I'll tell you one thing about the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. While it's extremely fun, it's also exhausting. I don't think I could have survived another day of it. Here's what I saw on the last day: Japanese Girls At the Harbor In the early 1930s, Japan created realistic, humanistic silent films. This work … Continue reading Sunday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Category: Silent Films
Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
I saw five feature films Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, and three were about socially unacceptable romances (and yes, they were all heterosexual).. Lights of Old Broadway Marion Davies plays identical twins separated at birth, but that's not what this comedy is really about. It's a love story set against the Irish … Continue reading Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Friday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Another busy day at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival . You Never Know WomenWilliam Wellman directed this entertaining tale set an acrobatic troupe. Problems come up when a wealthy cad sets his sights on a beautiful acrobat, who doesn't realize that the head of the troupe loves her. Much worse, she doesn't realize that … Continue reading Friday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Buster Bookends Silent Film Festival
Buster Keaton's first MGM feature and penultimate silent, The Cameraman, opens this year's San Francisco Silent Film Festival on May Day (May 1st). Four days of bleary eyes and stiff backs - and a lot of fun - later, the festival will close with Keaton's second feature, and in my opinion, his first feature masterpiece, … Continue reading Buster Bookends Silent Film Festival
The Kid Brother Blu-ray review
If people know about Harold Lloyd at all, they think of Safety Last. Or maybe The Freshman. But for my money, his penultimate silent, The Kid Brother, is his masterpiece. It has several of the funniest, brilliantly designed, extended comedy sequences ever filmed. But it's more than just a very funny movie. It makes you … Continue reading The Kid Brother Blu-ray review
German Expressionism & Marvel Superheroes: How I spent my Sunday
I saw two movies on the big screen Sunday, and they couldn't have been more different. First, at BAMPFA, a late silent noir from Germany. Second, at the United Artists Berkeley 7, a new animated take on Spider-Man. I have to say that Spider-Man was the better movie. Asphalt at the BAMPFA Alas, Louise Brooks … Continue reading German Expressionism & Marvel Superheroes: How I spent my Sunday
J’Accuse! finally comes to Blu-ray
I've yet to see a dramatic feature made before 1920 that's anywhere near as good as Abel Gance's J'Accuse! The three main characters are complex and believable, and performed by actors capable of bringing subtle and realistic emotions to the screen. The camerawork and editing don't just record the performances; they highlight the emotions and … Continue reading J’Accuse! finally comes to Blu-ray
