Silent Discoveries: Yesterday and Today/After Six Days

"This box set brings together two documentary valentines to moviemaking of yore. First on the bill is Yesterday and Today, a laid-back reflection on pre-1910 film production that makes frequent use of film sequences not seen for decade prior to the release of this effort. George Jessel (Hieronymus Merkin) narrates, reportedly misidentifying many of the clips seen. Next up is After Six Days, an unusual documentary investigation of shadowy details surrounding the production of the 1929 biblical epic After Six Days. That motion picture dramatized major events described in the book of Genesis, from the creation of the world through the parting of the Red Sea. Though the original advertisements claimed that the movie's production team shot it over a five-year period in the very same locations described in the Bible, no one knows if these details are factual, or merely sensationalistic hype. The documentary uses extracts from the only known print of the original movie to investigate the said claims and other aspects of After Six Days. Donald Douglas narrates."