Obscure outside of France, the great director Jean Grémillon is a tantalizing figure even for those Americans who discover him, since most of his films remain difficult to see. Those lucky or determined enough to track them down find works of singular grace and sensitivity, with a vision that is … [Read more...] about The Lighthouse Keepers
l’Homme du Large
L’Homme du Large sits near the dawn of Marcel L’Herbier’s career. The director was thirty-one and had completed three films prior, but never with the resources being offered him now. Here was his best chance yet to make a film in the Impressionist mode—testing, redefining the limits of the cinematic … [Read more...] about l’Homme du Large
L’Heureuse mort
A frothy farce of false identity, L’heureuse mort reveals little of the upheavals—wars, revolution, exodus—that lie behind its existence. It was produced by Russian filmmakers who fled the rising tide of revolution and landed in Paris. It was directed by Serge Nadjedine, a shadowy figure with little … [Read more...] about L’Heureuse mort
Letter from Location
This historical reprint was published in conjunction with the screening of The Signal Tower at SFSFF 2019 Northspur, Mendocino County, California 1924 letter sent to Picture-Play magazine Dear Myrtle: Well, I guess I’m “farthest North,” as they say in books; just about as deep into the … [Read more...] about Letter from Location
A Letter from Location
This historical reprint was published in conjunction with the screening of Mare Nostrum at SFSFF 2018 Dear Myrtle, I have started to write you several times during the four months I have been here with the “Mare Nostrum” company, but something has always interrupted. Nice was a pleasant … [Read more...] about A Letter from Location
Les Deux Timides
You can read the program essay for our 2016 screening of Les Deux Timides here A talented batch of new directors redefined the French film scene in the 1920s. Artists like Jean Gremillon, Jean Renoir and Luis Bunuel combined avant-garde and commercial film techniques during the post-war years. In … [Read more...] about Les Deux Timides
Les Deux Timides
You can read the program essay for our 2008 screening of Les Deux Timides here René Clair’s final film of the silent era was not the film he’d planned to make. When Films Albatros renewed Clair’s contract in 1927 after the success of The Italian Straw Hat, the director began work on a realist … [Read more...] about Les Deux Timides
Léon Beaulieu’s Pocket Cinematograph
This feature was published in conjunction with the Amazing Tales from the Archives presentation by Thierry Lecointe and Robert Byrne at SFSFF 2019 LOST FILMS OF GEORGES MÉLIÈS DISCOVERED IN FIN DE SIÈCLE FLIPBOOKS From peep shows to gifs, moving images have proliferated as novelties inside … [Read more...] about Léon Beaulieu’s Pocket Cinematograph