Silent Beauties: November 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.

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