Thursday, 15 November 2012
Akira Kurosawa - Japan's Greatest Director?
Here's a piece I wrote for The Toronto Film Scene wherein I wonder if Akira Kurosawa is Japan's greatest filmmaker. My takeaway is - impossible to say. Impossible for me, at least, because I don't know much about Japanese cinema beyond, well, Akira K...
PCF mentioned on the See You Next Wednesday Podcast
There are lots of people in this world that just love, love. love movies. They will spend an enormous amount of time seeing them, talking about them, writing about them. They'll listen to podcasts, make podcasts, and start websites.
But, in my exp...
But, in my exp...
The White Shadow is Streaming Now!
Remember how 3 reels of the 6 reel The White Shadow were discovered in the New Zealand Film Archive? And how we all got excited because this is the earliest surviving work of Sir Alfred Hitchcock, who worked as the assistant...
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Watch: Raggedy Rose (1926)
Raggedy Rose is a cute little silent comedy from 1926 starring Mabel Normand. Rose works for a cheap-skate junk dealer and dreams of romance with a wealthy bachelor. I say: who doesn't, sister?
There's not a lot that's tr...
There's not a lot that's tr...
Movie Moustache #18: Charles Laughton in Island of Lost Souls
Movie Moustache #18 – Charles Laughton in Island of Lost Souls
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Movie Moustache #19 - Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind
Movie Moustache #19 - Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind
Movie Moustache #20 - Humphrey Bogart in Virginia City
Movie Moustache #20 - Humphrey Bogart in Virginia City
Movember! A glorious month when otherwise rational men grow upper lip fuzzies in the name of prostate cancer.Odd? Yes. Delightfully fun for the rest of us? Absolu...
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Watch: Just Rambling Along (1918)
The earliest surviving Stan Laurel movie and the first film he made with Hal Roach, the silent Just Rambling Along, was released on November 3, 1918. The story is what you might expect - a nice boy gets into scrapes until he...
Friday, 2 November 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup
What a totally awesome fun week I've had! First, I got a year younger and then it was Halloween. I got the amazing Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray and now I have something to play in the Blu-ray player that I got a month ago for ...
Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray Report: Saboteur (1942)
Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray: Saboteur Blu-Ray
Saboteur (1942) treds familiar Alfred Hitchcock narrative ground with "an ordinary man put in a bizarre situation," ...
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray Report: Rope
Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray: Rope (1948)
"Innovator" might not be the first word that springs to mind when thinking of Alfred Hitchcock, but a casual glance over his long career reveals a master f...
"Innovator" might not be the first word that springs to mind when thinking of Alfred Hitchcock, but a casual glance over his long career reveals a master f...
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Go Lillian Gish, It's Your Birthday!
Lillian Gish, the incomparable Lillian Gish, was born on October 14, 1893. Seem like just yesterday, doesn't it?
Celebrate with some of my other posts about Miss Gish, a clip from one of my favorite movies, Broken Blossoms,
Celebrate with some of my other posts about Miss Gish, a clip from one of my favorite movies, Broken Blossoms,
(Don't) Watch: Cleopatra (1917)
Cleopatra, starring the sexy and mysterious Theda Bara, was released on October 14, 1917. It was the most popular movie of 1917 by a landslide. The public was intrigued and infatuated with The Vamp. The studio worked overtim...
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Watch: The Navigator (1924)
Today is the release date of Buster Keaton's The Navigator, except in 1924. It's not opening down at the local cineplex or anything (a shame, if you ask me). I'm going to go out on a limb and guess if you're reading this, yo...
Friday, 12 October 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup
Well, hey now, it's Friday. Thanks to the magic of the interwebs, Pretty Clever Film Gal appears to be feverishly working at PCF Headquarters and she isn't. Ha! Currently, she's in an undisclosed location, playing gin rummy with Dick Cheney. Ok, not ...
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Review: The Bells (1926)
I didn't know anything about The Bells (1926) until I was browsing the catalogue at reelclassicdvd.com. But when I see silent + Lionel Barrymore + Bo...
Saturday, 6 October 2012
The Jazz Singer... when the movies learned to talk
Well, hell, The Jazz Singer was released on October 6, 1927. And the rest is... well, history. But let's get the story straight. It was not the first sound picture - there was never really a problem with sound pictures. It w...
Watch: The Wedding March (1928)
The Wedding March was directed by Erich von Stroheim and some version of it was released on October 6, 1928. There's a tortured story here, as per usual with von Stroheim, and a lot of slash burn. At some point the movie was...
Friday, 5 October 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup
Breaking news: I've just been informed it's Friday. Seriously, this almost slipped past me. Granted I've been caught up in trying to find footage of the debate that Mitt Romney "won," because surely everyone else is talking about a different debate t...
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Happy Birthday Buster Keaton
Well well well - happy birthday Buster Keaton!
It seems like it happens once every year... today is Buster Keaton's birthday. Had he been Canadian with ready access to cost effective health care, he would be 117 years old today. Even though it's B...
It seems like it happens once every year... today is Buster Keaton's birthday. Had he been Canadian with ready access to cost effective health care, he would be 117 years old today. Even though it's B...
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Watch: From the Manger to the Cross (1912)
We're going heavy with today's screener. From the Manager to the Cross, or Jesus of Nazareth, was released on October 3, 1912, making it exactly 100 years old. Directed by Sidney Olcott and written ...
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Watch: The Pawnshop (1916)
Charlie Chaplin's The Pawnshop was released on October 2, 1916 and distributed by Mutual. It's a super silly knockabout slapstick with Chaplin co-star regular Edna Purviance. Chaplin is a clerk in a pawnshop and he bungles everything. That's all ther...
Monday, 1 October 2012
Watch: A Woman of Paris (1923)
CharlieChaplin's A Woman of Paris debuted on October 1, 1923. The movie is atypical Chaplin - it's a drama and though it was written, directed, produced and scored by The Tramp, Charlie Chaplin was not the s...
Friday, 28 September 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup
It's shaping up to be a fantastic week for the classic film fan, especially the ones who live in Toronto. First, we get the totally fab news that Blancanieves is Spain's official nom for Best Foreign Language Film at next year's Oscars. Stay tuned fo...
Watch: Never Weaken (1921)
Never Weaken, Harold Lloyd's last short film, was released on September 28, 1921. Directed by Fred Newmeyer, this 3 reeler with its thrilling, building dangling stunts might fairly be seen as a ramp up to the Lloyd feature <...
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Watch: Diary of a Lost Girl (1929)
Ah, Louise Brooks! Diary of a Lost Girl (Tagebuch einer Verlorenen) was released on September 27, 1929 silent film. It was directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst and starred Louise...
Sunday, 23 September 2012
First Keystone Productions Release is 100 Years Old Today
The first Keystone production hit movie screens on September 23, 1912. Released through Mutual, this one reel of film held two silent shorts Cohen Collects a Debt and The Water Nymph. Of course, we ...
Watch: Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927)
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt) is a 1927 German film directed by Walter Rut...
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Watch: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, starring Mary Pickford, was released on September 22, 1917. Directed by Marshall Neilan, the script was based on...
The Strange Fate of Kim's Video
This article from The Village Voice chronicles the sad, strange tale of what happened to the collection from New York's Kim's Video. Kim's Video was a very strange place, and a very New York place. Despite that this twisted story ends up in Italy, it...
Friday, 21 September 2012
Film Friday Weekly Round Up - The Catch Up Edition
Do you have a post TIFF hangover? I certainly do. Even though it's been 5 days, I'm not sure I'm completely recovered. Also, I'm not sure what movies I saw. TIFF is now a popcorn grease strained blur. I do know I saw Blancanieves...
Saturday, 15 September 2012
TIFF 2012 Review: Men at Lunch
You know that photo of New York City iron workers eating lunch on a steel girder hundreds of feet above the sidewalks of Mahattan? You definitely know this photos because as the new documentary Men at Lunch from Seán Ó Cualá...
TIFF 2012 Review: Passion
As I was leaving the theatre after seeing Brian De Palma's Passion I overheard two women discussing the film. One said to the other, "He was trying too hard." Yes he was. He always does. Personally, it's a thing I love about...
TIFF 2012 Review: The Act of Killing
Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing is one of the most difficult to watch films I've ever encountered. That's not to say it's not a good documentary, but you should brace yourself to look evil directly in the eye. Seriously, a woman sitting behin...
Friday, 14 September 2012
TIFF 2012 Review: The We and the I
How I long for the Michel Gondry of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep. That Gondry was inventive, weird, and wildly endearing. That Gondry was the reason I signed up for...
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Interview with Pablo Berger, Director of Blancanieves
I wish that each one of you may see Blancanieves. I also wish that each of you could sit down for a few minutes with Pablo Berger. He is delightful, articulate, and passionate on the subject of silent cinema. And seriously, ...
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
TIFF 2012 Review: Short Cuts Canada Programme #5
Having seen two of the Short Cuts Canada programmes, I'm up to 14 shorts in this fest. I'm trying to collect them all, like baseball cards. But, seriously, short films can be really freaking amazing and some of these are. Turns out Canadians can be w...
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
TIFF 2012 Review: Blancanieves
I saw Pablo Berger's Blancanieves and it left me speechless. I'm apparently not the only one blown away by this movie. Just this Blancanieves was shortlisted to represent Spain at t...
Monday, 10 September 2012
TIFF 2012 Review: The Central Park Five
Look, I knew going into The Central Park Five there was a high probability that I was going to get Burnsed. But I thought, hey this was directed by Sarah Burns not Ken Burns and if ever the was rich doc fodder it wa...
Sunday, 9 September 2012
TIFF 2012 Review: Short Cuts Canada: Programme #1
The best film I say at TIFF 2011 - hell the best film I saw in all of 2011 - was a short film titled Le Trotteur
TIFF 2012 Review: Yellow
The TIFF 2012 premiere of Nick Cassavetes' Yellow was packed to the rafters on Friday night...
Friday, 7 September 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup: The Before the Madness Edition
This is it people... I officially start TIFFing this afternoon. Life is crazeee hectic right now, which kinda sucks. I wanted to enjoy TIFF. I swear to the heavens that next year I'm taking two whole weeks off and not answering the phone dur...
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Review: The Original Felix the Cat (1922 - 1930)
It is damn near impossible to understand the popularity and influence of Felix the Cat during the silent era. Impossible to watch this cool kitty pull some really surreal tricks, that is. Since I'm sometimes sad that I no longer get to indulge in Sat...
Toronto Urban Film Festival
Hey, did you know there's another film festival going on in Toronto? The lines are still kinda long, but it will fold into your average day far more neatly. You can catch one-minute, silent films on screens across the TTC this week, brought ...
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Pretty Clever Films Goes to TIFF
It's that time of year again. The cottage is shuttered, the first hint of autumn is in the air, and hordes of cinemaniacs descend on once peaceful Toronto to gorge on movies - It's TIFF time! Also known at Pretty Clever HQ as "that time of year when ...
Friday, 31 August 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup - The Ugh Edition
So here's the situation - Pretty Clever Film Gal has been running like a hamster on a wheel, working her little rear off. This has left me feeling less pretty clever and more slightly dull. But TIFF is right around the corner, and I'm banking work an...
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Review: Laurel and Hardy Rarities
I'm not a card carrying member of the Sons of the Desert or anything, but I do harbour an abiding fondness for Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. My fondness goes beyond admiring their work and enjoying their movies. Sure, Laurel and Hardy are always funn...
Friday, 24 August 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup: The Links, I Don't Need No Stinkin' Links Edition
Good morning friends and fellow film fanatics, Pretty Clever Film Gal has shocking news to report - nothing happened on the interwebs this week. Okay, okay... I'm sure stuff did happen, but I missed it all. It's been a week of work, work, work and I'...
Friday, 17 August 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup: The Come Up and See Me Sometime Edition
It's been like Christmas and a birthday rolled into one for silent film fans this week. TCM featured Lillian Gish and set the interwebs ablaze with talk about the finest Griffith-Gish collaborations. Robert Bruce graces us with his live accompaniment to silent films. He's returning to Toronto this Thursday, August 16 to present "Summer Shorts." Catch 4 cla...
Friday, 10 August 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup - The nobody puts PCF in the corner edition.
It's been a trying week, ya'll! PCF was kaput all last weekend, due to technical difficulties, meaning Pretty Clever Film Gal couldn't precompose her brilliant thoughts to dole out a miserly pace for the week. And then, having nothing to do ...
Friday, 3 August 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup: The Big Week Edition
Wait, it's Friday again? That was one fast week, my friends, and not nearly as productive as it should have been. But it sure was exciting wasn't it? Sight & Sound's new critic poll not only told us Vertigo is the greate...
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Vertigo is the Greatest Film of All Time
Yeah, duh, I coulda told you that last week. But now it's official, Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo is the greatest film of all time, unseating reigning 50 year champ Citizen Kane in Sight & Sound's ...
Watch: Sally of the Sawdust (1925)
Sally of the Sawdust (1925) is an American silent comedy film, directed by D. W. Griffith, starring W. C. Fields, and based on the 1923 stage musical Poppy. It was originally released on August 2, 1925. I don't find...
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
(My) Top 5 Most Infuential Films
(My) Top 5 Most Influential Films
These are not THE top 5 most influential films, but rather MY top 5 most influential films. These are the movies that were game changers for me personally. The movies that woke me up, blew ...
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Review: A Fool There Was (1915)
A Fool There Was (1915) wasn't Theda Bara's first film (The Stain (1914) holds that special honor), but it was her first lead role. It also, I think, sets the template for every other role she playe...
Friday, 27 July 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup - TGIF Edition
Well now it's Friday and it seems like it's a long time comin' this week. As a matter of fact, when I woke up this morning I thought it was Saturday - and I immediately felt sad because I had somehow missed Friday. So as cliche as it sounds, TGIF. No...
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Review: Night Music (2010)
Sometimes in my movie review travels, I come across a nice little gem. Night Music (2010), directed by Blair Hayes and starring Boti Bliss, Guy Birtwhistle, ...
Monday, 23 July 2012
Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film
I posted this a while ago... but I can't recommend Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film enough. It's a crying shame that this series isn't more widely available. Judging by the number of Google searches that bring peeps to PCF, there ...
Scouting New York Does Annie Hall
So here I sit at 3:30 pm on a Monday, wondering precisely when it's socially acceptable to pop the cork on a bottle of wine. Do I really have to wait 'til 5 pm? As a great man once said, it's 5 o'clock somewhere...
Anyway, if you've found yourself...
Anyway, if you've found yourself...
Friday, 20 July 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup - The Bat Free Edition
Look, I have an abiding love for the Batman. Really I do. I love all of his comic book iterations, his slightly suspect relationship with Robin, and - c'mon - the B-Man has the most amazing rogues gallery of villains. I even loved the idea of a Chris...
Thursday, 19 July 2012
The Cameraman (1928)
I'll get to The Cameraman in a sec, just bear with me. Did you watch Lost? I hope, for your sake, that the answer is no. I mean, c'mon - J.J. Abrams, I'm going to kick your ass in a dark alley if I ever get the chan...
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
How do they do that? Accompanying Silent Film
I recently had the pleasure to speak to some of Toronto's talented musicians who sit regularly sit down and provide musical accompaniment at silent film screenings. As silent film fans know, the best way to see a silent is in a theatre, with an audie...
Friday, 8 June 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup
This is going to sound terribly narcissistic but often as I'm flipping through my RSS feeds I see a new post and think "Oh that sounds interesting!" Then it turns out to be my own. Wait, maybe that just makes me sound a bit senile? At any rate, and i...
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Watch: Lon Chaney in Flesh and Blood
Check out the always remarkable Lon Chaney in Flesh and Blood (1922). David Webster (Lon Chaney) escapes from prison after 15 years to see his daughter (Fandor ponied up the remaining funds not raised by the For the Love of Film blogathon and The White Shadow will be streaming for all on the Mary Pickford Blogathon hosted by Classic M...
Watch: Intolerance: Love's Struggle Through the Ages
Summer seems to be on hiatus in my backyard this Saturday. If the same is true where you live, then maybe it's the perfect time to drag your laptop over to the cozy, comfy bed and settle in for a watch of D.W. Griffith's epic Intolerance:...
Friday, 1 June 2012
Film Friday Weekly Roundup
Just when you think summer is here to stay the weather devolves into a rainy, chilly mess. Fortunately, Pretty Clever Film Gal has been on a bit of an order/recording bender lately, so she's got no end of indoor pursuits to keep her amused. Hopefully...
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Coming Up on TCM's Silent Sunday Nights in June
The lineup for TCM's Silent Sunday Nights in June is looking pretty damn fine. Clear some space on those TIVOs for these four great silent films, unless you actually stay up to 2 a.m. In that case, get the coffee maker primed. No matter how you consu...
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Review: The Temptress (1926)
The Temptress (1926) is a standard little romantic melodrama, the kind of silent film that you find on any silver screen in any town in 1926. It's packed with super stars - directed by Fred Ni...
Friday, 25 May 2012
Win the Buster Keaton Short Films Collection
And the Pretty Clever Films blog birthday month bash continues with the chance to win the Kino edition of Buster Keaton: Short Films Collection 1920-1923!
Keaton;s short films are widely regarded as not only his finest work, ...
And the winner of the Chaplin Modern Times Watch is...
The winner of the super amazing to Trevor Jost, better known as @tpjost on Twitter. He's also the proud owner of the awesom...
Film Friday Weekly Round Up
Summer is officially on in Toronto, friends and neighbors! The pools are open, the barbeques are fired, and the Cup finals are a wash (the Kings and the Rangers, puh-lease). And this if of course a perfect day for... sitting in a dark theatr...
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
The Modern Times Feeding Machine Scene
This is my favorite scene from Modern Times. It's the little mouth wiping arm of the feeding machine that really gets me. I guess dead pan is to be expected from a bot, but the way that it pops out to dab Charlie's mouth no matter what mishap ju...
Monday, 21 May 2012
Finite Hitchcock
This article is my contribution to the For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon III. Granted, I'm two days late, but I don't have to be two dollars short. This year's blogathon was designed to benefit the Nation...
Friday, 18 May 2012
Win a Charlie Chaplin Modern Times Watch
Just look at this thing! That little Charlie Chaplin there rotates around the face of the watch! How freaking cute and awesome is that? Here's a closer look.
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers (1915)
Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers features a lot of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and a little bit of Harold Lloyd. I give it five stars for that fact alone and one more for Fatty in drag.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IhjRV-wo9Y
Direct...
Monday, 14 May 2012
Hand-Colored Original Clips from a Trip to the Moon
Here's some hand-colored original clips from a Trip to the Moon. This is just a little tease of what you'll be watching if you w...
Grapevine Video May Releases
Word to yo mama, Grapevine Video just announced 4 "new" silent titles for release this month. All these titles are on sale through the end of the month, so get 'em whi...
Review: The Testament of Judith Barton
I hated Jane Eyre. I resented every moment of my ninth grade life that was wasted on reading that book. And then I was delighted to learn that another author had written a novel about Rochester's mad wife in the attic, Wide Sargasso Sea<...
Saturday, 12 May 2012
A Trip to the Moon in Beautiful Color
Silent films weren't always black and white, ya know. It's a fact that modern viewers sometimes lose sight of. Sometimes silent films were brought to glorious life by pain staking hand coloring. Each tiny little frame is a master piece.
The c...
Friday, 11 May 2012
Film Friday - Weekly Round Up
What a beautiful Friday morning it's shaping up to be! It's sunny and mild, and I hope you're not reading this because you're out in it, or you're at the Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid classic film weekend hosted by the Toronto Film Society ...
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Review: Hitler: The Comedy Years
How could I not want to watch a documentary titled Hitler: The Comedy Years? This doc has a really fascinating premise - in short, Great Britain viewed ridicule as it's greatest anti-Nazi weapon. Now, that's interesting. In the end, the doc ...
Monday, 7 May 2012
Watch: His Regeneration (1915)
Let's play spot the Chaplin! His Regeneration was released on May 7, 1915 by Essanay Studios. In it, a criminal type get in an argument over a dance hall gal. Notable mostly for featuring an uncredited Charlie Chaplin in the role of "a ...
Short films from the Golden Age of Comedy
The golden age of the short film and the golden age of comedy are one in the same. Here's a look at a few of my favorites from the silent era, when all films were short films, and the comic geniuses were at play. Get ready for a yuks and chucks!...
Friday, 4 May 2012
Coming soon... PCF is giving stuff away!
Hey silent party people, it's almost my blog birthday! Pretty Clever Films was born on May 11, 2011, so it's just one week away from being one whole year old.
Now, Pretty Clever Film Gal loves a birthday, especially her own. She's a birthday ...
Watch Caught in the Rain (1914)
See Charlie Chaplin in Caught in the Rain (1914). I'm going four stars on this one, since it's Charlie, Keystone Studios, and funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnO7Sthol8I
Cast
<...
Film Friday - Weekly Roundup
The Super-Sized Edition
I'm going to call this week's Film Friday - Weekly Roundup: The Super-sized Edition. I mean just look at all those links! I am obviously inspired by the interwebs this week, and obviously NOT jus...
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Review: The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916)
Thanks to the generosity and hospitality of an awesome Toronto film fan, I had the opportunity to see The Mystery of the Leaping Fish last weekend. I've...
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916)
I give the Mystery of the Leaping Fish 5 stars just for it weirdness and it's Little Fish Blower. Read my review here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8W52FNmEFY&list=PL644ACEC7CF5CB4F7&index=1&feature=pl...
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Manhandled (1924)
This 1924 beauty starring Gloria Swanson and Tom Moore is your classic tale of girl succeeding and then being accused of allowing herself to be "manhandled" in order to succeed. I mean it can't be talent, right?
There's some awesome footage of NYC...
There's some awesome footage of NYC...
The Toronto Film Society Presents the "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" Film Weekend
For the past 45 years, the Toronto Film Society has hosted a May film weekend in northern Ontario, and now for the first time ever, the May film weeken...
Saturday, 28 April 2012
Friday, 27 April 2012
Grandma's Boy (1922)
Harold Lloyd's Grandma's Boy was released April 27, 1922. Watch the complete movie on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDCA42B496E82DAA2&feature=mh_lolz...
Hot Docs: The World Before Her
I often find it difficult to review documentaries, especially reviewing them very soon after watching. It takes some time to parse out the emotional impact of a really good documentary. The World Before Her, screening a...
Caught in a Cabaret (1914)
Caught in a Cabaret, starring Charlie Chaplin and directed by comedic actress extraordinaire Mabel Normand was released on April 27, 1914.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKsW3k56YEk
...
Thursday, 26 April 2012
The Life and Death of Willam Taylor Desmond
Today is the birthday of William Taylor Desmond, silent film actor and director. Though he acted in or directed over 80 silent films (most considered lost), Desmond is most famous for being rather mysteriously murdered. The investigation of his murde...
Coming Up in Toronto: A Silent Cinema Dilemma
This weekend in Toronto is either a silent film fan's greatest fantasy or her worst nightmare? Why? There's not one, but two silent film screenings - on the same day!
The Cinementals, I found this charming little time-lapse video of someone drawing Charlie Chaplin. Really, it brightened my day and hopefully it will brighten yours, too. Now I'm...
