. . . I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then, face to face." 1 Corinthinians 13: 11-12 perfectly sums up what is going on with DICKSON'S GREETING following up MONKEYSHINES Nos. 1-3 at the dawn of humankind's Age of Playing God. No one could mistake the MONKEYSHINES trilogy from Edison Manufacturing Company as anything other than "a childish thing." However, DICKSON'S GREETING merits shouts of "It's alive, it's alive!" to echo Henry Frankenstein from the 1931 Universal Studio horror classic. DICKSON'S GREETING features a level of deceptive verisimilitude in the same ballpark as any movie which has followed, from Edison's ANNABELLE SERPENTINE DANCE to Clive Barker's HELLRAISER. And, just as the "man" Henry created was taken by most for a "monster," so the Sixth Day creation of Thomas Edison (with the aid of henchmen such as W.K.L. Dickson, pictured here) merited a similar label within a few short months of its "creation." Separating light from darkness on Edison's first day with the electric light bulb did not require the finesse and morality necessary to bring about an artificial world order to replace such now outdated guidelines as "The Holy Bible" as humanity's most often used guide to living in a "modern" world. Edison, who spent the nights of his inventing days "wilding" with his cohorts in the vice districts of New York City, recreated mankind in his own image. This sight was not always as pretty as DICKSON'S GREETING (watch LITTLE NICKY or THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE if you need illustrations of this point).
Review of Dickson Greeting
