Celebrate Silent Film
A dark, gritty and stylish tale of dishonesty, conscience and capital punishment directed by… Cecil B. DeMille? Yes, things are very dark indeed in the tidy little drama.
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: The Whispering Chorus (1918)”
Mary Pickford plays a kid left behind in Belgium when her mother remarries. She finally makes her way to America for a reunion but nobody knows who she is, so she needs to sneak in under the radar by taking a job as a servant.
Continue reading “Through the Back Door (1921) A Silent Film Review”
I have been considering this for a while and goodness knows I didn’t invent the idea of flashback awards but last year’s Academy Awards really made me think seriously about it. And so, one year later, here we are! I am nominating 1919 films for a fictional 1920 awards show, the Movies Silently Awards or the Fritzis because my ego knows no bounds.
Continue reading “The 2020/1920 Movies Silently Awards Nominees!”
Lon Chaney is at his Chaney-iest in an early hit as solo lead. He plays a criminal mastermind who had his legs amputated below the knee when he was a kid. This did not amuse him and he wants revenge. And hats. Lots and lots of straw hats. How else will he take over San Francisco?
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: The Penalty (1920)”
Owen Moore and Constance Bennett star as newlyweds who were only wedded due to the eccentric demands of an elderly sawmill owner. He’s an outdoorsy tough guy type and she’s a rich city girl whose all about flirtation and champagne. Will they find love?
Continue reading “Married? (1926) A Silent Film Review”
Silent era moviegoers were smart, observant and vocal when they saw something in the movies that didn’t seem to quite fit. Photoplay dutifully published these kvetches and it’s fun to read what our 1920 counterparts observed.
Continue reading “These Were the Cliches, Mistakes and Plot Holes That Annoyed Viewers in January of 1920”
Up to 90% of all silent films are lost and now you’ve found one that looks like it might be a one-of-a-kind copy! Does that mean you can retire to a lush island with the money you’ll make? Hold your horses because there are a few things you need to know.
Continue reading “Silent Movie Myth: I Found a Lost Silent Movie and Now I am a Millionaire!”
Lon Chaney and Tod Browning made evil music together in ten films. This was the first. Chaney’s not the star but, unsurprisingly, he pretty much steals the show.
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: The Wicked Darling (1919)”
Norma Talmadge changed things up by playing a wild French showgirl who will do anything to land Ronald Colman. This is a slapstick rom-com with plenty of laughs.
Continue reading “Kiki (1926) A Silent Film Review”
Harry Leon Wilson is not a household name nowadays but back in the ‘teens and twenties he was a popular novelist and many of his books were adapted into movies. Also, he helped popularize the term “flapper” so give the fella his due.
Continue reading “Silent Movie Bookshelf: “Oh, Doctor!” by Harry Leon Wilson”
We’re in a new year, a new decade and I am actually back in the land of the living and feeling enthusiastic. I had planned to do reader requests in January but I moved it back to February in favor of something a bit festive.
Continue reading “Theme Month! January 2020: Romance with Varying Degrees of Comedy”
Tyrone Power, Sr. made the jump from stage to screen and this is one of his earliest surviving roles. The plot is just nuts in that unique, unvarnished 1910s kind of way.
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: Sweet Alyssum (1915)”
General Custer makes his last stand in this dramatization of the Battle of Little Bighorn. The word of the day was authenticity, even if California stands in for Montana and a romanticized vision of Custer is presented.
Continue reading “Custer’s Last Fight (1912) A Silent Film Review”
A Civil War tale about a little boy who runs away from home to join the Union army. This picture sets itself apart from other Civil War pictures with talented performers and intense battle scenes that lend a sense of authenticity to this short film.
Continue reading “The Drummer of the 8th (1913) A Silent Film Review”
Just a quick note to let you know that my usual Sunday review is delayed. If you may recall, I have been dealing with a rather stubborn kidney infection. I thought it was gone but, like the killer in a bad slasher film, it has returned for a jump scare.
Continue reading “Well, this is certainly a joy, or, Funtime Adventures with the Medical System Before the Holidays”
North American Hitchcock fans can rejoice! After years of enduring junky public domain editions, four of his silents and one talkie have received quality release and I will be giving you a whirlwind tour.
Continue reading “Unboxing the Silents: Hitchcock, British International Pictures Film Collection from Kino Lorber”
A South Seas vehicle for flapper-in-the-making Clarine Seymour, who died soon after filming was completed. She’s the best thing about the film and basically too good for it.
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: The Idol Dancer (1920)”
James Parrott is a fire extinguisher salesman who needs to join a secret society in order to sell one of his advanced extinguishers. (It’s a long story.) The initiation is, well, a bit fiery… Jobyna Ralston is on hand as the leading lady who dreams of trombone-playing stardom.
Continue reading “Are Parents Pickles (1925) A Silent Film Review”
Well, we have a little over two weeks left in 2019, so let’s share some positivity! Did you have any nice experiences related to silent films? Please share!
Continue reading “What Was Your Favorite Silent Film Experience This Year?”
Gloria Swanson has a problem. Her husband, Thomas Meighan, has purchased her a negligee! The degenerate! And he listens to fox trot music, if you please! Thomas is soon driven into the waiting arms of Bebe Daniels. Realizing her mistake, Gloria dons designer duds in a bid to win him back.
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: Why Change Your Wife? (1920)”
George Beban plays Beppo, an ex-gondolier and current Italian immigrant who finds life in his new country to be harsh when his child falls ill. One of the most famous social issue films of the silent era.
Continue reading “The Italian (1915) A Silent Film Review”
It’s no secret that silent era filmgoers were enthusiastic, smart consumers of their modern pop culture. And this meant that they detected patterns, ferreted out cliches and were generally literate and observant audiences.
Continue reading ““You’re Doing it Wrong!” Moviegoer Complaints About Cliches, Mistakes and Inconsistencies from December of 1919″
So far the 1922 motion picture correspondence course has covered acting and screenwriting. But what about that man (or woman!) with the megaphone? Directing movies also has its own volume in the series and it by far my favorite. The writing is smart and wisecracking, just the sort of prose to make you feel very 1920-ish indeed.
Continue reading “Silent Movie Bookshelf: Motion Picture Directing by Peter Milne”
Would-be opera singer Corinne Griffith accidentally gets a job in a girly show. Rescued by seamstress Louise Dresser, the pair escape to Monte Carlo. Passing herself off as Louise’s aristocratic daughter, Corinne falls for rich boy Charles Ray. But how long can Louise and Corinne keep up the act?
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: The Garden of Eden (1928)”
William S. Hart is trying to help a nice young woman from the east claim her inheritance: a gambling parlor and dance hall, nudge nudge, wink wink. Fights and poker tournaments ensue, of course.
Continue reading “Mr. Silent Haskins (1915) A Silent Film Review”
Producer Thomas Ince was one of the powerhouses of the silent era. He’s considered to be one of the architects of the studio system and he deserves credit for helping to establish westerns as a serious genre. But what is he known for? His death.
Continue reading “Theme Month! December 2019: Inceville”
Another day, another book from the New York Institute of Photography’s correspondence course for all would-be participants in the silent film industry. This 1922 book explains how to write for the movies.
Continue reading “Silent Movie Bookshelf: Photoplay Writing by William Lord Wright”
If you asked me to pick just one movie that perfectly captured the spirit of romanticized rural America, it would be this one. Richard Barthelmess gives the performance of a lifetime as a gentle lad who faces a coldly brutal world and is forced to grow up overnight.
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: Tol’able David (1921)”
Before coming to Hollywood, Michael Curtiz or (Mihaly Kertész) was a big name in Europe and this mammoth Austrian production was one of the biggest films ever made if you just go by the size of the sets and the number of extras. Okay, so the “orgies” are more mild spring frolics, don’t be picky.
Continue reading “Sodom and Gomorrah (1922) A Silent Film Review”
This Marion Davies vehicle has been available for years on home video but we now have a new edition derived from a 2K transfer of a 35mm print, which represents a step up in visual quality so let’s dive in.
Continue reading “Unboxing the Silents: Little Old New York (1923) from Undercrank”