It’s appropriate that the elaborate set piece of Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a cyclone. Legend has it that when Joseph Francis “Buster” Keaton was born in Piqua, Kansas, on October 4, 1895, there was a gigantic windstorm. And when he was just 20 months old, he was supposedly sucked out of an open … [Read more...] about Steamboat Bill, Jr.
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
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Born in 1885 in the Sydney suburb of Glebe, James Francis “Frank” Hurley was an independent, ambitious lad with the uncommon initiative to teach himself photography. When the young art form crossed over to mainstream accessibility with the postcard fad in the early years of the 20th century, Hurley … [Read more...] about South: Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
The Soul of Youth
In the first decade of the 20th century, close to 6 million American children were not attending school (U.S. population at the time was 76 million). Many of these were juvenile delinquents who needed a place to go, a place to learn, and the newly established picture houses became home away from … [Read more...] about The Soul of Youth