Feature

This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Dumb Girl of Portici at SFSFF 2017 What’s the point of having a cast of thousands if they can’t rise up in revolt once in a while? Filmmakers quickly realized that masses of extras on the screen would attract masses of customers … [Read more...] about Casts of Thousands in Revolt

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a golden age for world fairs, and the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, held in San Francisco in 1915, is among the most celebrated. Officially, the exposition commemorated the completion of the Panama Canal and all that this new trade … [Read more...] about California Welcomes the World: The Centennial of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition

This feature was published in conjunction with the screenings of The Cameraman and Our Hospitality at SFSFF 2019 As a tyke Buster Keaton developed the necessary body calluses to take his own pratfalls. As one of Three Keatons on vaudeville, he was cast as the “Human Mop,” variously … [Read more...] about Bust’d Buster

This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of Rosita at SFSFF 2018 Actresses have carried many films to cha-chingdom and the silent era is no exception. Pearl White fell off horses, flew airplanes, and faced fisticuffs in her many serials, rising to be 1916’s most popular star. … [Read more...] about American Legacy

This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Half-Breed at SFSFF 2013 Today, Alma Rubens is remembered not for her films or versatility as an actress, but for the demons that plagued her and ultimately ended her life. Born in San Francisco in 1897, Rubens appeared in nearly … [Read more...] about Alma Rubens: A Marked Woman