Mike Mashon of the Library of Congress Silent films, TV shows, screwball comedies, instructional films—they’re all welcome at the Library of Congress, the de facto national library of the United States. Mike Mashon, head of the library’s Moving Image Section, is the person who oversees the … [Read more...] about The State of Preservation
The State of Preservation
Robert Byrne on Restoring Silent Films in the Digital Age Robert Byrne, longtime president of the board of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, remembers when he first got his hands on the original camera negatives of Italian Straw Hat and Les Deux Timides, two René Clair films he recently … [Read more...] about The State of Preservation
The State of Preservation
An Interview with Jon Wengström of the Swedish Film Institute Home to the masterpieces of Victor Sjöström and Mauritz Stiller, among other treasures of Sweden’s Golden Age of silent cinema, the Swedish Film Institute (SFI) has been a vital ally for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival for … [Read more...] about The State of Preservation
Stage Struck
“To those who add a glamour to living — to those whose beauty is more than that of other women — to those who command our laughter, our tears, our dreams — to actresses!” — Title card from Stage Struck Early in Stage Struck, the hero makes this toast, which could describe Gloria Swanson herself … [Read more...] about Stage Struck
A Spray of Plum Blossoms
A woman with bobbed hair wears a form-fitting qípáo dress, holds an evening bag, and raises her hand in greeting as she alights from an airplane. This arresting image was used to advertise British American Tobacco Company cigarettes and illustrates the emergence of Shanghai’s “modern woman.” By the … [Read more...] about A Spray of Plum Blossoms
Speedy
Speedy, Harold Lloyd’s last silent film, is a superb valedictory to the silent film era. “Speedy” was Lloyd’s real-life nickname (given to him by his father), and the film lives up to its title. Wonderfully fast-paced and stylish, it is filled with brilliant comedy, thrills, and surprises, climaxing … [Read more...] about Speedy
Sparrows
Sparrows is equal parts Gothic thriller and sentimental melodrama. Set in a swamp in the Deep South, it’s the story of a “baby farm” whose evil head keeps the children in squalor; spunky Mary protects and ultimately saves the children from his evil clutches. The set for the farm was built on four … [Read more...] about Sparrows
The Spanish Dancer
When Pola Negri arrived in the United States in 1922 after a spectacular career in German cinema, the Polish star was the first European actress to be signed to a contract by a major Hollywood studio. Already famous for the films she made with director Ernst Lubitsch, she was glamorous, exotic, the … [Read more...] about The Spanish Dancer