WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[feaito]

I saw this one eons ago on TV Michigan. And from what I recall one of the best thing for me was having the chance of seeing scenes of early films rarely seen up to that time -especially the Silents and Pre-Codes.

[drednm]

Finally got around to watching DW Griffith's The Idol Dancer, probably the worst Griffith film I've seen. Despite the terrific Richard Barthelmess and the tragic Clarine Seymour, a huge disappointment.

[MichiganJ]

Finally got around to watching DW Griffith's The Idol Dancer, probably the worst Griffith film I've seen. Despite the terrific Richard Barthelmess and the tragic Clarine Seymour, a huge disappointment.

Having never seen The Idol Dancer I can't really comment except to say that even bad Griffith usually has something to recommend. For me, the "worst" Griffith would be The Girl Who Stayed At Home. Too confusing and poor Carol Dempster...
The film actually belongs to the secondary leads, Harron and Seymour, who are both terrific.

[feaito]

Last week I saw -thanks Ollie- "Reducing" (1931) with Marie Dressler and Polly Moran as rival sisters and Anita Page and Sally Eilers, as their respective daughters, who are also rivals, but for the love of one rich man. Mildly amusing and pleasant comedy.

[charliechaplinfan]

Thanks again Ollie, for The Beast and the City probably best known for being an early Jean Harlow film and she's certainly noticeable and very sexy. A pleasant film in the mould of gangster genre, what set it apart for me was the shoot out at the end, I've never seen a direct shoot out between the police and the baddies.

[MichiganJ]

Nearly as visually stunning as Sunrise, I watched Julien Duvivier's Au Bonheur des Dames, and it is easily now one of my top ten favorite silent films. It stars the beautiful Dita Parlo (of The Grand Illusion fame) in a story based on the Zola novel.

Essentially, the plot is similar to You've Got Mail, with Parlo's uncle owning a small fabric store being muscled out of business by the mega-department store across the street. Parlo gets a job as a model at the department store, and soon she's romantically involved with the department store's owner. There's plenty of tragedy and--ala The Last Laugh--a tacked on happy ending that nearly undermines everything preceding it. (Apparently, the ending is Zola's, but the politics are quite confusing, although his message that "serving progress is the right thing to do" (never mind the cost), comes through loud and clear.

So why is this such a great film? Visually it's remarkable. Each shot, each frame is just beautiful. Duvivier moves his camera (a lot), but always to the benefit of the story telling. He also uses close-ups very well (and plenty of Parlo), which work great in a sequence in the models' dressing room where conversations take place with mirrored reflections, allowing us to understand the spacial relationships between the participants (which is important, as a "cat fight" soon breaks out).

Apparently filmed at an actual large department store in Paris, Duvivier either steals shots of actual shoppers or has the best direction of extras in a silent film. And there are a few interesting matte shots, some of which don't actually "line up", which is a forgivable "flaw", in one of France's final, and brilliant, silent films.

[charliechaplinfan]

It's in mine top ten too. It's a visual feast. I have great feeling of nostalgia with the stores, it's a real snap shot of how we used to live. I like looking at the store scenes in Safety Last and My Best Girl too. The other film I find very nostaligic is City Girl, the scenes in the restuarant. Is it just me that wallows in the nostalgia of these silent movies?

[moira finnie]

Hey, guys, have you seen Ann Harding's wonderful account of Au Bonheur des Dames (1930), complete with pictures, found here on this site?

[feaito]

"Au Bonheur des dames" is truly one of the greatest Silents I've discovered these past two years, along with "City Girl" (1929), "The Godless Girl" (1929), "Lucky Star"(1929), "Monte-Cristo" (1928), "Pandora's Box" (1929) and "The Phantom Carriage" (1921), among the ones I recall now.

I watched yet another episode of Brownlow's "Hollywood", the one devoted to Valentino's and Swanson's careers. Fabulous! Thank you so much Christine for sharing it with me.

[markfp]

I'm a projectionist at our local film society and last night we ran BULLDOG DRUMMOND (1929) with Ronald Colman and Joan Bennett. Terrific film. It was Coleman's first talkie.

[moira finnie]

Hi Mark,
When you ran Bulldog Drummond, were there many comments made about that delightful build-up to Colman's first appearance in this talkie? I love that sequence and wonder what it might have been like for audiences to hear R.C.'s voice for the first time back in the early talkie days and today. I'd also love to know if any audience members had anything to say about Lilyan Tashman's vamping, or Claud Allister as Bulldog's fey friend, Algy. Though the plot creaked rather badly when I saw this one, it was certainly entertaining.

[charliechaplinfan]

Thanks for the link Moira, it's nice to gaze upon those pictures again.

I watched Don Q, Son of Zorro it's absolutely great. With the exception of Robin Hood and The Three Musketeers which I haven't seen and The Black Pirate which lacked enough plot I love Doug's swashbuckling films. In this film Doug plays both the son of the title and shaves off his famous moustache to play the father. The climax has them duelling side by side. I can but wonder what modern audiences thought of Doug's films, the scale is so grand, they look like no expense has been spared and are pure escapism. Charlotte Pickford has a role as the servant girl of Don Q, she does have some of her famous sister's mannerisms but little of her glitter.

[Gagman 66]

Recently, saw OPEN ALL NIGHT (Paramount, 1924). With Adolphe Menjou, Viola Dana, Jetta Goudal. and Raymond Griffith. Pretty decent print. somewhat dark in places, bright in others, but overalll not to bad. What a strange film. This can only be described as a "Bizarre Sex Comedy". It even opens with a close up of a Nude Lady Cigarette-Holder (A shapely one), in the husband's hand. There are Traces of Ernst Lubitsch in there, although He did not direct this picture. The infamous Paul Bern who later Be-Wed Jean Harlow was credited. I have championed Raymond Griffith in the past, but He is painfully unfunny in this movie.

Dana looks shell-shocked most of the time. A neglected Wife who has read so many tawdry romance novels that she longs for a real He-Man type to slap her around good, before making love to her. Hubby Adolphe Menjou, is far to much of a gentlemen for her taste. But a gentleman never the less with a roving eye, which He cast's in promiscuous Jetta Goudal's direction. She is stepping out on her muscle bound boyfriend, (a professional bicycle racer?) in a Paris Hot Spot. The Hubby picks her up in the ladies public boudoir. At the same time, irony or ironies, wifey-poo is getting friendly with the athletic Boy Friend, played by the gigantic Maurice B. Flynn.

The subplot with R. Griffith's character headed to America to replace Valentino as the "Next Great Movie Sheik" never really makes much sense. This film was made during Rudy's self imposed sabbatical from Hollywood. As for the leads, If both parties were married, this could almost be described as a "Spouse-Swapping" movie. At the least it is a "Mate-Swapping one", or nearly so. A Highly unusual production to be sure. Goudal was a beautiful Woman, but is wearing enough make-up here to sink the Lusatania! She' also could stand to put some meat on those bones, all she has are bones! Viola, appears to be decidedly more shapely. Though Goudal is far more alluring. This is one of the oddest silents I had seen in quite sometime. Maybe ever?




Slinky Jetta Goudal and Dapper Adolphe Menjou in OPEN ALL NIGHT (1924)

[MichiganJ]

Re-watched the theatrical version of Greed recently and still think it's one of the greatest films ever made. Stroheim's attention to detail is evident in every scene, but it is really his direction of his cast that makes this film extraordinary. Who but Stroheim would cast Zazu Pitts in the pivotal role of Trina? Her performance, I think, is one of the greatest in silent film, second only to Falconetti in The Passion Of Joan of Arc.

[feaito]

I have to see Greed again Michigan, It's indeed a masterful film and Pitts' tremendous talents hasn't been praised enough. She was equllay superb in "The Wedding March" (1928).

I have never been a fan per-se of plain comedy. Although I love the Mae West character, Sophisticated comedy (Lubitsch), Screwball comedy, Black comedy and Romantic Comedy, oddly enough I've never been very fond of Comedy as Genre; It does not appeal that much to me (Langdon, Laurel & Hardy, Lloyd, etc.). For example, with the excepction of "Duck Soup" (1933) I haven't enjoyed very much The Marx Brothers' films. Their humor most of the times eludes me. I'm thinking now that maybe it is the fact that witty, incisive dialogue matters more to me -concerning comedy- than "visuals", thus this might make me stay away from Silent Comedies.

Notwithstanding the foregoing I have enjoyed immensely Chaplin's films, but his genius trascends comedy and he is something special.

Well, reading Brownlow's magnificent oeuvre "The Parade's Gone By" I reached the chapter in which Buster Keaton is discussed -besides "Free and Easy" (1930) I think I have never seen a complete Keaton film, not a single Silent....What a shame!- So I remebered that I have a double DVD Edition of "The General" (1926) and "Steamboat Bill Jr." (1928) and decided to watch the former...

Well, I have to say that I'm impressed by Keaton's skill, intelligence, talent, finesse and charm. The film is so cleverly mounted. The stunts are so perfectly done. I giggled a lot and that's very much to say in my case, because I usually don't find much about to laugh in plain comedies. But this is not a "plain" comedy. "The General" is a smart film. Images are all. I hade never seen a Silent in which intertitles where so secondary! "The General" is indeed one of the biggest achivements of Comedy.