Celebrate Silent Film
We’re going to be unboxing the DVD/Bluray edition of Undercrank Productions’ much-anticipated released of the restored Marion Davies epic, When Knighthood Was in Flower.
Continue reading “Unboxing the Silents: “When Knighthood Was in Flower” from Undercrank Productions”
A fake psychic is making a fortune bilking the gullible with his house o’ special effects but he never counted on a gang of cute little kids stumbling onto his operation. Our Gang comedy with a high dose of Farina.
Continue reading “Shivering Spooks (1926) A Silent Film Review”
We’re back with another taste test! I am cooking my way through the 1929 Photoplay Cookbook and today’s recipe comes from one of the Biggest (capital “B”) directors in the history of cinema.
Continue reading “Cooking with the (Silent) Stars: Cecil B. DeMille’s Coleslaw”
Are your reviews dull, lifeless and lacking that certain something? Then you need screencaps!
Continue reading “How to Make Your Own Screenshots and Take Your Movie Reviews to the Next Level”
Sherlock Holmes made his (legal) feature film debut in 1916. William Gillette, who wrote and starred in the popular stage Sherlock, reprises his legendary role here.
Today is the last day of the Swashathon and there are still new posts coming in. I have been updating the roster since Friday, so be sure to check it out and enjoy all the swashbuckling goodness!
Continue reading “A Big Thanks to the #Swashathoners! Swashathoneers. Swashathon… people”
Douglas Fairbanks plays a vengeful nobleman who disguises himself as a pirate in order to take down bad guys and save a princess. It’s Swashbuckling 101 stuff but Fairbanks has a secret weapon: Technicolor!
Continue reading “The Black Pirate (1926) A Silent Film Review”
The Swashathon is here at last! Bloggers from all around the web will be submitting posts on glorious adventure films from all around the world. Check back often over the next four days as I will be updating this post as participants complete their submissions.
In Time Bandits, Napoleon declared that he liked “little things hitting each other.” That sums up a fair portion of silent comedy and today, we’re going to be celebrating smacks, slaps, shoves and assorted assaults upon the gentlemen of silent cinema. The twist? All will be delivered by ladies.
Damsels in distress? Ha!
Continue reading “Silent Movie Women Smacking the Crud Out of Hapless Dudes”
Who likes free stuff? Everyone, that’s who! Well, there’s tons of news about free silent films, so hold onto your hats!
Ivan Mosjoukine, one of the greatest actors in silent film, plays Edmund Kean, one of the greatest actors of Regency England. It’s all very stylish and European but perhaps a bit much for first-time silent viewers.
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy try their hand at grave-robbing when a mad scientist offers them $500 for a fresh corpse. Grim and ghostly mayhem ensues when the pair try to snatch the occupant of a new grave.
Continue reading “Habeas Corpus (1928) A Silent Film Review”
You can find the updated event roster with links here.
The Swashathon launches this coming Friday! I am very much looking forward to reading everyone’s posts and so I thought I would publish a few reminders for everyone’s convenience.
A cowpoke (who may or may not be named Steve) wanders into a whole heap of melodrama when he saves an uncredited Fay Wray from a caddish brute (or brutish cad). Solid western from Universal’s Mustang line.
Continue reading “Four-Square Steve (1926) A Silent Film Review”
It has been almost two years since my list of my top ten obscure silent films was published. Everyone seemed to enjoy it so I’m back with another ten underrated and underappreciated silent films that I think you’ll like.
Continue reading “Ten More Obscure Silent Films (that you really should see)”
Wanna get away? The notion is not a new one. Today, we’re going to be looking at silent movie characters who choose to withdraw.
Continue reading ““Get me outta here!” Silent Movie People Make a Run for It”
I feel nothing but contempt and disgust for this film. Not only does it lift its finale from my favorite silent film (Michael Strogoff) but people dash around squeaking about how AMAAAAAZING and creative that Cossacks finale is. No, I will not calm down.
Raymond Griffith plays a coroner called to the scene of a murder most foul, which just ruins his plans to spend the evening at the theater. When the search for the killer turns out to be more complicated than he had expected, he must use every trick in the book to reveal the culprit.
Continue reading “You’d Be Surprised (1926) A Silent Film Review”
I’m back with another glimpse of my embarrassingly engorged silent film collection. If you want to catch up on other “shelfie” posts, you can find them here.
Continue reading “Shelfie: Murder, Floating Corpses, Underrated Films and the Talmadge Sisters”
Summer is here. This is a fact we must all accept but that doesn’t mean we have to go sunnily into the night. I decided to deal with the heat and sunlight by embracing the dark side of the silent era.
Continue reading “Theme Month! July 2017: It was a dark and stormy night…”
Welcome back! I’m cooking my way through the 1929 Photoplay cookbook and I’m inviting you to follow me on this journey of culinary discovery, for better or worse. Today, we’ll be testing out a cake from the American Beauty.
Continue reading “Cooking with the Silent Stars: Billie Dove’s Feather Cake”
Oh sure, we could get all Garbo-Gilbert smoochy-smoochy but where’s the fun in that? Let’s hear it for the kisses that didn’t quite work out as at least one of the participants intended.
Continue reading “Awkward, Weird & Passive-Aggressive Kisses of the Silent Era”
It’s grand fun to look back and see what was happening in the movie a century ago. What were they wearing? Who were the biggest stars? Which pictures were the biggest hits.
And what content would make granny faint?
Continue reading ““You can’t do that in the movies!” or, Censor Cuts from the Summer of 1917″
This twee early Colleen Moore picture is about an orphan who faws in wuv and tonstant weader fwowed up.
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: Little Orphant Annie (1918)”
Vacationing couple Arbuckle and Normand take a jaunt down to San Diego for some sightseeing. After renting electric-powered couches, the pair zip around the expo but, would you believe it, chaos ensues.
Continue reading “Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition (1915) A Silent Film Review”
Every year, I like to hold a month of reader requested film reviews. I always have a blast expanding my horizons and taking on movies that I might have never covered on my own.
If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you’ll know that I skew heavily toward mainstream American silent films, which, ironically enough, are now more obscure than European art films.
Continue reading “Deciding Which Films to Cover, or, “Why haven’t you reviewed Metropolis?””
Lots of happenings in the silent film release department. Blurays galore, many of them hotly anticipated, plus some other exciting projects for silent film fans. Let’s get started!
The first screen appearance of Sherlock Holmes… or is it? This tiny film was meant to be played in a Mutoscope peepshow and it features the supposed Mr. Holmes being baffled by a burglar of ambiguous gender.
Continue reading “Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900) A Silent Film Review”
Part of the appeal of silent cinema is the fact that it’s so kinetic. We’re going to embrace that fact today with scenes of silent movie performers busting up the place!
Continue reading “Not the Furniture! Silent Movie People Causing Destruction & Mayhem”