“When the history of the dramatic early development of motion pictures is written,” declared Motion Picture magazine in 1921, “Lois Weber will occupy a unique position.” Lois Weber was not only America’s first major female film director, she was a true pioneer. She began her career when the longest … [Read more...] about Shoes
The Nail in the Boot
Program preceded by the orphan film Madison News Reel (c.1932) presented with CHESS FEVER USSR, 1925 • Directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Nikolai Shpikovsky Cast Vladimir Fogel (the Hero), Anna Zemtsova (the Heroine) Editor Vsevolod Pudovkin Scenario Nikolai … [Read more...] about The Nail in the Boot
Mr. Fix-It
When production began early in 1918 on Mr. Fix-It, the world was in the grip of the Great War, the fires of revolution were burning in Russia and Mexico, and modernism was turning the art world upside down. France and Germany, two centers of world cinema, were devastated, and, while Hollywood was … [Read more...] about Mr. Fix-It
L’Argent
The sky was the limit during the 1920s as aviators conquered the airways. The first practical airliner, the 12-passenger Ford Trimotor, debuted in 1925. The world’s stock markets also reached for the stratosphere, with the value of common stock rising an average of 22 percent each year from 1925 … [Read more...] about L’Argent
It’s Mutual: Charlie Chaplin Shorts, 1916–1917
THE ADVENTURER USA, 1917 Directed by Charles Chaplin Cast Charles Chaplin (The Convict), Edna Purviance (The Girl), Eric Campbell (The Suitor), Henry Bergman (The Father), Albert Austin (The Butler) Production Lone Star Corporation October 23, 1917 Story Charles Chaplin Photography Roland … [Read more...] about It’s Mutual: Charlie Chaplin Shorts, 1916–1917
Il Fuoco
“Our Lady of the Spasms,” was the label critic Nino Frank famously gave to Pina Menichelli for her writhing poses and sudden movements. Her performances, at once dated and strikingly modern, are preserved in the amber tinting and toning characteristic of the so-called “second period” of silent … [Read more...] about Il Fuoco
I Was Born, But…
“I started to make a film about children and ended up with a film about grownups; while I had originally planned to make a fairly bright little story, it changed while I was working on it …. The company hadn’t thought it would turn out this way. They were so unsure of it that they delayed its … [Read more...] about I Was Born, But…
Huckleberry Finn
William Desmond Taylor is remembered today more for his unsolved murder in 1922, and the sordid revelations about his private life that followed, than for his once admired film career. So it might come as a surprise to many that this Irish-born director made three well-received films about Mark … [Read more...] about Huckleberry Finn