WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[feaito]

I watched the excellent Pre-Code "Three on a Match". Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart have relatively small roles and little screen time. The real stars of the picture are sassy Joan Blondell and the very attractive and intriguing Ann Dvorak. Ann Dvorak plays a very complicated, self-destructive character, full of contradictions and Joanie plays a lady who's been places and who can value a good man; enter Warren William, who plays Dvorak's perfect husband: suave, sweet, understanding, rich, with high moral standards, caring et al. Lyle Talbot is good as a shady guy who falls for Dvorak. And there are many familiar faces in the uniformly good cast: Jack La Rue, Grant Mitchell, Clara Blandick, Glenda Farrell, Blanche Friderici, Herman Bing, Edward Arnold.

This film was far, far better than I expected, especially thanks to Blondell and Dvorak. Pre-Code fans must see it.

BTW, yesterday I re-watched "Complicated Women" (2003). I wonder why this small gem is not on DVD yet!

[Ann Harding]

You know Synnove, I was lucky enough to see The Black Pirate on a big screen at the National Film Theatre in 1996. The print on the Kino DVD is really disappointing compared with the gorgeous 35 mm BFI-restored print I saw then. The colors were designed to look like a children's book, muted and pastel-like. Also the music on the Kino is disappointing. You need to see this film on a big screen with some good music to really get the tongue-in-cheek aspect that Doug wanted to give it. It's my favourite Fairbanks with The Thief of Bagdad.

[coopsgirl]

Hey Feaito,
I liked Three on a Match too and was surprised to see Glenda Farrell and Edward Arnold as I like them both a lot. I don't really like Bette Davis or Bogart so I was happy with their smaller roles. Is it just me or does Warren Williams always look like he's about to fall asleep?

[Synnove]

You know Synnove, I was lucky enough to see The Black Pirate on a big screen at the National Film Theatre in 1996. The print on the Kino DVD is really disappointing compared with the gorgeous 35 mm BFI-restored print I saw then. The colors were designed to look like a children's book, muted and pastel-like. Also the music on the Kino is disappointing. You need to see this film on a big screen with some good music to really get the tongue-in-cheek aspect that Doug wanted to give it. It's my favourite Fairbanks with The Thief of Bagdad.

I'm sure you're right, I knew I was missing something. It struck me when the opening tunes of the music score began, how different an experience it is when you watch a silent and hear a music score that sounds special. I can often understand the feeling some of my friends have that silents are boring, because that music is too often just a rehashing of rather tame tunes in a digital recording. On the other hand, inspired silent movie music like the kind Matti Bye or Carl Davies write can lift the movie so much.

I've been wanting to see the Thief of Bagdad ever since I saw a clip of the flying carpet sequence which was really enchanting to me.

[feaito]

Hey Feaito,
I liked Three on a Match too and was surprised to see Glenda Farrell and Edward Arnold as I like them both a lot. I don't really like Bette Davis or Bogart so I was happy with their smaller roles. Is it just me or does Warren Williams always look like he's about to fall asleep?

Coopsgirl, I was surprised to see so many familiar faces in the supporting cast.

Re. Warren William... maybe he has "sleepy" eyes?

[drednm]

Off from work for three weeks, so I've been watching a few silents:

Rewatched faves like STAGE STRUCK with Gloria Swanson and Lawrence Gray in Technicolor.... terrific comedy. TOL'ABLE DAVID with a great performance by Richard Barthelmess. This one always leaves me emotionally drained.

Was not impressed by QUEEN ELIZABETH but worth the 45 minutes to see Sarah Bernhardt.

I liked SCARLET DAYS which I think I mentioned before. Also really liked BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY with Nell Shipman. And despite a horrid score, SKINNER'S DRESS SUIT was fun. Laura LaPlante is always good and Reginald Denny was a huge surprise in this comedy.

PETER PAN was amazing. A beautiful print from KINO and solid score by Philip Carli. I kept wonder if Mary Pickford had ever considered the role... anyone know? Betty Bronson was fine. What a really imaginative film fantasy!

Also had seen A MORMON MAID with Mae Murray and the 1915 CARMEN with Geraldine Farrar and Wallace Reid. Both films were good.

[charliechaplinfan]

I'm glad to see many of us are catching upon film watching, it'll be a few days before I can switch on again.

I love Peter Pan, it's the most fairylike and magical version I've seen.

Christine, I love your new avatar. As for Fairbanks, if any silent films were to be shown here, The Thief of Bagdad or The Black Pirate would be what I'd chose. Has anyone else here got the book by Jeffrey Vance for Xmas? I'llcontent myself with that for now.

[bdp]

PETER PAN was amazing. A beautiful print from KINO and solid score by Philip Carli. I kept wonder if Mary Pickford had ever considered the role... anyone know?

Mary Pickford would have had to deal with James Barrie himself to produce a film of Peter Pan - I know that Barrie was the one who chose Betty Bronson to play Pan.

[drednm]

The film was quite fine as is, but I wondered how Pickford let it slip through her fingers.... then again, maybe it was not a big enough role for her.

I remember fondly the Mary Martin musical version from 50s TV. Aside from moving the silent version from London to the USA, this meshed pretty well. Although I don't remember the mermaids.

Ernest Torrence was a splendid Hook. Esther Ralston was quite a beauty as the mother. And the special effects with Virginia Brown Faire as Tinker Bell were excellent.

The original 1905 Broadway production starred the legendary Maude Adams. She returned in a 1912 and 1915 productions as well! Marilyn Miller starred in a 1924 production. Eva Le Gallienne starred in 1928. And get this---Jean Arthur starred in the first musical version in 1950, which apparently had nothing to do with Mary Martin's TV version.

[charliechaplinfan]

I forgot to comment on Three On A Match, I really enjoyed that film when I saw it. I thought the girls really complemented one another. I thought Bette Davis was more natural than in later films.

Mary Pickford as Peter Pan, she would have been great but both are legends. Perhaps the combination of the two would have been too much, at least for Mr Barrie.

[drednm]

Pickford would probably have played both Peter and Mrs. Darling.... a trick she used in LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY.....

[Ann Harding]

Yesterday I watched One Man's Journey (1933) by John S. Robertson with Lionel Barrymore, Joel McCrea, May Robson and Frances Dee.
Lionel Barrymore is a country doctor dedicated to his small town and its inhabitants to the point of forgetting about his own career. He refuses opportunities of a better job to go on with the tiring and badly paid labour. Hi son (Joel McCrea) follows in his footsteps as a surgeon...
From a very interesting subject, Robertson manages to make an incredibly stiff looking programmer. This is a real shame as the cast is flawless with Lionel Barrymore nearly devoided of his usual quirks. Frances Dee and McCrea have really thankless parts which are never allowed to really blossom. Worth investigating only if you are a great Lionel Barrymore fan!

[feaito]

Thanks to Alison I was able to see the wonderful De Mille "Male & Female" (1919). Gloria is fantastic in it and so is Thomas Meigham. He did not look 20 years Gloria's senior. I'm currently reading her autobiography "Swanson on Swanson" and I wanted to watch one of her first films. My wife marveled at the print's fine condition. She could not believe it was a film from 1919!

[drednm]

MALE AND FEMALE is in great shape, has a nice score, and solid performances by the stars. Thomas Meighan is pretty much forgotten now but he was a big star in silents. Gloria Swanson is, of course, immortal.[/b]

[feaito]

You know Drednm, when I was watching this film starring Mr. Meigham (which is the first time I've seen him on screen), I don't know why but I kept thinking of Eugene O'Brien, who apparently was very famous during the late teens and early twenties, especially because he co-starred with Norma Talmadge. I have never seen him on screen, but I have always felt that his case is similar than Mr. Meigham's, very well know during those years, fotgotten today.

It was also fun to see such familiar faces as Julia Faye and Bebe Daniels.