This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Italian Straw Hat at SFSFF 2016 The Mostly True Life of Olga Chekhova When historian Antony Beevor went looking for the truth behind the improbable life of Olga Chekhova, he was frustrated by her misleading autobiography, going so … [Read more...] about Our Actress in Berlin
Marie Dressler
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Patsy at SFSFF 2013 Marie Dressler had perhaps the most unexpected stardom in all of movie history. At the apex of her popularity during the Great Depression, she was well past 60 and overweight and described her careworn and … [Read more...] about Marie Dressler
Marguerite Clark: The Biggest and Littlest Lady in the Movies
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of Snow White at Silent Winter 2013 “Her skin was as white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as blood, and her hair as black as ebony....” These words from “Little Snow White” (“Sneewittchen” in German), a story from Grimms’ collected fairy … [Read more...] about Marguerite Clark: The Biggest and Littlest Lady in the Movies
The Magic of the Magic Carpet
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Thief of Bagdad at Silent Winter 2013 Among the wonders of The Thief of Bagdad are the mechanical and special effects created by Hampton Del Ruth and Coy Watson, under the supervision of the film’s technical director, Robert … [Read more...] about The Magic of the Magic Carpet
The Little Tramp at 100
On Saturday, January 11, 2014 the beautiful Castro Theatre was the site of our celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp Character. No human being is more responsible for cinema’s ascendance as the dominant form of art and entertainment in the 20th century than … [Read more...] about The Little Tramp at 100
Kevin Brownlow: Monumental Man
An Appreciation A film collector since the age of eleven, the British-born Kevin Brownlow is responsible in large part for the revival of silent-film art around the world. Brownlow’s tireless sleuthing has led to the rediscovery of many of Hollywood’s silent-film landmarks, … [Read more...] about Kevin Brownlow: Monumental Man
John Canemaker: The Pied Piper of Animation
This feature was published in conjunction with a special presentation—Winsor McCay: His Life and Art—by John Canemaker at SFSFF 2013 Award-winning animator, historian, and educator John Canemaker was 12 years old when he first heard about Winsor McCay. Watching the Disneyland television program … [Read more...] about John Canemaker: The Pied Piper of Animation
James Wong Howe: Painting With Light
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Spanish Dancer at SFSFF 2012 What do Mantrap (1926) and The Spanish Dancer (1923) have in common with The Thin Man (1934), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Hud (1963), and Funny Lady (1975)? All these … [Read more...] about James Wong Howe: Painting With Light