Last night I attended the San Francisco Silent Film Festival opening. The movie: John Ford’s first big-budget western, The Iron Horse. I had seen it once before on television. It was much better on the Castro’s very big screen. Ford biographer Joseph McBride introduced the film, comparing it to Jaws in the effect it had … Continue reading Silent Film Festival Opening Night
Category: First-person Report
The Whistler & Kung Fu @ the PFA
The Pacific Film Archive reopened after it’s usual late-spring hiatus last night, and I was there. They had two programs, one of which was a double-bill. The double bill was the winner. Franchises are nothing new, and The Whistler series of low-budget film noirs ran from the mid to late-1940s. Based on a radio show, … Continue reading The Whistler & Kung Fu @ the PFA
SFIFF: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Stephin Merritt
I saw 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Stephin Merritt last night (Tuesday night). It will probably be my last event at this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival. What a disappointing way to end an otherwise enjoyable festival! Coincidentally, this was the third silent film event I’ve attended in the last two months where … Continue reading SFIFF: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Stephin Merritt
SFIFF: A Conversation with T Bone Burnett
My wife and I attended A Conversation with T Bone Burnett at the San Francisco International Film Festival yesterday evening. Critic Elvis Mitchell moderated, interviewing Burnett and, briefly at the end, taking reader questions. Every so often they would stop for clips from movies Burnett had worked on. A singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and musical … Continue reading SFIFF: A Conversation with T Bone Burnett
The Gold Rush and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Friday night, I finally saw Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush properly—a good print with live musical accompaniment. And by the San Francisco Symphony, no less. Definitely the best way to see this wonderful comedy (although in the pantheon of great silent comic features, I still prefer City Lights, The General, and Kid Brother). Like The … Continue reading The Gold Rush and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
War and Ballet @ the PFA
I attended two very different British films at the Pacific Film Archive Sunday. They were not a double bill. The Red Shoes I’d seen this 1948 Technicolor backstage ballet drama in the 1970’s, and didn’t care for it then. But it’s considered a classic and has recently been restored, and I felt it was time … Continue reading War and Ballet @ the PFA
The General at the Paramount
I’ve seen The General countless times, in classrooms, museums, theaters, festivals, and home. I’ve rented it on VHS, and have owned it on Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-ray. Yet Friday night at Oakland’s Paramount Theater, I had what is probably my greatest General experience. And it wasn’t even, officially speaking, a movie event. It was part … Continue reading The General at the Paramount
The Strong Man at the PFA
I caught the Frank Capra/Harry Langdon comedy The Strong Man at the Pacific Film Archive Sunday. It was my first chance seeing it on the big screen. The movie has three bust-a-gut hilarious sequences, and it was great to share the gut-busting with a real audience. When I entered the theater, I stopped to say … Continue reading The Strong Man at the PFA
Silent Film Festival: J’Accuse
There’s something very exciting about being present at the rediscovery of a classic. I, plus several hundred other people, experienced that excitement Saturday afternoon at the U.S. premiere of the restored J’Accuse, Abel Gance’s 1919 anti-war masterpiece. This was part of the Silent Film Festival Winter Event. You can also read overview of the event. … Continue reading Silent Film Festival: J’Accuse
Silent Film Festival Report
I spent all day yesterday at the Castro, attending the Silent Film Festival Winter Event. Could you think of a better way to spend a rainy day? (Okay, I can think of a better way to spend a rainy day, but my wife was unavailable for such things.) The festival got off to a slow … Continue reading Silent Film Festival Report
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