Nothing really beats the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. For three days (plus an opening night), you're immersed in an art form that was born, matured, reached extraordinary heights, and then suddenly died--all within the space of 20 to 40 years (depending on how to you define its birth and death). All told, this year's … Continue reading Spellbound with music: Surviving and enjoying the 2016 San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Category: Silent Films
The New Buster Keaton Shorts Collection on Blu-ray
How can anyone describe the beauty, grace, and breathtaking hilarity of Buster Keaton in his silent film prime? An actor, an acrobat, and a brilliant filmmaker, he spent the 1920s making some of the funniest and technically sophisticated comedies ever preserved on film. Since I can't describe him, here's a highlight reel of some of … Continue reading The New Buster Keaton Shorts Collection on Blu-ray
Live Music for the Undead: Monday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
I only went to one San Francisco International Film Festival event on Monday, and that was Carl Theodore Dreyer's 1932 classic, Vampyre, with musical accompaniment by Mercury Rev and Simon Raymonde. It was at the Castro. Vampyre belongs on any list of great horror films. Todd Brown's Dracula, made the previous year, is stagy and … Continue reading Live Music for the Undead: Monday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
Silent Film Fest Preview
Wednesday evening, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival announced its 2016 schedule. And as fans have come to expect, it will be an intense experience. In the course of three full days plus an opening night, they will screen 19 different programs, all with live music. (There's also an opening night party.) Nine different musical … Continue reading Silent Film Fest Preview
Friday at the PFA
Friday night, I finally got around to visiting the Pacific Film Archive's new theater in downtown Berkeley. I've been busy. The theater is lovely, with the raised seats common in new multiplexes. The screen, I would guess, about the same size as in the previous theater. The acoustics sounded very good, but since the first … Continue reading Friday at the PFA
A+ List: The Kid Brother
When people talk about the masterpieces of silent comedy, they usually name The Gold Rush, The General, and City Lights. If they bring up Harold Lloyd at all, they'll praise Safety Last or The Freshman. To my mind, Lloyd's The Kid Brother belongs with the best. It earns that right by its irresistible story, its beautiful … Continue reading A+ List: The Kid Brother
Baseball, NYC, & Harold Lloyd: Speedy, the Blu-ray Review
Harold Lloyd's last silent comedy, Speedy, delivers the laughs and thrills that we expect from the comic genius. As an additional bonus, it provides substantial views of New York City in the roaring 20s--much of it shot on location. The pace is as fast as you'd expect from a movie called Speedy. But Lloyd's only … Continue reading Baseball, NYC, & Harold Lloyd: Speedy, the Blu-ray Review
My Saturday: A whole lot of silent films at the Castro
I spent this Saturday at the Castro, where the San Francisco Silent Film Festival ran a one-day festival called--appropriately enough--A Day of Silents. They showed five programs, each with live musical accompaniment. The Black Pirate The festival got off to a slow start due to technical problems. The first movie, The Black Pirate, started more … Continue reading My Saturday: A whole lot of silent films at the Castro
Raymond Griffith at Niles
Last Saturday night, I visited the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum for a screening of the 1925 Raymond Griffith comedy, Hands Up! I had seen it once before--probably in 1977 or '78 at the Avenue Theater (of blessed memory). Then, and now, I totally enjoyed it. Sorry it took me so long to get to … Continue reading Raymond Griffith at Niles
Coming in December: Day of Silents & Alamo Drafthouse
It's a little early to write about December, but here are two events I want to tell you about right away. In fact, I wanted to tell you about them weeks ago, but I was too busy. A Day of Silents The San Francisco Silent Film Festival will run a one-day festival at the Castro … Continue reading Coming in December: Day of Silents & Alamo Drafthouse
Bayflicks 