Surviving films from the silent era in China are rare. Destruction from wars, government censorship, neglect, and deterioration have taken a sizable toll, so the recent discovery of The Cave of the Spider Women (Pan si dong) from 1927 is a cause for celebration. Even missing its opening scene and a … [Read more...] about The Cave of the Spiderwomen
The Cat and the Canary
In the 1920s, European directors streamed into Hollywood, infusing American films with their artistic sensibilities. They often created masterpieces that were beloved by those who saw film as an art form but that were frequently ignored by audiences. Few of those directors were successful in … [Read more...] about The Cat and the Canary
Carmen
Carmen the tempestuous gypsy made her first appearance in an 1845 novella by Prosper Merimée, and this tale of the treacherous cigarette factory girl who discards her lover for a bullfighter has inspired countless operas, plays, ballets, musicals, and more than 30 films. Georges Bizet’s 1875 … [Read more...] about Carmen
Captain January
A decade before Shirley Temple there was Baby Peggy, one of the biggest child stars of the silent era. Born Peggy-Jean Montgomery in 1918, she began her film career entirely by chance at just 19 months old. Her father Jack Montgomery, a former cowboy and horse trainer, moved his family to Los … [Read more...] about Captain January
The Canadian
On June 26, 1926, film director William Beaudine left Los Angeles for New York and his next job, a rare occurrence since Hollywood became the nation’s movie capital. The Famous Players-Lasky studio, Beaudine’s destination, was the only major production company working on both coasts at the time. … [Read more...] about The Canadian
Camille
She was a legendary Russian-born stage performer who studied with Stanislavsky, popularized the works of Ibsen and Chekov, and achieved acclaim as the first “modern” actress in the American theater. She became the highest-paid film actress of her era, and was also a true auteur with unprecedented … [Read more...] about Camille
The Cameraman
You can read the program essay for our 2019 screening of The Cameraman here The Cameraman signaled the end of an era for Buster Keaton, the launch of a promising new one, and the dawn of a painful decline. It was another successful Keaton comedy, made in the informal yet efficient manner he’d … [Read more...] about The Cameraman
The Cameraman
You can read the program essay for our 2012 screening of The Cameraman here You’d never know it, but The Cameraman was a bitch of a movie to make, being the first Buster Keaton made under his new contract at MGM, and the first with which he had to suffer the dumb know-nothing interference of a … [Read more...] about The Cameraman