The Doughboy - 1926

Country: United States

Language: English

Director: James D. Davis

Stars: 'Snub' Pollard

Release Date: 22 September 1926 (USA)

Production Co: Snub Pollard Comedies

Sound Mix: Silent

Color: Black and White

Genres: Short | Comedy 

Under a Spell - 1925

Country: United States

Language: English

Director: Richard Smith

Stars: Neely Edwards, Bert Roach and Alice Howell

Release Date: 5 January 1925 (USA)

Production Co: Universal Pictures

Sound Mix: Silent

Color: Black and White

Genres: Short | Comedy

Back in the silent days, Alice Howell was a star--though today she and her comedies are mostly forgotten. There aren't a lot of them available any more--so it's hard to say how representative "Under a Spell" is of her work.

Alice thinks that her husband has been cheating on her when she sees a lady bandit breaking in their home. He is innocent--and the lady is a guy in disguise. But Alice doesn't know that and hires a wacky hypnotist to get him to tell the truth about his affairs. Unfortunately, by mistake one of them now is convinced he's a gorilla

J-U-N-K - 1920

Country: United States

Stars: Madge Kirby, Jim Welch and John J. Richardson

Cast overview: Madge Kirby ... A society bud; Jim Welch ... Her father (as James Welsh); John J. Richardson ... A Count (as Jack Richardson); Vernon Dent ... The junk dealer; Hank Mann ... His helper 

Release Date: 1920 (USA)

Production Co: Excelsior Feature Film Company, Hank Mann Comedies

Sound Mix: Silent

Color: Black and White

Genres: Comedy | Short

Der magische Gürtel - 1917

Country: Germany

Director: Hans Brennert

Writer: Hans Brennert

Stars: Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière

Also known as: Auf einer Fernfahrt mit U 35 (Germany); La croisière de l'U 35 (France);

The Exploits of a German Submarine U35 (United Kingdom); The Log of the U-35 (United States)

Production Co: Bild- und Filmamt (Bufa)

Runtime: USA: 27 min  | Germany: 45 min

Sound Mix: Silent

Color: Black and White

Plot Keywords: U Boat | Sinking | Cargo | Germany | Submarine  | Prisoner Of War | World War One | Exploding Ship

Genres: Documentary | War

A documentary filmed aboard a German U-Boat during the First World War , featuring footage of the capture and sinking of cargo ships and a private schooner.

This movie's unnerving premise has a camera crew following an actual U-boat during the First World War, as it attacks and sinks its victims. Most of the resulting footage (which has been preserved in very good condition) is just as chillingly suggestive as the premise would lead you to expect, and it is almost impossible to pull your attention away from the screen. At the same time, this actual war footage speaks about its subject more eloquently than even the most carefully crafted fictional story or re-enactment could have.

U-35 was phenomenally successful in its grim mission, and within less than a half-hour of running time, a large number of the submarine's targets are shown in succession. On one level, the tactics and the methodical approach of the Kaiser's sailors are intriguing. But what comes across more than anything else is the use of their technical skill, the ingenious ideas, and the patient planning, all for the purpose of destroying equally skillful and careful use of resources by an 'enemy'. It all results in nothing of value for anyone, simply an immense waste of valuable resources.

The inter-titles, though about as close to being objective as you could ask, often underline the enormous waste by detailing the cargoes that were destroyed, the vast majority of which were not for military use. The titles also fill in many of the gaps, since there were long stretches of battle during which the film crew was, obviously, not able to photograph the action.

Because of the limited opportunities for filming, the actual footage generally comes from less bloody or overtly horrifying moments, yet these are generally more than enough to hint strongly to the carnage that occurred off-camera. The feature would be very watchable simply as a historical curio, but it is of even more significance as a piece of genuine history that provides an inside look at the nature of this aspect of military conflict.

Connections

Featured in The Moving Picture Boys in the Great War (1975) -  lots of footage from this film is used, and it is identified by name in the narration.

Miss Lulu Bett - 1921

Country: United States

Director: William C. de Mille

Writers: Clara Beranger (adaptation), Zona Gale (novel) (play)

Stars: Lois Wilson, Milton Sills and Theodore Roberts

Release Date: November 1921 (USA)

Production Co: Paramount Pictures

Runtime: 71 min

Sound Mix: Silent

Color: Black and White

Plot Keywords: Bigamy | Pulitzer Prize Source | Based On Novel | Based On Play

Genres: Comedy | Drama

Spinster Lulu Bett lives with her sister, Diana, and is a servant in Diana's household. Diana's brother-in-law, Ninian, visits, and smitten with Lulu, arranges a dinner party in her honor. At the party Ninian jokingly proposes marriage to Lulu, and recites the wedding ceremony, which Diana's husband, a justice of the peace, realizes is binding. Lulu lives with Ninian until she discovers he is already married. She goes back to her sister's home where she is treated poorly. Lulu has had enough of this family, and when she finds out that Ninian's wife is alive, leaves to marry the village schoolteacher.

Trivia

Zona Gale re-wrote her novel into a play, which was first produced by Brock Pemberton at the Belmont Theater, New York. The premier took place on 27 December, 1921. The following cast was featured: Carroll McComas as Lulu Bett, William Holden as Dwight Deacon, Catherine Doucet as Ina Deacon (billed as Catherine Calhoun Doucet), Jack Lionel Bohn as Bobby Larkin (billed as Jack Bohn), Willard Robertson as Neil Cornish, Louise Closser Hale as Miss Bett (misspelled as Louis Closser Hale), and Brigham Royce as Ninian Deacon, plus Lois Shore as Manona Deacon and Beth Varden as Diana Deacon.

The original Broadway production of "Miss Lulu Bett" by Zona Gale opened on December 27, 1920 at the Belmont Theater, ran for 198 performances and won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1921. 

Az Obsitos - 1917

Country: Hungary

Director: Béla Balogh

Writers: Károly Bakonyi, Emmerich Kálmán (operetta)

Stars: Jenöné Veszprémy, János Komjáthy and Gusztáv Vándory

Release Date: 22 October 1917 (Hungary)

Production Co: Astra Filmvállalat

Sound Mix: Silent

Color: Black and White

Genres: Drama

Connections

Featured in "Fejezetek a film történetéböl: Az európai film kezdetei (#1.2)" (1989) and Az utolsó magyar némafilmszínész (1999)