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.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
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
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/
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
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