A marriage sinks as low as it can go, then rises again to the joys of marital bliss in F. W. Murnau's first American film, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. The story is as simple and as simplistic as a story can get, yet the beautiful, expressionistic telling of that story turns it into … Continue reading German Expressionism on a Hollywood Budget: My Blu-ray review of Sunrise
Category: Silent Films
Chaplin at the Castro: My Report on a Wonderful Day
On January 11, 1914, a Keystone movie crew drove to Venice--a beach town near Los Angeles--to improvise a comedy around an actual event of modest interest. Only one performer came with the crew--a young British Music Hall comedian recently signed with Keystone. The comic, Charlie Chaplin, quickly put together a costume and makeup, and created … Continue reading Chaplin at the Castro: My Report on a Wonderful Day
A Century Ago: The Films of 1913
Thursday night, I drove to the Rafael to see A Century Ago: The Films of 1913. This is the latest edition of an annual event--one that was just becoming possible a scant decade ago. And, in its current form, it won't be possible for much longer. In 1910, people still went to movies primarily to … Continue reading A Century Ago: The Films of 1913
Comic Perfection: My Blu-ray Review of City Lights
A great comedy seamlessly mixes a good story, an intelligent observation on the human condition, and a lot of laughs. Everything works together, and only on the third or fourth viewing do you become aware of how the filmmakers balanced all these ingredients, so that the gags and the emotional reality compliment each other instead … Continue reading Comic Perfection: My Blu-ray Review of City Lights
Friday Night at the PFA
I visited the Pacific Film Archive Friday night to see two very good films. I suppose I could say that they were both feminist films. The first was about a woman and the damage done to her because to her gender, and the second was directed by a woman. But that would be a stretch. … Continue reading Friday Night at the PFA
To Late for Halloween: My Blu-ray Review of Nosferatu
The big question about Kino's forthcoming Blu-ray release of Nosferatu, newly and beautifully restored: Why release a classic vampire movie three weeks after Halloween? Now, on with our review. Before Christopher Lee, Gary Oldman, or even Bela Lugosi, Max Schreck created the first screen Dracula. He was not the elegant, sexy aristocrat of the night … Continue reading To Late for Halloween: My Blu-ray Review of Nosferatu
Special Charlie Chaplin Day at Castro in January
Audiences first saw Charlie Chaplin on a movie screen on February 2, 1914. (Thousands had already seen him live.) On that day, his first Keystone one-reeler, "Making a Living," premiered to audiences who were not, reportedly all that excited. But with his second flick, "Kid Auto Races in Venice," he became a sensation. In other … Continue reading Special Charlie Chaplin Day at Castro in January
Silent Film Festival Report: Sunday
Kings of (Silent) Comedy Of course it was funny. There was really no question about it. This was my first chance seeing "Mighty Like a Moose" and "The Immigrant" on the big screen, and both were wonderful that way. The cartoon, "Felix Goes West," wasn't of the same quality, but it delivered enough laugh to … Continue reading Silent Film Festival Report: Sunday
SF Silent Film Festival Report: Saturday
This was an exceptionally exhausting day at the festival. I saw five programs, and lacked the stamina for a sixth. Windsor McCay, His Life and Art Animation historian John Canemaker narrated this entertaining lecture/film presentation on the work of the brilliant cartoonist, vaudeville performer, and animation pioneer Windsor McCay. The presentation covered his ground-breaking comic … Continue reading SF Silent Film Festival Report: Saturday
SF Silent Film Festival, Saturday Report
Amazing Tales from the Archive First, Robert Byrne of the Festival discussed the restoration of The Half Breed, the 1916 Douglas Fairbanks feature that will have its restoration premiere Saturday. He and his team had to work with three different, incomplete prints, most from questionable sources. Byrne divided his talk into three categories: Continuity: Trying … Continue reading SF Silent Film Festival, Saturday Report
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