This Saturday, I had a wonderful day at the Castro Theater. The event was A Day of Silents, which is part of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Five feature films and a collection of shorts, all made before 1930, with live musical accompaniment, comprised this event.
So, let’s start.
Of Mice and Men (and Cats and Clowns) (10:am)
The day started with a collection of very old cartoons. The better-known animators in the collection were Winsor McKay, Dave and Max Fleischer, Paul Terry, Paul Sullivan (of Felix the Cat), and even Walt Disney (no Mickey yet). Silent animation is even stranger than a Road Runner cartoon. Walls wiggle. There’s usually little or no background.
Wayne Barker played the piano very well. Nicholas White’s collection of sound effect gadgets added more whimsy .
The Wild Cat (12:00 noon)
German expressionism with comedy, by Ernst Lubitsch (read my blu-ray review). When I first saw the film, I thought the movie was just okay. In fact, without the beautiful and talented Pola Negri as the head of a gang, it would barely be worth watching. She has a very strange way of keeping her goons in check; she spanks them. They seem to like it.
But when I saw it this Saturday, it was a much better movie. Why? Comedy is almost always better with a large audience. But that wasn’t the only reason. The Blu-ray has a very good score by Marco Dalpane. But the music coming from the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra turned the movie into magic.
The Eagle (2:15pm)
Most women (and quite a few men) swooned when Rudolph Valentino came on the screen. In this story, his terrific looks almost kill him. The Czarina falls for the handsome officer and gives him the choice between becoming a boytoy or hanging. Director Clarence Brown adds humor along with the adventure.
Wayne Barker does a fine job on the piano to help along with the story.
Pavement Butterfly (4:15pm)
So far, we’ve enjoyed light comedy. Now it’s time for serious drama. And for that, we need a great star like Anna May Wong. Not surprisingly, this is not an American film; the picture was made in Germany. No one mentions that she’s not white, but when a crime happens, almost everyone in her circle of “friends” believes she’s the culprit (the film’s working name was The Foreigner). A powerful film.
The Sascha Jacobsen Ensemble gave us a strong score that heightened the story. Nicholas White’s sound effects (remember the cartoons in the first show) proved that sound effects can work with serious drama.
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.
The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra gave us a terrific live musical performance. I’d be surprised if I got anything less.
Forgotten Faces (9:00pm)
I’m too old to watch a 9:00pm movie and then drive across the city and the Bay. I’m not reviewing this movie, which seems to be about gentlemen thieves.
The Sascha Jacobsen Ensemble played the music.
Overall, I enjoyed the day.
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