This feature was published in conjunction with the screenings of Dancing Mothers (with The Pill Pounder) and The Gorilla at SFSFF 2024 Although overlooked today, Charlie Murray appeared in a touch fewer than three hundred films from 1912 to 1940, making one- and two-reel comedies at Biograph, … [Read more...] about Charlie Murray: “The Famous Irish Comedian”
Joyce Unconfined
This feature was presented in conjunction with the screening of Dancing Mothers at SFSFF 2024 “I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in years as I have recently, grandly rejecting parts,” Alice Joyce declared in 1924. After marrying the affluent James Regan Jr., Joyce could choose her roles carefully. … [Read more...] about Joyce Unconfined
Vampyr, the Score
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of Vampyr on January 12, 2024 Ever since he saw Vampyr back in the mid-1980s, composer and conductor Timothy Brock has wanted to play the score live. He had been impressed in particular with the “fragility of the strings” and how German … [Read more...] about Vampyr, the Score
Height-Defying Thrills
This feature was published in conjunction with the centennial celebration of Safety Last! at A Day of Silents 2023 During the early 20th century, as fresh skyscrapers carved vertical skylines into America’s cities and more and more airplanes were flying overhead, there was a palpable sense of … [Read more...] about Height-Defying Thrills
Valentino’s Last Words
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Eagle at A Day of Silents 2023. A bodice-breaching lover from a torrid romance novel come to life, Valentino tangoed his way to matinee idol status in that Buenos Aires dive in 1921’s The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. When … [Read more...] about Valentino’s Last Words
Wonder Horses of the Silent Screen
Published in conjunction with the screening of Kentucky Pride at SFSFF 2023 “Can you ride?” An acting manual from 1922 warned wannabe movie stars that this would be among the first questions asked when they applied at motion picture studios. As a matter of fact, there was every chance that a … [Read more...] about Wonder Horses of the Silent Screen
A Pungent Presence: Valeska Gert in Silent Film
Published in conjunction with the screening of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at SFSFF 2023 As the projectionist changed reels, Valeska Gert held completely still, her arms raised. Through her Weimar-era piece “Pause,” the Berlin-born dancer associated her body with the material basis of film. Gert … [Read more...] about A Pungent Presence: Valeska Gert in Silent Film
Tsuru Aoki: Sketch of an Artist
Published in conjunction with the screening of The Dragon Painter at SFSFF 2023 Her career often overshadowed by her husband’s, Tsuru Aoki has a legacy of her own as one of the first Japanese actresses on film and the first to become a star. She comes from a rich acting pedigree: her uncle, … [Read more...] about Tsuru Aoki: Sketch of an Artist