MURNAU, BORZAGE AND FORD AT FOX

[pvitari]

This is embarrassing. Mention here of the Dumont book inspired me to take it off the shelf and leaf through it -- of course I ended up at the Lucky Star chapter, and there I found the very reference I'd made above to Caligari! Except that was observed in print by Mr. Dumont back in 1993. I've read this chapter before, of course, but didn't remember the reference, so was it a case of GMTA (doubtful since in my case there's no "G") :) or simply absorbing something but not remembering I'd absorbed it? Anyway, the visual linkage is unmistakeable and I loved what Borzage did with his inspiration.

[charliechaplinfan]

I can never remember clearly what I've read, I'm always having to cross reference. The imagery in Lucky Star has a striking resemblance to Dr Caligari.

Incidentally, I've just seen that there are links to a Borzage film on the youtube film thread.

[pvitari]

I've already scoured youtube for Borzage though I pretty much have everything on there in my collection (at least of what I've been able to find) -- but I never mind being able to hit a few buttons and watch, say, George Brent and Kay Francis falling instantly in love in Living on Velvet. :) (That's a scene I'll never get tired of.) :)

However -- where exactly is this youtube film thread? I looked around for it but couldn't find it.

[MichiganJ]

Not to intrude on the thread, but for anyone interested in Blu-ray, I recently got the Blu of City Girl and the picture is a substantial improvement over the standard DVD from the box set (which looked pretty good). The images are so crisp, and the depth-of-field so great, that it looks almost 3D. The music, too, in 5.1 DTS-HD is terrific, with great separation and balance. There's also a commentary track by David Kalat, which wasn't included in any previous release.

[charliechaplinfan]

Here's the link but it is for Living on Velvet, I made a mental note to follow the link at weekend and haven't got around to it yet.

http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/vie ... 5&start=30

[pvitari]

Hi, Michigan J, I recently ordered the Blu-rays of Sunrise and City Girl from amazon.co.uk so I'm just waiting on them... I'm really looking forward to the improved picture, though I do think even the standard DVDs (esp. City Girl) look pretty good. I wonder why the Brits get Blu-rays and we don't. Oh, for a Blu-ray of Lucky Star!

[MichiganJ]

I recently ordered the Blu-rays of Sunrise and City Girl from amazon.co.uk so I'm just waiting on them... I'm really looking forward to the improved picture, though I do think even the standard DVDs (esp. City Girl) look pretty good

You'll love the Czech print of Sunrise! It's gorgeous.

Oh, for a Blu-ray of Lucky Star!

Haven't seen any Borzage on Blu, yet. But maybe if these sell well, Eureka will obtain the rights to those, too. Here's hoping.

I wonder why the Brits get Blu-rays and we don't.

At least we are fortunate that these Blu's are region free, and not too expensive.

[Gagman 66]

Christine,

Of course I positively love the Movie-tone score to SEVENTH HEAVEN and can't imagine the film without it. I've never thought of the melodies as being overallly sentimental. And isn't it actually a Erno Rapee'-Lew Pollack score? I'm confused here? I'm sure they wrote "Diane?" Maybe the other people you mentioned also worked on the music as well? I also love the Rapee'-Pollack score to STREET ANGEL. So has anyone seen the Region 2 BFI release that came out late last year? Are the transfers better than in Fox set of these two films? Does LUCKY STAR have different music? To me the new Chris Caliendo score for LUCKY STAR is a travesty. Wonderful movie, terrible music. Caliendo has done good work in the past, In particular LADY OF CHANCE, but this is definitely not up to the standard, or even close.

[phil noir]

So has anyone seen the Region 2 BFI release that came out late last year? Are the transfers better than in Fox set of these two films? Does LUCKY STAR have different music?

I have both volumes of the BFI Frank Borzage releases. I haven't seen the Region 1 boxed set versions of the films involved, so I can't comment on the transfers - but Lucky Star does feature the Christopher Caliendo score you dislike, I'm afraid. (The BFI negotiated with Fox to use the score, so I would guess they also negotiated to use the same transfers...)

Seventh Heaven and Street Angel have the original Movietone soundtracks, as does The River (I assume it's original).

(Is it my imagination, or does the soundtrack to The River lapse disconcertingly into Flight of the Bumblebee at one point?)

[charliechaplinfan]

I can't remember a clip of the Flight of the Bumblebee, that's not saying it isn't there, I have the region 2 disc too. I love The River, I've watched it 3 times. I don't have any of the other BFI discs but very often releases like these are the same versions.

I don't remember disliking the score to Lucky Star I just remember loving the film.

[phil noir]

Oh, I loved Lucky Star! I thought it was absolutely wonderful. I don't know which of the three Borzage-Gaynor-Farrell films I like the most!

I have to admit to being a little bit disappointed with The River. I know I should be grateful that we have even a partial print of it, but for me it was more tantalising than anything else. The short sequence where a censored section had been re-inserted (courtesy of the Swedish Film Institute, I think) was most tantalising of all, because the print quality was so much better than the rest of the film. Wonderful performances from Charles Farrell and Mary Duncan though.

I liked the Movietone soundtracks of Seventh Heaven and Street Angel (I know they plug their respective theme songs rather heavily, but that was a feature of the silent to sound switchover, wasn't it?). On the other hand, I found the music to The River a bit draggy. The modern score for Lucky Star, I had no problem with. I wouldn't necessarily choose to listen to it on its own, but - to me, at least - it didn't jar with the film.

[feaito]

I have to say that as far as the Gaynor-Farrell team is concerned "Lucky Star" would be definitely my favorite film of theirs, followed by "Street Angel" (1928) and then, "7th Heaven" (1927). If I include Gaynor's and Farrell's solo performances -sans the other- the choices would be this:

"Lucky Star" (1929) tied with "The River" (1929)
"City Girl" (1929)
"Sunrise" (1927)
"Street Angel" (1928)
"Seventh Heaven" (1927)
"Liliom" (1930)

[charliechaplinfan]

I think I'd agree with you Fernando but I'd reverse the order of Street Angel and Seventh Heaven. I like all three of the Borzage silents with Street Angel lagging slightly in comparision to the other two.

[pvitari]

Michigan, both versions of Sunrise are already on the disc in the Borzage set.

I recently read the source material for Lucky Star -- Tristram Tupper's story "Three Episodes in the Life of Timothy Osborn." Fascinating to see how Borzage et al greatly expanded the story, but also cut out some material, like a second woman who also is interested in Tim. Pop Fry, the army cook, also has a much bigger role in the original story.

I can see why this story in particular appealed to Borzage -- the plot has a lot of similarities to 7th Heaven.

Curiously, Mary is more passive in the movie than in the story. In the story, she apparently engineers her impending nuptials to Wrenn (whose role overall is much smaller in the story) in order to create a "special occasion" that will inspire Tim to "find" his legs. In the movie she passively accepts what she thinks is her fate as arranged between her mother and Wrenn. But I like to think her physical passivity is actually a choice on her part, i.e., her attempt to live up to Tim's ideals, because in the film (not the story) he tells her that she should do what her mother says. I'm sure he never meant for his advice to backfire like that, though!

[MichiganJ]

Michigan, both versions of Sunrise are already on the disc in the Borzage set.

I know. You had mentioned that you were getting the Blu-ray of Sunrise, which contains both the Movietone and Czech versions, too, and on that, the HD image of the Czech version of Sunrise is far superior to that of the HD Movietone version. Both are superior to the images in the Murnau/Borzage Box set. The blu-ray of City Girl is also an improvement over the box set, and the HD music is a standout.

In other silents on Blu-ray news, Chaplin's The Kid and The Great Dictator will be released in the UK on May 10th. Both discs are region B locked.