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
Keaton and His Cameraman
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of Three Ages at SFSFF 2023 Born in 1883 in a small town in Missouri, Elgin Lessley was the son of a Civil War veteran and a milliner. In his teens he developed a keen eye for still photography and in 1911 he became a cameraman for the … [Read more...] about Keaton and His Cameraman
Dancing in the Silents
Published in conjunction with the screening of Padlocked at SFSFF 2023 Dance and dancers have been on our screens since the very beginning. Think of the two men waltzing to the accompaniment of a violin in that early experimental Edison sound film. Performers from vaudeville, music hall, variety, … [Read more...] about Dancing in the Silents
Edwardian-era Eye Candy
Published in conjunction with the screening of Up in Mabel’s Room at SFSFF 2023 Playful, perky, and mischievous, these swim-ready gals were the pinup models of the World War I generation, sighed over by countless young men, no doubt some young women, and probably a few of their parents, too. As … [Read more...] about Edwardian-era Eye Candy