A century ago, Douglas Fairbanks was Hollywood's top action star. Jumping around like a jack rabbit, he showed off both his winning smile and well-developed muscles. In 1920, he played Zorro, then five years later, he played Zorro's son. He portrayed D'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers. My favorite of his works is The Thief of … Continue reading Blu-Ray Douglas Fairbanks Double Bill
Tag: Douglas Fairbanks
Summer of silents & Jews (yes, I’m talking about film festivals)
Two of my favorite film festivals come one right after the other this year. First, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival opens Wednesday, July 12 at 7:00. The opening movie is Douglas Fairbanks' last silent swashbuckler, The Iron Mask. Then there are three long days of rare old movies, new restorations, and live music. The … Continue reading Summer of silents & Jews (yes, I’m talking about film festivals)
Swashbucklers: A needed escape from reality
Since we can't escape from COVID-19's reality, we can at least spend some time with the most escapist genre in the history of cinema: swashbucklers. Although these sword-wielding adventure movies are usually set in Europe or the Caribbean from 1500 to 1800 CE, you can find them set in ancient Greece or 19th-century China. The … Continue reading Swashbucklers: A needed escape from reality
Cinequest coming in March
You'd expect a major film festival in the South Bay to celebrate technology as well as movies. And that's what you get at Cinequest. Yes, like other Red Carpet Festivals, Cinequest showcases plenty of films that have not yet been seen in the Bay Area, with filmmakers in attendance. But it also showcases new (and … Continue reading Cinequest coming in March
What’s Screening: May 18 – 24
Indiana Jones, Douglas Fairbanks, Mitchum vs. Peck, triple Vertigo, and a movie Beyond the Infinite - and all on Bay Area movie screens this week. Also, one film festival. Festivals CAAMFest continues through the week Vertigo, Vertigo, & Vertigo Over the weekend, three movie theaters will present special screenings of most people's favorite Alfred Hitchcock … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 18 – 24
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: City Girl, Rumble, & The Private Life of Don Juan
Three more films I've seen for the first time. I only really liked one of them. B+ City Girl (1930), FilmStruck Sunrise wasn't F.W. Murnau's last word on rural vs. city life. In this very late silent, a young man from a Minnesota farm goes to the big city on business and falls in love with … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: City Girl, Rumble, & The Private Life of Don Juan
The Parade’s Gone By: Sunday, the last day at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
I love the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, but it can be tiring. You spend all day, three days in a row, watching movies. Sometimes the breaks between films are less than half an hour. But the movies, the music, the discussions, and the people you can talk to make it very special. This year's … Continue reading The Parade’s Gone By: Sunday, the last day at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
What’s Screening: December 30–January 5
West Side Story, Douglas Fairbanks’ last silent, and The Wizard of Oz. No festivals this week. And the Pacific Film Archive and Stanford are closed, as well. B Sing-a-Long West Side Story, Castro, Friday through Monday. I’m commenting on the movie, not the sing-a-long experience. West Side Story swings erratically from glorious brilliance to astonishing … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 30–January 5
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