2004

You can read the program essay for our 2016 screening of When the Clouds Roll By here The image of Douglas Fairbanks is that of the swashbuckling hero from The Mark of Zorro (1920), Robin Hood (1922), and The Thief of Baghdad (1924). But the cornerstone of Fairbanks’s fame was as a popular … [Read more...] about When the Clouds Roll By

Reginald Denny created such a vivid image of the all-American man in his silent film portrayals that when the coming of sound revealed his very British accent, it nearly meant an end to his career. Instead, he was relegated to a series of bland supporting roles as upper-class Brits. But in the … [Read more...] about What Happened to Jones

In the 1930s, Norma Shearer was the Queen of MGM. She had elegant screen presence, a string of successful films, and an Oscar—and she was married to Irving Thalberg, the studio’s head of production. (As driven and ambitious as Shearer, Joan Crawford famously quipped, “What chance do I have? She … [Read more...] about Lady of the Night

Made at a time of great changes in the Chinese film industry, political turbulence in China, and personal turmoil in the life of its star, The Goddess (Shennü) was dismissed as decadent by Chinese scholars during the Cultural Revolution. But these circumstances only served to fuel the film’s … [Read more...] about The Goddess

You can read the program essay for our 2014 screening of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse here In the 1921 film version of Vicente Blasco Ibañez’s epic novel The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Rudolph Valentino became an overnight star. Valentino’s smoldering good looks and untimely death … [Read more...] about The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Sessue Hayakawa’s name is not uttered with the same nostalgic awe as are those of Gilbert and Valentino. Yet, in his day his cinematic presence made the ladies swoon as much as any other silent screen lover. The Japanese-born actor starred opposite many popular leading ladies, among them Florence … [Read more...] about The Dragon Painter

Often imitated yet never equaled, Charles Spencer Chaplin remains the most recognized of all the silent movie stars, thanks to the iconic character he created — “The Tramp.” A key factor in his films is their poignant blend of laughter and sorrow; reflections, perhaps, of the joys and hardships of … [Read more...] about The Circus

With its fairy-tale setting, The Blue Bird is generally considered a children’s fantasy, and the 1918 film version was presented as one. Yet the original play by Maurice Maeterlinck has roots in the French Symbolist literary movement, and the film has the visual sophistication that marks the work of … [Read more...] about The Blue Bird