This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of Beggars of Life at SFSFF 2016 Female Hoboes in American Cinema Hoboes were America’s first freelance workers, rambling across the country in search of employment. Industrialization in the northern United States after the Civil War … [Read more...] about Riding the Rails
René Clair on Coeur Fidèle
This historical reprint was published in conjunction with the screening of Coeur Fidèle at Silent Winter 2018 It is not too late to talk about Coeur Fidèle, which was shown in a few theaters last month. This film does not date from just yesterday, but because of the ineptitude of our methods of … [Read more...] about René Clair on Coeur Fidèle
Remembering Frank Buxton
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival has lost one of its greatest friends and biggest boosters. Frank Buxton was not only a generous sponsor of this event, along with his wife, Cynthia Sears; he was an enthusiastic attendee who encouraged friends and family to join him at the Castro Theatre every … [Read more...] about Remembering Frank Buxton
Preserving Beyond the Rocks
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of Beyond the Rocks at Silent Winter 2005 Gloria Swanson rued the fate of her lost films in her 1980 autobiography, Swanson on Swanson. “The same sad questions are always asked: Does anyone know of a print anywhere of Beyond the Rocks, … [Read more...] about Preserving Beyond the Rocks
The Preservationist and the Playboy: Restoring Pandora’s Box
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of Pandora's box at SFSFF 2012 Back in the mid-’90s, Martin Koerber began a project to put Pandora’s Box back together again. Researching the films of G.W. Pabst in preparation for a retrospective at the Berlin Film Festival, the film … [Read more...] about The Preservationist and the Playboy: Restoring Pandora’s Box
Pickfair: Inventing Celebrity
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Thief of Bagdad at Silent Winter 2013 “Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were a living proof of America’s belief in happy endings.” When Mary Pickford met Douglas Fairbanks in 1915, she was already “America’s Sweetheart,” … [Read more...] about Pickfair: Inventing Celebrity
Parla una spettatrice
This historical reprint was published in conjunction with the screening of Rapsodia Satanica and L'Inferno at SFSFF 2019 PARLA UNA SPETTATRICE In which the author addresses Italy's poets, novelists, and playwrights distressed by the lowbrow fare at the movies. I don’t deny that the novelist … [Read more...] about Parla una spettatrice
Ozu’s Costumed City
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of An Inn in Tokyo at SFSFF 2018 Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo is more than a setting. Like many actors in his films, it appears again and again, adopting different guises, enriching the story on screen. This is evident in his other earliest … [Read more...] about Ozu’s Costumed City