Two interesting Film Festivals coming up

A couple of interesting festivals are coming up soon. One is in early November. The other is in early December. Both screen vintage cinema.

The California Independent Film Festival

November 9 – 16, at the Orinda
I’ve only recently discovered this festival. It shows old and new films.

Here are a few films and events on the schedule:

War is Over / Driving Madeleine, Thursday, November 9, 7:00pm

The festival opens with two films, one animated. War is Over seems to be about a chess game. The comedy Driving Madeleine is about a very strange taxi ride. There will be Q&A after each film.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligary: (1920) November 10, 3:00pm

This important piece of German expressionism is an easier film to admire than to like. The story is conventional–but the visuals make it one of the weirdest commercial movies ever made. The strange design and over-the-top acting keep the audience at arm’s length; the constant intensity can be exhausting. But the atmosphere has a powerful hold. This is a silent film, but as far as I can tell, the festival won’t provide live music – which is how a silent film should be experienced. (Most silent films aren’t anywhere near this strange.)

Karaoke, (2022), November 10, 7:00pm

The roller coaster of marriage gets a full workout in this Israeli story. Meir and Tova have been married so long that their relationship has gone flat, to the point where Meir goes out for a walk during a dinner with their adult children. But then they meet the wealthy swinger in their apartment building’s penthouse. At times, the new friend seems to be exactly what their relationship needs. Or perhaps the last thing any of them should try.

E.T. (1982), November 11, 10:00am

Fee admission! Also, Q&A: Steven Spielberg’s modern day fairytale was one of the biggest box office attractions of the 80’s. I haven’t seen the movie for decades, so I’m not giving it a review or grade.

The Eagle Huntress (2016), Monday, 1:00pm

Otto Bell’s inspiring and interesting documentary tells a powerful story. Thirteen-year-old Aisholpan, a Mongolian girl, proves she’s better than any man when it comes to eagle hunting (it’s not hunting eagles, but hunting with
a trained eagle). Women were not allowed to hunt this way, but with the help of her open-minded father, she becomes an excellent hunter. But much about the film feels staged, leaving me wondering if it should really be considered a documentary. Read my full review. Q&A after the film.

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A Day of Silents

Saturday, December 2 (pretty much all day), at the Castro
Near the end of the year, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival runs a one-day festival screening very old films. It’s an all-day event, with new restorations and live music. This will probably be the last Silent Film Festival at the Castro.

I haven’t seen all the films that will be screened, but I’ll tell you about what I can.

Of Mice and Men (and Cats and Clowns), 10:00am:

Animation existed long before the talkies. Here are ten shorts that will play Saturday morning, and there should be considerable laughs. Among the animators whose work that will be shown are Winsor McKay, Max Fleischer, and Walt Disney.
Live music by Wayne Barker and Nicholas White.

The Wildcat, 12:00 noon

This is not one of Ernst Lubitsch’s best works. In fact, without the beautiful and talented Pola Negri, and the very strange scenery, it would barely be worth watching. She plays the leader of a gang of very nice outlaws. Negri appears to be the only woman in the gang, and she has a very strange way of keeping her goons in check: she spanks them. They don’t seem to mind. There’s a military fort, of course, so that Lubitsch gets a chance to make fun of the military. A lieutenant (Paul Heidemann) falls in love with Negri, or maybe he’s pretending to love her, as part of his job. Read my Blu-ray review.
Live music by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

The Eagle, 2:150pm

I vaguely remember seeing this Rudolph Valentino vehicle very long ago. It’s a swashbuckler with some comedy. And because it stars Valentino, there may be occasional swooning in the audience.
Live music by Wayne Barker.

Pavement Butterfly (Großstadtshmetterling), 4:15pm

Anna May Wong stars in this late silent, and that probably means that even if it’s a bad movie, it’s still worth watching.
Live music by the Sascha Jacobsen Ensemble.

Safety Last, 7:00pm

Not even Alfred Hitchcock mastered the delicate balance between comedy and suspense like Harold Lloyd. In the first third of Lloyd’s most famous film, Harold struggles with a lousy job while keeping up the lie that he’s a successful executive. That setup already makes for an excellent comic situation. But in the final act, when Harold climbs a skyscraper, the laughs and thrills create a masterpiece. Read my Blu-ray review.
Live music by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

Forgotten Faces, 9:00pm

I know nothing about this crime drama except that it stars Clive Brook, William Powell, and Olga Baclanova.
Live music by the Sascha Jacobsen Ensemble.

And some bad news: This Day of Silents will probably be the last time that the San Francisco Silent Film Festival will happen at the Castro. Next year, the full event will happen at the Palace of Fine Arts. It’s a lovely location, but transportation and restaurants may be problematic. We won’t know until the full festival in May.