News from the Silent Movie Front: More Kickstarting for Marion Davies, modern music and Bluray debuts

I know we just did a news post but so many exciting things have happened in the last week that I had to share them with you!

Beauty’s Worth (1922) on Kickstarter

Another Kickstarter fundraiser to release a Marion Davies film! Edward Lorusso, who previously held fundraisers to release titles like Enchantment and The Bride’s Play, has set his sights on Beauty’s Worth. A 35mm print is held by the Library of Congress and if the fundraiser is successful, everyone who contributed $25 or more will receive a copy of the film with a professional music score. (There is a public domain copy of the film currently on the market but this edition should blow it out of the water in terms of quality.)

If you wish to donate or have any further questions, please visit the project’s fundraising page. I have donated to several of Mr. Lorusso’s projects in the past and have been pleased with the results.

William S. Hart on Bluray from Olive Films

I don’t know how they do it but Olive Films keeps putting out discs from the “Stuff Fritzi Likes” list. They have pleased me greatly by announcing that they will be releasing William S. Hart’s 1919 western Wagon Tracks on DVD and Bluray in January 2017.

The exact release date is January 24 and the movie is available for pre-order now. This is the first Hart film to be released on Bluray and only the fourth of his pictures to get the professional pressed DVD treatment. (Hell’s Hinges, The Toll Gate and Tumbleweeds are the other three.) I am as happy as an oyster in June!

The Sheik on Bluray from Kino Lorber

Rudolph Valentino’s kitschy romance classic is coming to Bluray for the first time! Kino lists the title as “coming soon” but I will be sure to update you once I know the release date, price, etc.

The Sheik is one of my favorite bits of silent era hokum and I cannot wait to see that new HD master! If it is from the same source print as the Paramount VHS, there are brief snippets of scenes and title cards that are different from the version currently available from Flicker Alley. I recommend watching both if you are a committed nerd. I don’t normally do this kind of thing but I may even publish a scene-by-scene comparison of the two editions.

P.S. Clara Bow is making her Bluray debut as well in Children of Divorce, which has a December 6 release date.

Morricone Youth’s Prince Achmed Score on Vinyl

Here’s something fun! Morricone Youth composed and performed a new score for the 1926 German animated film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed. There is a limited edition vinyl record available, which would be a nice, nerdy gift for the Weimar film buff in your life.

The score is quite modern (I am a strong advocate for modern silent film scores) as you can hear from this sample track:

The Library of Congress needs you help!

There are two sets of mystery stills to identify. I will be posting a proper item on these images in the next few days but I wanted to give you a head’s up. There is a long holiday weekend on the horizon for my American readers and discussing the identities of mystery stills seems like a lot more fun than arguing about politics and/or sweet potatoes.