Two of my favorite film festivals come one right after the other this year. First, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival opens Wednesday, July 12 at 7:00. The opening movie is Douglas Fairbanks’ last silent swashbuckler, The Iron Mask. Then there are three long days of rare old movies, new restorations, and live music. The entire festival happens at the Castro.
The Iron Mask
Then there’s three days to recuperate before the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Then it’s back to the Castro for another opening night with the documentary Remembering Gene Wilder. This is a much longer festival, running for about two and half weeks. It’s also spread out more. Along with the Castro, movies will be screening at the Vogue and – for East Bay Jews and friends – the Piedmont.
Remembering Gene Wilder
The Silent Festival
July 12 – 16
A hundred years ago, movies didn’t talk, but musicians provided live music to give audiences the needed atmosphere. I’ve seen only a few of the films that will be screened at the festival, which is good news for me. I get to discover old films I’ve yet to see. But it also means that I can’t tell you much about the movies being shown. Here’s a few that I know, and others that I’m looking forward to.
Buster Keaton’s first feature, Three Ages, is one of his worst silent features. But even the worst of Keaton is still very funny. Perhaps it will be better with an audience. The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, one of my favorite ensembles, may help. It plays Friday, July 14, 5:00pm.
Americans in the 1920s just couldn’t take haunted houses seriously. But they sure enjoyed laughing at them. The Cat and the Canary is a feature-length haunted house comedy that provides plenty of laughs with some scares as well. Live music by Utsav Lal.
Friday, 9:00pm.
Three Ages
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy became a team in 1927. The festival will present Stan & Ollie, a collection of three shorts that show how the team came together. I haven’t seen The Second Hundred Years. Flying Elephants is funny, but the characters we know are not the ones we love. But in Battle of the Century, we have the Stan and Oli we all love. Live music by Wayne Barker. Saturday, July 15, 11:00am.
And there’s silent Shakespeare? I’ll believe it when I see A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The live music is performed by the Sascha Jacobsen Quartet. Saturday, July 15, 1:00pm. And for something else that doesn’t seem to go with silent movies, there’s The Edward E. Horton Show!. If you love Astaire and Rogers musicals, you probably also love Edward Everett Horton. Believe it or not, but Horton worked in the silents, and even starred in some shorts. Sunday, July 16, 11:am.
Jewish Film Festival
July 20 – August 6
We Jews have a reputation for arguing amongst ourselves. You can find loud debating after the better films at the The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.
As I write this, I’ve only seen one of the films to be screened. And the one I saw was an oldie. I’ll be telling you about the films as I see them. The Comedy Spotlight is a documentary called The Catskills. I didn’t know the festival had a Comedy Spotlight. I hope it continues.
I’ll be posting capsule reviews until the festival gets close.
By the way, this is the second documentary about Catskills entertainment I’ve reviewed.
Bayflicks 