This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Sea Hawk at SFSFF 2024 Few characters are more beloved in adventure films than the aristocrat taking a walk on the wild side. As W.S. Gilbert put it, “They are no members of the common throng; They are all noblemen who have gone … [Read more...] about Gentlemen Gone Rogue
Becoming Norma
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Lady at SFSFF 2024 In an era when the movie industry churned through stars, Norma Talmadge had remarkable staying power. Beginning at the time of nickelodeons, she later rose to stardom in the late 1910s and then superstardom in … [Read more...] about Becoming Norma
Charlie Murray: “The Famous Irish Comedian”
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