracks

• • • She’s A Prince

• Special Thanks: A two-minute video acknowledgement of all of the people who contributed to this set. 

Final Thoughts

Cinema’s First Nasty Women is simply one of the great home entertainment releases of the year. Not only does it rescue an overlooked segment of film history and place it into context for a modern audience, but it is simply a completely engaging and joyous collection of films that entertain just as much as ever. The sheer variety of material included here is astounding as you get different types of performers, narratives and points of view that show the complexity possible in their storytelling. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a wonderful A/V presentation and a lovely assortment of special features. It is not often that you get to discover such a unique part of film history, so those who are even the slightest bit interested should make time for this one. Highly Recommended 

Cinema’s First Nasty Women is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.