A WILD ROOMER, USA, 1926 Charley, a brilliant inventor, has forty-eight hours to make a convincing demonstration of his newest machine in order to collect an inheritance from his father. NOW YOU TELL ONE, USA, 1926 The liars’ club meets to vote on who can tell the most unbelievable story. Along … [Read more...] about The Amazing Charley Bowers
Alma Rubens: A Marked Woman
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
Alma in Wonderland
This historical reprint was published in conjunction with the screening of The First Born at SFSFF 2013 An interesting article, proving that a woman’s place is not always in the home A man glancing at a passing girl observes that she is pretty, attractive, or ugly as the case may be, but a … [Read more...] about Alma in Wonderland
All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Paul Remark was born a German Catholic in Osnabruck in 1898 and conscripted into the army when he was eighteen. In 1917, he saw a month’s action on the Western Front before being so wounded by shrapnel he was invalided out. Thereafter, he studied to be a teacher and started writing. His first … [Read more...] about All Quiet on the Western Front
Alice in Disneyland
The myth, promoted by Walt Disney himself, was that the Disney empire “all began with a mouse.” In fact, according to Walt in Wonderland, Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman’s book on the silent films of Walt Disney, it all began with a little girl. The Alice series of silent films starring a … [Read more...] about Alice in Disneyland
Aelita Queen of Mars
Aelita abides. Rarely seen, it’s known mostly from photos featuring oddly-garbed women posing amid disorienting geometric shapes. Foreign distributors saddled it with the embarrassing subtitles “Queen of Mars” or “Revolt of the Robots.” In 1929, Aelita was described by the New York Times as “far … [Read more...] about Aelita Queen of Mars
Bardelys the Magnificent
Eighty years after Bardelys the Magnificent’s 1926 premiere, a cellar in France yielded a nearly complete print of John Gilbert’s final film with King Vidor. Considered lost, the film had come at the peak of the actor’s popularity. Prior to Bardelys the Magnificent, Gilbert had been one of the … [Read more...] about Bardelys the Magnificent
Adela Rogers St. John: A Front Row Seat
This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of The Red Kimona at A Day of Silents 2018 A character as vibrant and intrepid as any she created, Adela Rogers St. Johns was a journalist, novelist, and screenwriter who grew up amid the glitter of Hollywood and observed the trappings … [Read more...] about Adela Rogers St. John: A Front Row Seat