B+ Showbiz documentary Directed by Peter Bogdanovich There's no question in my mind that film historian and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) considers Buster Keaton to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, physical comedian since the invention of the movies. I agree completely. I'm such a big fan of the … Continue reading A celebration of The Great Buster
Category: Silent Films
Greatest Hits with the Club Foot Orchestra
I spent most of Saturday at the Castro, where The Club Foot Orchestra accompanied a selection of silent features and shorts. The event was run by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. The Club Foot Orchestra - ten musicians in its current form - calls itself "pioneers of modern music for silent films." They seem to … Continue reading Greatest Hits with the Club Foot Orchestra
Chaplin Diary, Part 15: Modern Times
When you think about it, Modern Times seems a strange name for such an old-fashioned movie. No one in America, or Europe, was making silent films 1936. Of course, it wasn't really silent. It had a recorded musical score (composed by Chaplin) and a great many sound effects (much more than City Lights). It even … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 15: Modern Times
Two More Silent Film Festivals Coming Up
You don't have to wait long to watch a movie with live accompaniment these days - and I'm not talking about Star Wars with the San Francisco Symphony. Here are two local silent film festivals coming up, from the two major silent film organizations in the Bay Area. Broncho Billy Silent Film Festival Niles Essanay … Continue reading Two More Silent Film Festivals Coming Up
A Day of Two Film Festivals
On Sunday, for the first time in my life, I attended two film festivals on the same day. Only in the Bay Area. Modern Cinema/Black Powers: Reframing Hollywood SFFILM and SFMOMA don't officially call their various series festivals, but they qualify in my book. When you can see eight films in three days, all built … Continue reading A Day of Two Film Festivals
Chaplin Diary, Part 14: City Lights
As we work through Charlie Chaplin's directorial work in chronological order, we now come to his greatest masterpiece. Yes, that's my opinion, but it's hardly an unusual one. City Lights may come as close to a perfect comedy as you can find. I've already written about City Lights in a 2013 Blu-ray review, so I'll … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 14: City Lights
Chaplin Diary, 13: The Circus
People often overlook Charlie Chaplin's fourth feature, The Circus. Sandwiched between his two long-form masterpieces, The Gold Rush and City Lights, it feels unimportant. But you shouldn't overlook it. While The Circus is no masterpiece, it's a very funny comedy with a considerable amount of heart, even if it veers very close at times to the … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, 13: The Circus
Tom Mix, Sherlock Holmes, Buster Keaton, & Serge Bromberg: San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 2
The final nine programs I saw at this year's San Francisco Silent Film Festival: Saturday: Cowboys, spies, and Sherlock Holmes No Man's Gold After nearly 50 years as a silent film fan, I finally got around to seeing a Tom Mix western. I liked it - for what it is. The story involves a map … Continue reading Tom Mix, Sherlock Holmes, Buster Keaton, & Serge Bromberg: San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 2
Carl Dreyer, Yasujirô Ozu, & Ernst Lubitsch: My first report on the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
There's no time to write and post articles during the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, so I'm doing it afterwards. My first installment covers opening night, and two of the four full days - except for the late night screenings of The Lighthouse Keepers and Policeman. I need my sleep. Wednesday: Opening Night The Man … Continue reading Carl Dreyer, Yasujirô Ozu, & Ernst Lubitsch: My first report on the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Chaplin Diary, Part 11: A Woman of Paris
Frst After completing The Pilgrim, Charlie Chaplin was finally free of his First National contract. He could now concentrate on making features for United Artists - the company he created with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith. But Chaplin had a problem: Edna Purviance. She'd been his leading lady for eight of his nine … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 11: A Woman of Paris
