Amazing Tales From the Vault This year's technical talk concentrated on digital restorations and distribution by major studios, with experts from Paramount and Sony (Columbia). I didn't take notes, so I'll just give you a quick overview: Wings was projected off a DCP Friday night. Paramount has made a 35mm negative and prints of the … Continue reading SF Silent Film Festival, Day 2
Category: Silent Films
SF Silent Film Festival Report 1: Wings
I always felt that realistic sound effects weren't appropriate for silent films. I was wrong. Or perhaps this was just an exception. Realistic sound effects are fantastic if they're performed live by an ensemble directed by sound effects wizard Ben Burtt. Using bicycles, drums, a typewriter (I think) and devices that I couldn't possibly name … Continue reading SF Silent Film Festival Report 1: Wings
Blu-ray Review: The Gold Rush
In 1925, Charlie Chaplin created what many consider his masterpiece: The Gold Rush. In 1942, he altered it to an extent that would make George Lucas blush. And he insisted to his dying day that the new version was the better one. This Tuesday, Criterion releases a superb Blu-ray of The Gold Rush that includes … Continue reading Blu-ray Review: The Gold Rush
Why Silents Are Golden: This Year’s San Francisco Silent Film Festival
As regular readers know, I'm passionate about silent movies. Without the crutch of spoken words, a motion picture becomes pure cinema--reality on an entirely different plane. The actors can be fully unique, complex individuals (not that they always are) while remaining archetypes. Take Louise Brooks. In silent films, she's magical, mysterious, and the very embodiment … Continue reading Why Silents Are Golden: This Year’s San Francisco Silent Film Festival
SFIFF Report: Buster Keaton and Merrill Garbus
Last night I attended the San Francisco International Film Festival silent movie event at the Castro--four Buster Keaton shorts (two of them actually Fatty Arbuckle shorts with Keaton in supporting roles), accompanied by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs along with guitarist Ava Mendoza. This is something of a tradition at the Festival--screening silent films with accompaniment … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Buster Keaton and Merrill Garbus
Great Napoleon Photo
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival included this photo in a recent email. I thought I should share it: Click it to see the full-sized image. I've also added this image to my report on Saturday's screening.
Napoleon at the Paramount: An Incredible Day at the Movies
Abel Gance's Napoleon so overwhelmed me that I hardly know where to start. Despite a few slow sequences, the experience was as innovating, exciting, and entertaining as anything I've experienced as part of an audience. I doubt I have ever seen such a perfect melding of cinema and showmanship; the movie requires this special presentation, … Continue reading Napoleon at the Paramount: An Incredible Day at the Movies
Buster Keaton Shorts Coming to San Fran Intl. Film Fest
It’s always good to laugh, and an evening of Buster Keaton, with live accompaniment, should supply the entertainment. I just got my first press release concerning this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival, which will run from April 19 through May 3. As is the festival’s custom, they leak several major events to the press … Continue reading Buster Keaton Shorts Coming to San Fran Intl. Film Fest
Blu-ray Review: Seven Chances
Since I first discovered Buster Keaton almost 40 years ago, I've considered Seven Chances one of his best features. That was an unusual opinion in the 1970s, when even Keaton fans barely knew this picture existed. But its status has been rising in recent years, and I'm hoping that Kino's new Blu-ray release will help … Continue reading Blu-ray Review: Seven Chances
Silent Influences: Mostly Silent Movies From the Talkie Era to the Present
With The Artist finally playing locally, I thought it would be fun to look at other post-silent movies with little or no dialog. Cinema, in its purest form, is a visual art. What it can do without words has always been more powerful than what it can do with them. If I ran my own … Continue reading Silent Influences: Mostly Silent Movies From the Talkie Era to the Present
Bayflicks 