Silent Beauties: 2010

This site is dedicated to the preservation of memory of silent films. Although they were quite important in the evolution of cinema, they remain virtually forgotten nowadays. Since the best way to understand the present is taking an attentive look at the past, here you have some movies, pictures, interviews, etc. on silent cinema. Some occasional material on sound films will also be presented. I hope you enjoy getting to know a bit more about the beauty and sheer fun of these golden oldies.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Le Monstre (The Monster)- 1903

An Egyptian prince has lost his beloved wife and he has sought a dervish who dwells at the base of the sphinx. The prince promises him a vast fortune if the dervish will only give him the opportunity of gazing once more upon the features of his wife. The dervish accepts the offer. He brings in from a neighboring tomb the receptacle containing the remains of the princess. He opens it and removes the skeleton, which he places upon the ground close beside him. Then, turning to the moon and raising his arms outstretched toward it, he invokes the moon to give back life to her who is no more. The skeleton begins to move about, becomes animated, and arises. The dervish puts it upon a bench and covers it with a white linen; a masque conceals its ghostly face. At a second invocation the skeleton begins again to move, arises, and performs a weird dance. In performing its contortions it partly disappears in the ground. While performing its feats it increases gradually in size, its neck assuming enormous proportions, much to the horror of the prince, who fails to see in this grotesque character the wife whom he has lost. The dance ceases. The dervish throws a veil over the hideous creature. Then appear the real princess as she was when her husband possessed her. The prince darts forward to take her into his arms to give her a last kiss, but the dervish stops him, wraps the young lady in the veil and throws her into the arms of the prince. When he removes the veil he finds only the skeleton of his former wife. The vision has disappeared, and the princess has returned to dust. The dervish withdraws, and the prince pursues him with his threats and curses.

Interior N.Y. subway, 14th St. to 42nd St. - 1905 (Part2)

The camera platform was on the front of a New York subway train following another train on the same track. Lighting is provided by a specially constructed work car on a parallel track. At the time of filming, the subway was only seven months old, having opened on October 27, 1904. The ride begins at 14th Street (Union Square) following the route of today's east side IRT, and ends at the old Grand Central Station, built by Cornelius Vanderbuilt in 1869. The Grand Central Station in use today was not completed until 1913.

Interior N.Y. subway, 14th St. to 42nd St. - 1905 (Part 1)

Lower Broadway - 1903

The film shows a view which appears to be looking north on Broadway at the intersection of Wall Street, in front of Trinity Church. The sidewalk along Broadway is crowded with people, and the traffic in both streets is very heavy. A horse-drawn streetcar passes in front of the camera [Frame: 2814], with a sign giving its destination as the "Courtland and Fulton Street Ferry."

New York City Ghetto Fish market -1903

A timetravel to the new york city of 1903 (no sound). Isn't it amazing?

Skyscrapers of New York City - 1903

Statue of Liberty -1898

The Statue of Liberty is seen in New York Harbor in 1898, filmed by the Edison Film Manufacturing Company.

Titanic Disaster - 1912

An extremely rare film, by Gaumont of France, of the Titanic before she sank and the aftermath of the disaster.

Moscou sous la neige/ Moscow Clad in Snow - 1908

Moscou sous la neige / Moscow Clad in Snow
Pathé Frères, 1908
The film is in four parts. First, the camera pans the Kremlin and Marshal's Bridge. Sleds are parked in rows. Horse-drawn sleighs run up and down a busy street. Next, we visit the mushroom and fish market where common people work and shop. In Petrovsky Park are the well-to-do. Men are in great coats. A file of six or seven women ski past on a narrow lane. Last, there's a general view of Moscow. A slow pan takes us to a view above the river front where the film began.

MADAME L'AVOCAT - 1908

SANG ESPAGNOL - 1908

Founded as Société Pathé Frères in Paris, France on September 28, 1896 by brothers Charles, Émile, Théophile and Jacques Pathé, during the first part of the 20th century, Pathé became the largest film equipment and production company in the world as well as a major producer of phonograph records.

The driving force behind the film operation was Charles Pathé who had helped open a gramophone shop in 1894 and then established a phonograph factory at Chatou on the western outskirts of Paris. Successful, he saw the opportunities that new means of entertainment offered and in particular by the fledgling motion picture industry. Having decided to expand the record business to include film equipment, Charles Pathé oversaw a rapid expansion of the company. To finance its growth, he took the company public under the name Compagnie Générale des Établissements Pathé Frères Phonographes & Cinématographes (sometimes abbreviated as "C.G.P.C.") in 1897, and its shares were listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.[1]
Headquarters of Associated British-Pathé at 142 Wardour Street in London.

In 1896, Mitchell Mark of Buffalo, New York, may have been the first American to import Pathé films to the United States, where they were shown in the Vitascope Theater.

In 1902, Pathé acquired the Lumière brothers patents then set about to design an improved studio camera and to make their own film stock. Their technologically advanced equipment, new processing facilities built at Vincennes, and aggressive merchandising combined with efficient distribution systems allowed them to capture a huge share of the international market. They first expanded to London in 1902 where they set up production facilities and a chain of movie theaters. By 1909, Pathé had built more than 200 movie theaters in France and Belgium and by the following year they had facilities in Madrid, Moscow, Rome and New York City plus Australia and Japan. Slightly later, they opened a film exchange in Buffalo, New York. Prior to the outbreak of World War I, Pathé dominated Europe's market in motion picture cameras and projectors. It has been estimated that at one time, 60 percent of all films were shot with Pathé equipment.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Fatty & Mabel at the San Diego Exposition (1915)

Public Domain. Edited for time.
With Roscoe Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, Minta Durfee, Joe Bordeaux.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Phantom Carriage - 1921

Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish (intertitles)
Director: Victor Sjöström
Writers: Selma Lagerlöf (novel), Victor Sjöström
Stars: Victor Sjöström, Hilda Borgström and Tore Svennberg
Release Date: 4 June 1922 (USA)
Also known as: Körkarlen Sweden (original title); The Phantom Carriage (undefined) / International (English title); A Carruagem Fantasma (Brazil); A halál kocsisa (Hungary); Ajomies (Finland); Der Fuhrmann des Todes (Germany); Furman smierci(Poland); I amaxa fantasma (Greece - festival title); Il carretto fantasma (Italy); Køresvenden (Denmark); La charrette fantôme (France); O Carro Fantasma(Portugal); The Phantom Chariot (undefined); The Stroke of Midnight (undefined); Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness (undefined); Wózek-widmo (Poland)
Filming Locations: Svensk Filmindustri, Filmstaden, Råsunda, Stockholms län, Sweden
Production Co: Svensk Filmindustri (SF)
Sound Mix: Silent
Color: Black and White
It's New Year's Eve. Three drunkards evoke a legend. The legend tells that the last person to die in a year, if he is a great sinner, will have to drive during the whole year the Phantom Chariot, the one that picks up the souls of the dead... David Holm, one of the three drunkards, dies at the last stroke of midnight...

The Student of Prague (1926) 9/9

Directed by Henrik Galeen
Conrad Veidt - Balduin, a student
Werner Krauss - Scapinelli, a money lender
Balduin, a poor student, makes a Faustian pact with a money lender, Scapinelli. In return for a fortune, enough to court the woman of Balduin's dreams, Scapinelli is permitted to take one thing belonging to the student... the reflection in his mirror.

The Student of Prague (1926) 8/9

The Student of Prague (1926) 7/9

The Student of Prague (1926) 6/9

The Student of Prague (1926) 5/9

The Student of Prague (1926) 4/9

The Student of Prague (1926) 3/9

The Student of Prague (1926) 2/9

The Student of Prague (1926) 1/9

Waxworks (1924) 9/9

Directed by: Paul Leni & Leo Birinski
Emil Jannings - Harun al-Rashid, Caliph of Baghdad
Conrad Veidt - Ivan the Terrible
Werner Krauss - Jack the Ripper/Spring-heeled Jack
William Dieterle - The Poet
The owner of a waxworks ask a young writer to create a back story for three of the museums most popular attractions: the wax figures of an exuberant late 8th century Persian caliph, Harun al-Rashid, the tyrannical Russian Tzar Ivan the Terrible, and Victorian legend, Spring-heeled Jack (also referred to, confusingly, as Jack the Ripper in the film, although the two are not one and the same).
An intriguing example of German Expressionism.

Waxworks (1924) 8/9

Waxworks (1924) 7/9

Waxworks (1924) 6/9

Waxworks (1924) 5/9

Waxworks (1924) 4/9

Waxworks (1924) 3/9

Waxworks (1924) 2/9

Waxworks (1924) 1/9

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

A Sammy in Siberia -1919

In this short film released on April 6, 1919 Harold plays a U.S. soldier in Russia.

NYC Skyscrapers- American Mutoscope - 1906

The Skyscrapers as captured on early movie film by American Mutoscope and Biograph Company December 11, 1906. As put to the music of Bernard Herrmann.

Welding The Big Ring - 1904

Amazing video in 1904 Forge welding a large steel ring with sledge hammers & steam hammer. Highly skilled workers.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Japanese Acrobats [1904]

An Oriental man and boy walk on a stage with a painted backdrop of a garden or park, give a slight bow to the camera as if it were an audience member, and remove their silk jackets. Both wear dark tights and leotards with light-colored slippers; the man also wears grey trunks, and the boy sports a white cloth around his middle. Lying on his back on a fitted mat, the man juggles and spins the boy with his feet. The boy's acrobatic movements include spinning in a tucked ball-like position, flipping lengthwise in a prone position, flipping from a standing position to a shoulder-stand, somersaulting from a standing to a sitting position, repeated flips involving both the hands and feet of the man, and other series of somersaults and turns. After finishing the act, the acrobats take a slight bow and run off the stage, then return for another bow before finally exiting.

Levi & Cohen, the Irish Comedians [1903]

Opens on a vaudeville or variety stage with a flat painted curtain of a stone fence and garden. On the right side of the stage sits a sign that reads "Zuzu Daffy, Singing Soubret." A boy in an usher's uniform crosses the stage and replaces the sign with one that reads "Levi and Cohen, Irish Comedians." The boy exits, and the curtain rises to reveal a painted backdrop of a pharmacy storefront. Two men strut onto the stage; one in a black beard, black coat with tails, light-colored pants, and a black top hat, and the other with a bald pate and large nose, dressed in a dark coat and vest, plaid pants, and a bowler, and carrying a cane. The pair go into their act, which seems to consist of the bearded man repeatedly knocking the bowler off the head of his partner while enthusiastically telling a joke or story. The unfortunate man finally has enough, and jumps his bearded friend. The "audience" of this act are apparently displeased with the performance, and two men sitting between the camera and the stage stand up and begin pelting the comedians with eggs or vegetables. While Levi and Cohen try to shield themselves from the barrage, both of them--as well as the set--are soon splattered with stains.

Gordon Sisters Boxing [1901]

Two women on a stage approach from either side of the painted backdrop of a garden and engage in a boxing match. Both the boxing gloves and the hits exchanged between the women seem genuine. One woman wears a modest white dress with long sleeves and a skirt to mid-calf, dark stockings, and laced boots. The other woman--taller, thinner, and perhaps younger--sports a shorter, dark, sleeveless dress and the same dark stockings and boots.

Theater commercial, Warner's corsets, 1910s

Silent Film, 1910s:
"A fictionalized story of "Warner's fashionable rust-proof corsets, guaranteed not to rust, break or tear." On the way to bed, a little girl spies her mother's corset and tries it on in front of a mirror. Her younger brother tries to grab it from her, and the two wrestle over the corset as they move into the bathroom. Still fighting for the corset, the children drop it into the water filled bathtub, then begin splashing it in the water. Hearing the noise, the mother goes upstairs and discovers the children playing with the soaked corset. To their surprise, mother reassures them that no harm has been done: "Thank goodness it's a Warner's and it's rust-proof!" Cuts to stop-motion animation of a corset unrolling and opening and closing against a black background, then a closeup of the Warner's label. Ends with a local tag for P.J. Myhre: "We are showing new Warner styles from $1 up.'"

Public Domain from the Library of Congress

Episodes in the Life of a Gin Bottle - 1920s

1920s temperance film warning of the dangers of alcohol abuse. (silent)
A bottle is blown and moulded. Women gives man a bottle, he drinks. She goes through stage door. At dressing room mirror, the "spirit" (a man) tempts her to drink. She keeps drinking. Men sit around card table gambling, man with visor hands around a bottle, a gambling den or speakeasy. Housewife kisses children and husband goodbye outside house. A man arrives with gin at back door. Very poor couple drink gin from tea cups. Man goes mad, bangs his head against wall. Women sees skull in bottle and drops it. Man who looks like Dracula has end credits superimposed over him.

Why Jones Got The Sack - 1907

An early British slapstick film, probably 'Why Jones Got The Sack' from 1907, made by the Walturdaw company. Lots of chasing and falling over.

Garden party in Towneley, Burnley (c.1900)

Footage of a garden party hosted by Lady O'Hagan and an M.P (initials A.A.?). Possible location is Towneley Hall in Burnley, Lancashire. Shot sometime around 1900 on nitrate film stock. (Film 19818 / Beta 25181)

A working class wedding (1910s)

Rare footage of a working class wedding from the 1910s, shot on 35mm nitrate film. The wedding party leaves the church (unidentified) in a fleet of cars, then poses for filming and photographs in a back garden. (Film 19817 / Beta 25181)

Two Pay Days - Chevrolet Salesman Film - 1927

Motivational film for 1920s Chevrolet salesmen.

General Motors Around the World - 1927

General Motors Around the World 1927

How one of the first multinational corporations organized itself to sell to the world under the leadership of Alfred R. Sloan. With excellent images of General Motors workers in offices and factories, and scenes of GM activity in Japan, Sweden, Australia, Egypt, Belgium, Peru, Spain, Brazil and other nations.

Battleship Potemkin - 1925

Inspired by true events, this film tells the story of the riot that occurred on the battleship Potemkin when the crew was given rotten meat for dinner. Their protest soon turns into a riot when the sailors raises the red flag in an attempt to set off a revolution in the port of Odessa.

The Man with a Movie Camera- 1929

Here is a very interesting "art film" from Russia. Dziga Vertov's "The Man with a Movie Camera" is considered one of the most innovative and influential films of the silent era. Startlingly modern, this film utilizes a groundbreaking style of rapid editing and incorporates innumerable other cinematic effects to create a work of amazing power and energy. This is a powerful, totally visual film without title cards, actors or storyline. Released: September 8, 1929

Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Birth of a Nation - 1915 (Full Movie)

Mabel Normand-Mabels Blunder Pt 2/2 1914

Mabel's Blunder, written and directed by Mabel Normand for Mack Sennett's Keystone Film Company and released October 1914 was Normand's 172nd film although she had only started in the business 4 1/2 years earlier at Vitagraph Co. This film is Public Domain.
Harry (Harry McCoy), the boss's son and Mabel (Mabel Normand), the office girl are secretly engaged but the boss, Harry's father, not knowing of the engagement, is also trying to woo Mabel. A mystery woman (Eva Nelson), arrives to visit Harry and Mabel thinks she is being two-timed when she peeps through a keyhole and sees Harry and Eva embrace. As Harry and Eva leave for a party, Mabel plots to trade identities with her brother (Al St. John), who had arrived to chauffeur Harry to the party. Mabel, now disguised as her brother the chauffeur drives her boyfriend Harry and Eva to the party and she is mad and cussing all the way. Meanwhile poor Mabel's brother, now wearing Mabel's clothes, is spirited away to the party by Harry's father thinking he finally has Mabel all to himself. The plot comes unwound in typical Keystone fashion. We discover the identity of the mystery woman in part II. Charley Chase also has a small part in this film as Harry's friend.

Mabel Normand-Mabels Blunder-Pt1/2-1914

The Little Match Seller (1902)

Our New Errand Boy (Williamson Kinematograph Company, 1905)

This incredibly rare film from the British film concern The Williamson Kinematograph Company, runs nearly 6 minutes, and is one of only a handful of films saved from that period. It is the story of a mischievous errand boy, sent out on a delivery, who causes havoc in the streets of the city of Hove. When he arrives back at the shop, he finds all his furious victims are already there complaining to the grocer...and the chase is on!

Cast:

James Williamson: Grocer
Tom Williamson: Errand Boy

Directed by James Williamson.

De wigwam - 1911

Tillie's Punctured Romance - 1914

Charlie convinces wealthy farmer's daughter Tillie to elope with him. They run away, Tillie gets drunk and lands in jail. Charlie runs off with Tillie's father's money and his old girlfriend Mabel. When Charlie reads that Tillie has inherited the estate of her multi-millionaire uncle, he dumps Mabel and talks Tillie into moving into her uncle's villa, while Mabel arranges to become his maid. The uncle, who has not died, summons the police.

Mabels Strange Predicament (1914)

Charlie Chaplins 3rd Film Released Feb. 09 1914

Making A Living - 1914

Making a Living is the first film appearance of Charlie Chaplin, which premiered on February 2, 1914. Chaplin plays a lady-charming swindler, Edgar English, who runs afoul of the Keystone Kops.

Between Showers - 1914

Ending missing. Released Feb. 28 1914
Between Showers was a short film made by Keystone Studios and directed by Henry Lehrman. It starred Charlie Chaplin, Ford Sterling, Emma Bell Clifton, and Chester Conklin.

The Massacre - 1912

A Romance of the Rail (Edison, 1903)

Emigrants Landing at Ellis Island - 1903

Arrival of Emigrants, Ellis Island - 1906

The arrival of emigrants from some other part of the world to America is captured by the cameras of the American Mutoscope & Biograph Company in 1906.

Westinghouse Works - Girls taking time checks 1904

Nearly 200 girls clock out from their jobs at Westinghouse in 1904. I love how a few of them give shy glances towards the camera, while others giggle girlishly before hurrying away, and a couple briefly ham it up.
No sound.
(The video is available to downlad here: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/westhpp... )

Princess Raja - 1904

Country: United States
Princess Raja bellydancing - 1904
Princess Rajah performs an "Oriental" or belly dance, and a balancing chair act in her teeth like that often found in folk performances in various cultures from Northern Africa to Greece. Shot outdoors in a street scene at the St. Louis Exposition, the film captures her act in an extreme long shot.
NOTES
Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 3June1904; H46819.
Camera, A.E. Weed.
Performer: Princess Rajah.
Duration: 1:11 at 16 fps.
According to vaudeville historians Joe Laurie, Jr. and Douglas Gilbert, Princess Rajah started as a "cooch" (an early form of what was considered/called belly dance) dancer at Coney Island in the 1890s. She was booked for a time at Huber's Museum in New York City before Willie Hammerstein presented her in her vaudeville debut at Hammerstein's Victoria theater on 42nd Street. In addition to her dance with a chair, she also performed an Oriental dance with snakes. Princess Rajah was a featured act in the "Mysterious Asia" concession on the Pike at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. She later married agent Clifford C. Fischer.
Summary description provided by dance ethnologist Michelle Forner, 9/25/96.

Ben-Hur - 1907

Country: USA
Directors: Sidney Olcott, Frank Oakes Rose, H. Temple, Harry T. Morey (uncredited), Frank Rose (uncredited)
Writers: Gene Gauntier, Lew Wallace (novel)
Stars: Herman Rottger and William S. Hart
Release Date: 7 December 1907 (USA)
Filming locations: Manhattan Beach, California, USA; Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Production Co: Kalem Company
Plot Keywords: Ancient Rome | Roman Empire | Slavery | Chariot Race | Adoption | Rooftop | Jerusalem | 1st Century | Based On Novel | Character Name In Title
Genres: Short | Drama
This version was unauthorized, and its makers were successfully sued for copyright infringement.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Panorama of Calcutta (1899)

This is one of the earliest films to be shot in India - it was filmed in 1899. The film apparently shows the Kolkata (Calcutta) ghats as seen from the perspective of a boat travelling along the Hooghly river, a tributary of the Ganges. However, although the film's title states that this is Calcutta, the footage was in fact shot in the holy city of Varanasi (also on the Ganges). The filmmaker from the Warwick Trading Company clearly had a short memory or a limited sense of geography. (Robin Baker)

Sunday, October 24, 2010

A Kiss in the Tunnel -1899

This story derives from a popular magic lantern slide show and shows a couple in a railway carriage, going into a dark, Freudian tunnel, taking the opportunity to steal a kiss. As the train emerges into the light the couple move apart in a guilty fashion, and although scarcely enough to make your Victorian grandmother blush, it gives the scene its slight frisson of naughtiness. (Bryony Dixon)

Kiddies and Rabbits - 1901

Notice how the poor rabbits appear to be thrown unceremoniously into the frame by someone standing off camera. Produced by the Warwick Trading Company

Women's Rights (1899)

A century before Little Britain's Emily and Florence first assaulted our screens, a pair of equally rubbish transvestites could be spotted in this short comedy. Our cross-dressing housewives are enjoying a gossip before they're abused by a couple of men. The film doesn't make clear why they deserve this attack, but an accompanying set of cards produced by the production company indicates that the ladies were engaged in a discussion about the then pressing political issue of women's suffrage.
It's hard not to suspect a degree of misogyny on the behalf of not only the abusing men, but also the filmmakers. There's no record of why the housewives should have been played by an amateur drag act, but perhaps it's nothing more than that noble British tradition of men slipping into frocks at the drop of a hat. (Robin Baker)

Daisy Doodad's Dial - 1914

Country: United Kingdom

Director: Laurence Trimble

Stars: Florence Turner and Tom Powers

Release Date: April 1914 (UK)

Production Co: Turner Films

Character Name In Title

Genres: Short | Comedy

For those who like their humour daft and thoroughly unsophisticated, this silent short will be a delight. The titular Daisy enters a face-pulling competition ('dial' - as in watch dial - is neglected slang for a face), but on the big day she falls victim to toothache. When her husband returns from the contest triumphant, the distinctly unladylike Daisy vows revenge in the next competition. But her impromptu rehearsal on a train causes chaos among her fellow passengers, and things only get worse after she is arrested for disturbing the peace...

Director/lead actress Florence Turner was an early Hollywood star, who briefly operated her own production company in Britain in the mid-1910s. Back in Hollywood in the late-1920s, she appeared alongside Buster Keaton in 'College' (1927), before her star faded. (Mark Duguid).

Mary Jane's Mishap (1903)

Laura Bayley, the most prolific British actress of the period and the wife of director G.A. Smith, shows her flare for clowning in this uproarious black comedy. Mary Jane learns that lighting your hearth with a tank full of paraffin may not be the safest of household chores, in a stern tale that could have come from the pages of 'Struwwelpeter'.
As in much of Smith's work, the film delights in its trick effects, including an explosion and the apparition of a ghost. (Alex Davidson)

Edison: The Stenographer's Friend - 1910

The Stenographer's Friend; Or, What Was Accomplished by an Edison Business Phonograph
Edison Manufacturing Company, 1910
It's a busy day at the office, and the stenographer is exhausted from trying to keep up with the demands on her skills. Even when she stays late, she cannot catch up with all of the work. But then a man comes into the office to demonstrate the many advantages of his company's new business phonograph.

The Burgler’s Dilema - 1911

Wilful Peggy (1910) 2/2

Peggy (Mary Pickford) is a high-spirited young woman from a poor family who catches the eye of a wealthy lord.

Wilful Peggy (1910) 1/2

Peggy (Mary Pickford) is a high-spirited young woman from a poor family who catches the eye of a wealthy lord.

The New York Hat (1912)

From 1912, a film starring Mary Pickford and Lionel Barrymore - "The New York Hat". It was filmed in Ft. Lee, New Jersey! It is a short film produced by Biograph in 1912. Based on a scenario by Anita Loos, it was directed by D.W. Griffith and stars Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore and Lillian Gish. It is considered one of the most notable of the Biograph shorts and is perhaps the best known example of Pickford's early work.
The story is simple: Mollie (Mary Pickford) leads a cheerless, impoverished life, largely because of her stern, miserly father. Her mother is mortally ill, but before dying, she gives the minister(Lionel Barrymore) some money with which to buy her daughter the "finery" her father has always forbid her. Mollie is delighted when the minister presents her with a fashionable New York hat she has been longing for, but village gossips misinterpet the minister's intentions and spread malicious rumors. Mollie becomes a social pariah, and her father tears up the beloved hat in a rage. All ends well however, after the minister produces a letter from Mollie's mother about the money she left the minister to spend on Mollie.
Mary Pickford is young & beautiful in it. A young dashing Lionel Barrymore is the minister. Its rare we've seen him at this age long before arthritis set in and was in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. Both of the Gish sisters are seen as well. Finally, even Mack Sennet makes a cameo appearance as well! Also, since American Biograph was afraid of piracy (even way back then!), they incorporated their "AB" logo into the film itself. (Look closely on the back wall at Mary's house and you'll see the Biograph logo pasted on the wall!)
Released: December 5, 1912

His Trust Fulfilled - 1911

Continuing where His Trust (1911) leaves off, George, a slave, takes care of his deceased master's daughter after her mother's death. He sacrifices his own meager savings to give the girl a good life, until the money runs out and he tries to steal money from the girl's rich cousin.

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writer:

Emmett C. Hall

Release Date:

19 January 1911 (USA)
Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0001681/

His Trust - 1911

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Those Awful Hats - 1909

A gentleman with a top hat, and a series of women with ever more ludicrous hats enter a movie theatre. They refuse to remove them, until a giant bucket forcibly removes one hat. All but one woman then remove their hats, and the bucket returns to remove the woman.

Those Awful Hats
(1909) American
B&W : Split-reel
Directed by D.W. Griffith
Cast: Flora Finch, Linda Arvidson, Mack Sennett, Arthur V. Johnson, John R. Cumpson, Florence Lawrence

A Punjab Village - 1925

A snapshot of life in a village in the Punjab - from the production of mustard oil to the shoeing of a bullock. With intertitles that include such jewels as "they do a great deal of spinning," it's clear that this film was made to be shown to young audiences. From the repetition of the opening title sequence it would appear that the original film was later re-edited. (Robin Baker)

Die Nibelungen- Siegfried's Tod - 1924

Fritz Lang's 2-part silent film of 1924, Die Nibelungen, is a masterpiece of German cinema from the 1920s. A landmark in the development of cinematography as an art, it displays a stunning use of light and shadow, and exquisite set design. The script is based on an ancient, 12th century, German and Norse epic poem Die Nibelungenlied (The Song of the Nibelungen), and was developed and adapted by Fritz Lang's wife, the author and former actress, Thea von Harbou. Her novelised version of the script was published during 1923-4 as an adjunct to the film.

Prior to the outbreak of World War I in 1914, von Harbou had performed on stage in Friedrich Hebbel's dramatised version of the saga dating from 1866. She was therefore well versed in the story's narrative elements when the time came to prepare a script. As a result, the film largely adheres to the traditional text, varying significantly from Richard Wagner's operatic adaptation (known as The Ring) which first appeared in 1876. Wagner's opera was compiled from a variety of sources, and differs markedly from the von Harbou / Lang silent film of 1924. Fritz Lang's Nibelungen should not be seen as a cinematic version of the musical, though upon the film's American release, and subsequently, a Wagnerian soundtrack was added, much to the director's ire.

Lang's large-scale Decla-Ufa film commenced production in 1922 and was not completed until the early part of 1924. Part 1, Siegfrieds Tod [Siegfried's Death], premiered on 24 February 1924 at the Ufa Palast am Zoo, Berlin, in the presence of the Reich Chancellor Gustav Stresemann. Part 2, Kriemhilds Rache [Kriemhild's Revenge], appeared two months later, on 26 April, at which point both films were screened in unison. Together, they originally ran to almost five hours and were accompanied by a dramatic, classically-based musical score composed by Gottfried Huppertz. The length and complexity of the original saga called for such a detailed treatment on the part of Lang and his crew. Though slow-paced in parts and lengthy, the film was nevertheless rivetting to German and non-German audiences alike, due in part to the stunning camera work by Gunther Rittau and Carl Hoffman, and lush set design by Erich Kettelhut and Kurt Volbrecht.

Just as this film was set in times past, so Lang and von Harbou's next epic - Metropolis - would be set in the future. Both films have strong narrative linkages and shared visual motifs. For example, in Die Nibelungen the dwarfs who hold up the bowl containing the Nibelungen treasure are turned to stone when Siegfreid steals the cloak of invisibility from Albrecht; in Metropolis, the negro slaves who hold aloft the bowl upon which the evil Maria performs her seductive dance, are turned to stone copies of the 7 Deadly Sins during Freder's hallucinogenic dream.

Both of these silent 'blockbusters' were to influence filmmakers to come, and can be seen as the pinnacle of German cinematic production values during the 1920s. Reproduced below is a synopsis of the film, interspersed with images from a series of contemporary postcards issued in Germany during the 1920s and featuring black and white, and coloured, images from the film. Also listed below are production details of the film, a minor bibliography, and links to related web sites.

Film Synopsis
1. Siegfrieds Tod / Siegfried's Death

Volker von Azley (Bernard Goetzke), a minstrel, sets down to tell the story of Siegfried, son of King Siegmund of the Nibelungen (Netherlands). Siegfried (Paul Richter) is apprenticed to Mime, a blacksmith, who helps him forge a special sword. Siegfried then sets off to the court of the Burgundian King Gunther (Theodor Loos), at Worms by the Rhine, seeking the hand of the beautiful young Princess Kriemhild (Margaret Shoen), sister to Gunther.

En route to Worms, Siegfried encounters and slays a dragon. He bathes in its blood in order to make his body impervious to swords and arrows. Unfortunately, a leaf lands on his upper back, stopping the dragon's blood reaching him there. This part of his body is therefore made vulnerable. Siegfried also encounters Alberich (Georg John), the dwarf Lord Treasurer to the Nibelungen dynasty. He captures the Nibelungen treasure and acquires a magic cloak which makes him invisible and provides him with the strength of many men.

Upon arrival at the castle of King Gunther, Siegfried is opposed by the warrior Hagan (Hands Adalbert von Schlettow), half-brother of Gunter. Hagan is jealous of the young and handsome Siegfried who seeks the hand of the beautiful Kriemhild. This maiden had previously vowed to marry no warrior. She subsequently foresees Siegfried's death in a dream during which a white dove is attacked by a pair of black hawks.

In order to obtain the hand of Kriemhild in marriage, Siegfried must assist Gunther in likewise obtaining the hand of Brunhild (Hanna Ralph), warrior queen of Iceland. Brunhild has pledged that she will only marry a warrior who can defeat her in a series of athletic games - these involve throwing a large spear, throwing a heavy rock, and leaping through the air. Upon arrival at Brunhild's castle, Siegfried assists Gunter in defeating Brunhild by donning the cloak of invisibility and utilising his special strength.

Upon the party's return to Worms, Brunhild weds Gunther, and Siegfried takes Kriemhild. However, during an encounter on the steps of Worms cathedral between the two women, Brunhild learns how Siegfried and Gunther had deceived her into giving up her kingdom. She calls on Siegfried to be killed in revenge. Gunther agrees and together with Hagan tricks Kriemhild into revealing Siegfried's vulnerable spot. Hagan then spears the young hero in the back and kills him. With the death of Siegfreid, Brunhild becomes remorseful and apparently commits suicide. Kriemhild seeks revenge on Gunter and Hagan.

2. Kriemhilds Rache / Kriemhild's Revenge

As part of her scheme of revenge, Kriemhild accepts the offer of Rudiger and travels to the land of the Huns (Hungary) to marry King Etzel of the Huns (Rudolf Klein-Rogge). Upon the birth of their son, she invites Gunther and Hagan to Etzel's court for a celebration. As Hagan holds the baby in his arms he hears that Huns have killed some of his comrades - Burgundians. Hagan then kills the baby (a boy), and in the following skirmish Kriemhild kills Hagan with Siegfried's sword. She is then killed by Hildebrand (Georg August Koch), but is finally at peace.

Film Details

Siegfrieds Tod - 12 reels, 10,551 feet / 3216 metres, 7 Acts. Running time: 176 minutes at 16 frames per second. Filming took 15 weeks.

Kriemhilds Rache - 13 reels, 11,732 feet / 3585 metres. Running time: 195 minutes at 16 frames per second. Filming took 16 weeks.

Production

Director - Fritz Lang
Script - Thea von Harbou
Camera - Carl Hoffmann, Günther Rittau, and Walter Ruttman for the animated 'Dream of the Falcon' sequence
Assistant Cameraman - Günther Anders
Set design and construction - Otto Hunte, Erich Kettelhut, Karl Vollbrecht
Production - Decla-Bioscop AG, Berlin
Production Assistants - Rudi George, Gustav Püttjer
Musik - Gottfried Huppertz, Konrad Elfers, Consort Franz Teuta
Design - Paul Falkenberg
Makeup - Otto Genath

Cast

Siegfried - Paul Richter
Kriemhild - Margarethe Schön
Brunhild - Hanna Ralph
König Gunther - Theodor Loos
Hagen Tronje - Hans Adalbert Schlettow
Volker von Alzey - Bernhard Goetzke
Giselher - Erwin Biswanger
Schmied Mime + Alberich der Nibelungen + Blaodel - Georg John
Königin Ute - Gertrud Arnold
Gerenot - Hans Carl Müller
Dankwart - Hardy von François
King Etzel - Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Hildebrand - Georg August Koch
The Priest - Georg Juwoski
The Page - Iris Roberts
Rudiger - Rudolf Rittner
Werbel - Hubert Heinrich
Dietrich von Bern - Fritz Alberti
A Hun - Grete Berger
Reader of the Runes - Frida Richards

Chronology

1922- Filming begins

1924

24 February - Siegfreids Tod premieres at Ufa Palast am Zoo, Berlin.

26 April - Kriemhilds Rache premieres in Berlin.

1925

US release of a 9,000 ft long version of Siegfried, with a Wagnerian score.

1928

UFA releases a 9,000 ft long verison of Kriemhild's Revenge.

1933

Siegfrieds Tod re-released by Ufa, cut to 7,400 ft (2258 metres) and simply titled Siegfried. It now includes spoken words and a Wagnerian soundtrack.

Bibliography

1866

Friedrich Hebbel, Die Nibelungen, [Stage play], 1866. Thea von Harbou performed in a production of this prior to 1914.

1876

Richard Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Operatic tetrology, 1876. Comprises three parts: 1. Das Rhinegold, 2. Die Walküre, 3. Siegfried, and 4. Götterdämmerung.

1923

Das Nibelungenlied, Trans. by Simrock, Ed. by Prof. Walter Freye, Deutsches Verlagshaus Bong & Co., Berlin & Leipzig, n.d., 342p.

Thea von Harbou, Das Nibelungenbuch, München, Drei Masken Verlag 1923, 8vo., 267p. Illustrated with 14 images from the film.

----, ibid., 2nd edition. Illustrated with 24 images from the film.

1924

Das Nibelungen, [Program], Berlin, January 1924.

Das Nibelungen, [Program], Berlin, March 1924, 4p.

Thea von Harbou, Das Nibelungenbuch, München, Drei Masken, 1924, 16-30,000th, 3rd edition, 368p. Illustrated with 24 images from the film.

----, ibid., 1924, 31-40,000th, 4th edition, 270p. Illustrated with 24 images from the film.

Fritz Lang (Regie) und Thea von Harbou (Drenbuch), Die Nibelingen. Ein deutsches Heldenlied, Ufa-Decla-Film. 1. Film: Siegfried. 2. Film: Kriemhilds Rache. (Bln. 1924). Kl.-8°. 24 S. Mit 10 Taf. in Kupfertiefdruck. OKt. mit Kordelheftung. - Letztes Bl. in der oberen Ecke leicht angeschmutzt. Original-Filmbuch zur legendären Fritz Lang-Verfilmung. Selten.

----, Das Nibelungen, [Program for Decla-Ufa Film], Film-Kurier, Vienna, 1924, 32p.

1925

Siegfried, A music-photo drama with Wagner's immortal score, produced by Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft, directed by Fritz Lang, from the scenario by Thea von Harbou, photography by Carl Hoffman, sets by Otto Hunte, music score by Hugo Reisenfeld, P. McNerney & Co., M.R. Gray, Inc., New York, 1925, 18p.

1926

Thea von Harbou, Nibelungerne - Siegfried - Kriemhilds Haevn, Boghandel and Banner, Norregade and Kobenhaven, 1926. Text in Danish with 8 photographs from the film.

1976

The Nibelungenlied (Translated by A.T. Hatto), Penguin Classics, Middlesex, 1976, 403p.

1986

Fritz Lang: Die Nibelungen, Kulturreferates der Landeshauptstadt München, 1986, 48p. Diese Brochüre erschien zur Aufführung von Fritz Langs Die Niebelungen mit der Originalmusik von Gottfried Huppertz, 31.1. bis 5.2.1986 im Gasteig.

1994

Wie macht man einen Regenbogen? - Fritz Langs Nibelungenfilm: Fragen zur Bildhaftigkeit des Films und seiner Rezeption, Giessener Arbeiten zur neueren deutschen Literatur und Literaturwissesnchaft, P. Lang, Frankfurt am Main, 1994, 121p.

1998

David J. Levin, Richard Wagner, Fritz Lang, and the Nibelungen: The Dramaturgy of Disavowal, Princeton Studies in Opera, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1998, 207p. Available from PUP web site.

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Web Sites

Die Nibelungen - Siegfreids Tod. French site.

Die Nibelungen - Kriemhilds Rache. French site.

http://www.filminstitut.de/dt2tb00057.htm. Deutsche Filminstitut site with production details.

Goethe Institute - Die Nibelungen. At the At the Goethe Institute's Fritz Lang site.

Die Nibelungen (1924). Fritz Lang - Master of Light and Shadow web site.

Border Skirmishes: Fritz Lang’s Nibelungen and the Post-Colonial Desire for the Lost Eastern Territories. Brief article.

Die Nibelungen. Film synopsis at Inter-Nationes web site.

Nibelungen. Laserdiscs review.

Nibelungen - UFA Photographs.

Extracted from http://www.michaelorgan.org.au/nibel.html

The title character Siegfried, son of King Siegmund of Xanten, masters the art of forging a sword at the shop of Mime. Mime sends Siegfried home, but while preparing to leave, Siegfried hears the tales of the kingdom of Burgundy, the kings who rule there, as well as of Kriemhild, the princess of Burgundy. Siegfried announces he wants to win her hand in marriage, much to the amusement of the smiths. By way of physical violence, Siegfried demands to be told the way, and Mime sends him in the right direction. On the way to Burgundy, Siegfried discovers a dragon, and deviates from his path to slay it. He touches its hot, yellow blood and understands the language of the birds, one of which tells him to bathe in the dragon's blood in order to become invincible to attack — except for one spot on his shoulder blade, which is missed after being covered by a falling lime leaf (Freya's tree).

Soon after, the powerful Siegfried trespasses on the land of the Nibelungs and is attacked by Alberich, King of the Dwarves. Siegfried defeats Alberich, who offers Siegfried a net of invisibility and transformation. Siegfried is not persuaded to spare Alberich's life, whereupon Alberich offers to make Siegfried "the richest king on earth!" [intertitle 1.14]. While Siegfried is mesmerised by the treasure, Alberich tries to defeat him, but dies in the attempt. Dying, Alberich curses all inheritors of the treasure and he and his dwarves turn to stone.

Siegfried finally arrives in Burgundy in his new guise of the King of twelve kingdoms. A battle breaks out between Siegfried and King Gunther and his adviser Hagen of Burgundy, which is subdued by the appearance of the beautiful princess Kriemhild. Hagen negotiates over Siegfried helping Kriemhild's brother, King Gunther, to win the hand of Brunhild, the Queen of Iceland. The men travel to Brunhild's kingdom where Siegfried feigns vassalage to Gunther so that he can avoid Brunhild's challenge and instead use the net's power of invisibility to help Gunther beat the powerful Queen in a three-fold amazonian battle of strength. The men return to Burgundy where Gunther marries Brunhild and Siegfried weds Kriemhild. Brunhild is not, however, completely defeated. She suspects deceit and refuses to consummate the marriage. Hagen again convinces Siegfried to help. Siegfried transforms himself into Gunther and battles Brunhild and removes her arm-ring during battle after which she submits to his will. Siegfried leaves the real Gunther to consummate the marriage.

Kriemhild discovers Brunhild's arm ring and asks Siegfried about it. Siegfried discloses the truth to Kriemhild about his role in Brunhild's defeat. When the Nibelungen treasure that Siegfried acquired from Alberich arrives at the court of Burgundy as Kriemhild's morning gift, Brunhild becomes more suspicious about Siegfried's feigned vassalage to Gunther. Brunhild dons the Queen Mother's jewelry and proceeds to the cathedral to enter as the first person, as is her right as Queen of Burgundy. Kriemhild tries to take Brunhild's right of way and an argument errupts between the two Queens. Kriemhild betrays her husband's and brother's secret to Brunhild, who then confronts Gunther. Brunhild demands Siegfried be killed, which she justifies by stating that Siegfried stole her maidenhood [intertitle 1.94] when he battled her on her wedding night. Hagen von Tronje and King Gunther conspire to murder Siegfried during a hunt in the Odenwald. Hagen deceives Kriemhild into divulging Siegfried's weak spot by sewing a cross on the spot in Siegfried's tunic.

After the hunt, Hagen challenges Siegfried to a race to a nearby spring. When Siegfried is on his knees drinking, Hagen pierces him from behind with a spear. In an evil twist of bitter revenge, Brunhild confesses that she lied about Siegfried stealing her maidenhood in order to avenge Gunther's deceit of her. Kriemhild demands her family avenge her husband's death at the hands of Hagen, but her family is complicit in the murder and owe him loyalty, so they protect Hagen. Kriemhild swears revenge against Hagen while Brunhild commits suicide at the foot of Siegfried's corpse laid in state in the cathedral.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Eyes of Youth 1/9 - 1919

The Squaw Man (1914) 7/7

The Squaw Man (1914) 6/7

The Squaw Man (1914) 5/7

The Squaw Man (1914) 4/7

The Squaw Man (1914) 3/7

The Squaw Man (1914) 2/7

Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man (1914) 1/7

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Making Christmas Crackers - 1910

Country: United Kingdom

Language: English

Stars: A.E. Coleby

Release Date: 1910 (United Kingdom)

Production Co: Cricks & Martin Films

Genres: Documentary | Short

Factory workers make Christmas crackers, a process that is shown in detail. Girls are shown making the stockings on sewing machines. A woman operates the machine that makes the tum-tums (the cards at the center of the crackers). A man operates a machine that prepares the paper that makes up the body of the cracker. A man at a band saw cuts out paper caps. A woman folds and glues together the paper caps. Two women put together and pack the crackers. Finally, a family is shown at Christmas. Mother and children dance around the Christmas tree. Father and grandfather stand close by. Father tosses a box of crackers into the air, and the children gather them off the floor. There's a gigantic cracker on top of the tree. Father takes it down and has two of the children pull it apart. In a puff of smoke, Santa Claus emerges from it and hands out gifts to the children.

Keystone Kops: Our Dare-Devil Chief (1915) 3 of 3

Classic Keystone Kop slapstick with the police chief (Ford Sterling) being pursued by the mayors wife (Minta Durfee) and also by a band of crooks (including Edward F. Cline and Al St. John), but for different reasons. The Mayors wife is in love with the Police Chief, while the crooks want to blow him up with dynamite. The Police Chief suspects that the Mayor (Harry Bernard) might be on the crooks side. The final confrontation with the crooks involves a gag in which the Police Chief ties a rope to a messenger he sends to deliver a note to the crooks, with the other end tied around him. The Mayor gets tangled up in the events, and the Keystone Kops arrest the bad guys. Directed by Charley Chase.