California and Japan clash in Oh Lucy!

March 15, 2018March 11, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

A- Comedic drama Written by Atsuko Hirayanagi, from the short film by Boris Frumin and Atsuko Hirayanagi Directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi In Tokyo, a middle-aged woman lives a life of quiet desperation. Then she attends a class in American English and finds herself attracted to her outgoing and handsome teacher. When the teacher suddenly and … Continue reading California and Japan clash in Oh Lucy!

Chaplin Diary, Part 8: Early First National

March 12, 2018March 11, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

Charlie Chaplin's contract with First National turned him from an employee to an independent contractor. He built his own studio, hired his own employees, and financed his own films. First National just handled distribution. Chaplin was required to produce eight movies of two reels or more, over the course the 18 months. It took him … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 8: Early First National

Chaplin Diary, Part 7: Late Mutual

March 1, 2018February 28, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

Extreme perfectionism slowed Chaplin down as he made his last Mutual comedies. Up through Easy Street, his ninth movie with the company, he had managed to meet his contract's one two-reeler-a-month schedule. But he took three months to make The Cure, and another three for The Immigrant. His last Mutual, The Adventurer, took four months … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 7: Late Mutual

Chaplin Diary, Part 6: Middle Mutual

February 15, 2018February 15, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

With almost full freedom, Chaplin was able to take considerable time to get his vision on film. According to Peter Ackroyd's biography, Charlie Chaplin, "he spent three weeks on filming one scene alone, in which he kicks his rival while whirling around with a partner on the dance floor." With that sort of perfectionism, it wasn't … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 6: Middle Mutual

Chaplin Diary, Part 5: Early Mutual

February 1, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

What happens to a performer whose contract ends just as they become the most famous and beloved person on the planet? They get tremendous artistic control and an obscene amount of money. When Chaplin signed another one-year contract, this time with the Mutual Film Corporation, he got his own production company and studio, and near … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 5: Early Mutual

Chaplin Diary, Part 4: Late Essanay

January 22, 2018January 21, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

During his year at Essanay, Charlie Chaplin became the most famous and beloved person in the world (Mary Pickford was the only significant rival). Movies changed the concept of celebrity, and no one before had ever been famous like Chaplin. Everyone loved him. It was like Beatlemania, except with a universal language and no generation … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 4: Late Essanay

Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The 3 + 4 = 7 Musketeers

January 15, 2018January 24, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

It seems sacrilegious to write about swashbucklers on Martin Luther King's birthday. I suppose I should put up a column about non-violent resistance or the African-American experience. On the other hand, Alexandre Dumas - the author of the original novel - is almost certainly the most commercially-successful European novelist of African descent. That should count … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The 3 + 4 = 7 Musketeers

Chaplin Diary, Part 3: Middle Essanay

January 4, 2018January 17, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

My last diary entry covered Charlie Chaplin's first five short films at Essanay; the beginning of his second year as a filmmaker. But with his sixth Essanay comedy, The Tramp, Chaplin made a major step towards maturity. Before this seminal two-reeler, Charlie was a funny little man with ill-fitting clothes and a brush mustache. In … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 3: Middle Essanay

Chaplin Diary, Part 2: Early Essanay

December 11, 2017January 3, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

According to the Internet Movie Database, Charlie Chaplin directed 71 movies. By my count, he did 64. The remaining seven include recuts of previous films, uncompleted works, "features" that were actually compilations of shorts, promotional films, and what we now call public service announcements. Remove those, and you have 64 original movies. After his year … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 2: Early Essanay