Help Save a Landmark - Castro Theater to Lose the Mighty Wurlitzer

Castro Theater interior (Image courtesy sfhandyman's flickr stream

Over the course of the Silent Film Festival Weekend I heard rumblings of news that had somehow previously escaped me, the pending sale/demise of the Mighty Wurlitzer at the Castro Theater.  I'm not sure what rock I've been living under and how I missed knowing this, but there you have it.  It was first noted in SF Biscuit, at least this is what my googling turned up.

If you are local, you know the drill, the Castro is the sole remaining single screen neighborhood movie palace left in our fair city.  That this iconic theater is at risk to lose the Wurlitzer is a shame.

So?  What can we do about it?  Read the full details here about SFCODA and the fund raising campaign to save the organ.  The fundraising goal is $700,000.00 and there is a paypal link.  I do not have terribly deep pockets, but I am making a donation.  If you are local, even if you do not, I hope you will consider helping to keep the music playing at the Castro. 

Here's some video of founder David Hegarty playing in the Castro, search for Castro Theater Organ on youtube and you'll see plenty of videos.

Favorite Photo of the Week #9 - John Loder

You'll remember John Loder from films in the 1930's and 40's, in particular Hitchcock's Sabotage, How Green Was My Valley and as the somewhat stodgy Elliot in Now Voyager (among others, he had quite a long career).  Seeing him this past weekend in Miles Mander's 1928 film The First Born was a revelation.  In the 20's he was really a hottie!  This portrait is circa 1928, so you can see what I mean.  Mander treated us to some smoldering closeups of Loder across a dining table that I won't soon forget!

San Francisco Silent Film Festival - Recapping the Festival Part II

Jean Forest in Gribiche

 

My recap of the 2013 San Francisco Silent Film Festival continues from Part I posted yesterday

Saturday began with another interesting presentation and an opportunity for a bit of geekatude.  I got to meet and spend a few minutes with John Canemaker.  Icing on the cake, my friends, really grand.

John Canemaker talking about Little Nemo in Slumberland

The morning began withWinsor McCay His Life and Art presented by Academy Award© winner John Canemaker who also penned the fabulous biography Winsor McCay: His Life andArt.  Canemaker spoke eloquently about McCay and his magical world of Little Nemo in Slumberland.   We were treated to some really stunning images from his book, and four of McCay's films: Little Nemo (1911), with splendidly hand colored frames, done by McCay himself.  Nemo was followed by How a Mosquito Operates (1912), that made me itch just watching it.  Then we had a recreation of the vaudeville act of McCay which brought us the magical Gertie the Dinosaur (1914).  Finally, we had what Canemaker described as McCay’s masterpiece, The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918), this was an incredible recreation of that sad night, complete with the horror of seeing bodies dropping from the wreckage.  A sight not soon to be forgotten.  McCay was a great draftsman and Canemaker an eloquent spokesman for this man’s wonderful art. 

The 1911 film Little Nemo in Slumberland, hand-colored by McCay himself.

After the presentation I got some real grief from a fellow patron for taking the photos I’ve posted here.  I was trying to be discreet, I was on the aisle and leaning down to take a few shots from as close to ground level as I could manage.  Oy!  Did I get some bad attitude, poor guy, he stewed for the rest of the lengthy presentation about it and waited for me to exit before giving me a tongue lashing in the lobby.  No wonder he did not enjoy himself.  This does not make what I did right, I appreciate I disturbed his peace, and I did apologize but he was having none of it.  He needed to spout off and how funny it did not disturb him the day before. 

A rare glimpse of "Doug" in The Half-Breed

I have a personal interest in the restoration of The Half-Breed since I know someone directly involved in this particular project.  The film was restored as I said yesterday by Board President Rob Byrne (check his wonderful blog here, btw) from four sources.  It took much digging, research and sifting to get the continuity as correct as he thought it could be.  As close to the 1916 original.  Again, his presentation the day before was abundantly illustrative of the process.  We were treated by the accompaniment of Günter Buchwald on the Mighty Wurlitzer (about time, I love me some big thundering Mighty Wurlitzer). Buchwald was fabulous, too!

This 1916 film is pre-swashbuckler Fairbanks and very different for many reasons.  It is also one of Fairbanks few flops, a smart man, Fairbanks never repeated the error.  Directed by Allan Dwan and co-starring Alma Rubens and Jewel Carmen with a cameo by the soon to be famous first Tarzan on film, Elmo Lincoln.  Fairbanks is far more subdued than he normally was, portraying an almost sombre character with stoicism and crossed arms.  Only rarely do you see the “Doug” the fans loved.  Stunting, running, jumping and that infectious grin were mostly absent.  All this being said, it was an interesting film, there was some gorgeous location shooting and the story was based on Bret Harte.  I enjoyed seeing a young Alma Rubens in the cast, she was quite pretty and very expressive, too.  I can see why this film failed at the time of original release, it has everything to do with the Fairbanks personality and pattern was already firmly established and a non-smiling, non-insouciant Doug is just no fun! 

A large group of us broke for lunch and I missed Legong: Dance of the Virgins.  I came back to the theater to catch the very end.  I crept up to the balcony, and did not want to disturb the people standing, missing the screened image I heard the music and it was fabulous.  The round of applause at the end was pretty enthusiastic.

 

I was planted in my seat for Gribiche ready for the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra and the touch of director Jacques Feyder.  What surprised me totally was the cast, Jean Forest (Gribiche) was the standout, of course.  Such a sensitive, expressive face, a beautific smile and such a twinkle in his eyes.  Françoise Rosay (Mrs. Jacques Feyder) played the rich American that adopts Gribiche assured she can give the boy all he needs to go on to a successful life.  Cécile Guyon played his mother, who also had a very expressive face. 

To say the film was a charmer was evident when the bathroom design got a prominent note in the title cards.  Once we saw it, well, it is no wonder they got a plug!  Forest was delightful as the young boy trying his best to adapt to a life he is not quite prepared for and out of place.  The scene where he makes the noble decision to leave his widowed mother because he feels she will be better off without him at home, heartbreaking.  It was, perhaps, a hair overlong and could have used a trimming, but the film was lovely and good fun.  This film and others from Albatros Films have been released on DVD and I encourage you to seek them out. 

 
Again, a dinner break went long and I missed The House on Trubnaya Square.  Truly a bummer.  I’m going to have an opportunity to see thefilm on DVD and will look forward to that.  The program notes and press from the Silent Film Festival herald it as “Our vote for Best Soviet Silent Comedy ever.”  Big statement, but I so loved A Kiss From Mary Pickford some years back, I know I will likely love this. 

Having seen The Joyless Street (Die freudlose Gasse) with Garbo a couple of times, I felt I could give this a miss.  I regretted missing the Matti Bye Ensemble, but, one does have to make choices. 

Sunday was might light day, I passed on Kings of (Silent) Comedy as I’ve seen all the films and really wanted to sleep in. 

The Outlaw and His Wife (Berg-Ejvind och hans hustru) also got passed because I was being interviewed by the estimable Frank Thompson for his podcast The Commentary Track.  Now I’m nervous about it!  Let me also plug Frank’s excellent documentary on The Lost Remake of Beau Geste.  It’s a fabulous story and a fun movie

Billy Bakewell in The Last Edition

 

All of San Francisco, it would appear has been waiting for the screening of The Last Edition.  I was among them, hometown pride and the anticipation of seeing San Francisco circa 1925 and recognizing the sights.  Directed by local boy Emory Johnson the film starred Ralph Lewis, as the biggest name in the cast (he started with D.W. Griffith at Biograph)

Shot in and around the Chronicle building, the film had some thrilling chases throughout San Francisco.  It’s not a great film by any means, but worth seeing.  Great to see our city on display and I loved picking out locations I recognized.  An unfortunate reel was spooled on backwards.  The film was delayed to seat the 100% sold-out house.  The film started late, the reel kerfuffle delayed things further.

I had already planned to miss The Weavers (Die Weber) and wanted to go to Safety Last to see the restoration.  But with the timing snafu, it did not start until after 9 pm.  Sadly, Cinderella had to take off the glass slippers and head home until next year.

I missed more films than I had planned this summer and while I am tinged with some regret, the films I did see were all terrific.  I’ll make every effort to do the full run next summer.  I love the SFSFF, love what they do and this year it was so great to see the efforts of preservation and restoration on the big screen.  All the volunteers get some nods for crowd control and diplomacy, too.  It’s always a weekend full of good surprises and this year was no different.  I came home a happy camper.

San Francisco Silent Film Festival - Recapping the Festival Part I

The always glorious Castro Theater

Yes, it's Monday morning and time for this Cinderella to sweep the chimney and go back to work.  But my heart and head are still remembering and visualizing the delights of a wonderful weekend of cinema.

The festival this year had a lot of variety and my initial not-to-be-missed films and programs were : Tales From the Archives; The First Born; Tokyo Chorus; The Patsy; Winsor McKay His Life and Art; The Half Breed; Legong: Dance of the Virgins; Gribiche; The House on Trubnaya Square; and the local interest film The Last Edition.

I missed a few more films than I had intended, but, juggling lunches/dinners and getting back to the Castro proved to be a bit of a problem.  I think next year I will come with a brown-bag lunch and just plant myself.  J

Due to a hectic workday on opening night (so I could get the Friday off) I was too tired to make it to the opening film, Louise Brooks in the silent version of Prix de Beaute.  I have it on good authority that is was wonderful and far superior to the sound version. The screening was a digital projection.

SFSFF Board President Rob Byrne giving his presentation on the restoration of The Half Breed

 

I showed up bright and early for a feature I always enjoy, the Tales from the Archiveswhich features informative slideshows/clips and talks by archivists and film restoration experts.  This year we were treated, in every sense of the word with an appearance by SFSFF Board President Rob Byrne discussing the trials and tribulations of restoring Douglas Fairbanks’ 1916 feature The Half Breed.  I wish I could illustrate how entertaining this portion of the program is, especially in Rob’s hands.  He’s a charmer, engaging speaker and very, very funny.  That he knows his stuff is more than obvious, but, seeing first hand with his examples and clips what hoops had to be gone through to track down the existing portions of the film, the continuity and sift through the State’s Rights issues, well, it’s a wonder that this was completed as successfully as it was.  What a puzzle to put together.  Rob really knew why we were there, we were treated to the famous (infamous) clips of a practically bare-ass nekkid Doug from four different sources.  I’m amazed that with the censors at state levels, this particular clip survived in all the source prints used for the restoration.

Celine Ruivo narrating her presentation on Le Phono-Cinema Theatre

 

Second on the program was Céline Ruivo Director of Film Collections at the Cinémateque Française who spoke and presented about her current project which is the restoration of the films of the Phono-Cinéma Théâtre from the Paris Exposition of 1900.  Let me say, this was a fascinating glimpse through a window of a time that has been nearly forgotten, entertainers of the Belle Epoque.  As she described and illustrated the process of the restoration, I could not help but be amazed at the miracle (and it is a true miracle) that the films not only survived, the sound cylinders survived and preserved by a collector, Henri Chamoux (and all but two cylinders have been located).  That the materials survived, for starters, two world wars, a conflagration if ever there were one, miraculous.  That I got to see and hear one, miraculous.  Ms. Ruivo only screened, sadly, only one complete, restored film.  It was expertly synched by modern technology into a film that was utterly enchanting and magical.  It made me long to see more, and I hope with the happy relationship between the SFSFF and the Cinémateque Française, we will be treated to an entire program of similar enchantments.  To see more about this fascinating project, please hit the Cinemateque’s website.

 

As you can see I rather geeked out over this, but this really is one of my favorite educational aspects of the festival that reflects their commitment to preservation, restoration and screening of all kinds of films.

Miles Mander and Madeleine Carroll in The First Born

The first film for me of the weekend was the 1928 film directed and starring Miles Mander, The First Born with the expert musical accompaniment of Stephen Horne.  The cast included Madeleine Carroll (a natural brunette here), John Loder (what a hottie he was in 1928), Margot Armand, Ellat Atherton, and Ivo Dawson.  The film boasts a scenario by Miles Mander and Alma Reville (Mrs. Alfred Hitchcock).  The print was gorgeous 35mm, tinted and toned sourced from the BFI (BFI link)

According to the program this was the directorial debut of actor, writer, and producer Miles Mander.  It was also adapted from his own novel and play.  He gave himself a pretty good part, what a stinker Sir Hugo was!  What Madeleine Carroll saw in him was anyone’s guess.  John Loder plays another long suffering suitor to Miss Carroll.  You’ll remember him from Hitchcock’s 1936 film Sabotage and as the rather stuffy suitor to Bette Davis in Now Voyager.  I’m not going to give the plot away, but Sir Hugo has the very best death in film, literally falling to his death in an elevator shaft.  Not content to let him fall to his not entirely untimely demise, he gets the coup de grace from an elevator car landing on top of him.  In the center of this gruesome death is a bit of hilarity that was rather brilliant and will remain an unforgetable image.  If you get a chance to see this film, particularly with Stephen Horne playing for it, do not miss it!  It’s a corker!

 

Hideo Sugawara (left) and Tokihiko Okada in Tokyo Chorus

Next up was Yasujiro Ozu’s “family flm” Tokyo Chorus.  Like China and many other nations, Japan was still producing silent films well into the 1930s.  This is one of them.  it is a small, quiet film and powerful film.  I was told not to miss it and I was supremely happy I didn’t.  The moving, simple and minimalist film was ably supported by Günter Buchwald.  It touched me in ways I had not expected and in the end I was craving curry rice like you would not believe.  If you’ve seen it, you will get my feeble attempt at a joke. 

Marion Davies in The Patsy

My final film of the day was the new to me Marion Davies comedy, The Patsy.  This 1928 comedy was directed by King Vidor and photographed by the legendary cameraman John Seitz.  The print origin was Marion Davies’ own that is now held at the Library of Congress.  Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra provided delightful and hilarious musical accompaniment. 

I was really unaware I had not seen this film.  It was crafted beautifully to showcase the talents of Marion Davies (so ill served by history and legend). She was a terrific comedienne and a wickedly funny mimic.  All that being said, she also was quite capable of tender, sensitive portrayals, in this as the younger sister who is not favored by her mother (hilarious Marie Dressler) but doted on by her father (always wonderful Dell Henderson).  I had only seen the clips of Davies mimicking Lillian Gish from this (and spot on hilarious it was, too) to see the sequences in context, Mae Murray, Lillian Gish and Pola Negri, if I could have fallen on the floor laughing, I would have.  I've loved Vidor's Show People as the best of Marion Davies.  After The Patsy I've revised my assessment and this is now my favorite of her silents. 

Regretfully, I skipped The Golden Clown which was described as clown noir.  This means I will have to seek it out.

This was my day 1, to be continued. . .

The Gish Sisters Blogathon - September 7-9 2013

September 9 will mark the 101st anniversary of Lillian & Dorothy Gish's motion picture debut. To celebrate the careers of these two remarkable women,  Movies Silently and The Motion Pictures are hosting a blogathon.  This event will take place September 7-September 9, 2013. We invite you to join us in honoring the careers of Lillian and Dorothy.  The blogathon is open to all bloggers who wish to participate.

Needless to say, I'm 100% in for this and will write about Dorothy.  I've already covered Dorothy's 1916 film Gretchen the Greenhorn and for the blogathon I plan on posting at least one tribute post for Dorothy and also a review of her 1926 film Nell Gwyn.  More if I am feeling ambitious. 

On the back burner, it seems perpetually, is my manuscript covering Dorothy's life and career.  I've not posted much, but feel it's worth linking to my little chronicle of finding Dorothy here.  Someday I will actually update it and someday, God willing, Dorothy will have a proper biography out from behind Lillian's big shadow at long last.

San Francisco Silent Film Festival Where Silents Are Golden

Willaim Bakewell in The Last Edition

 

It is time for all silent film fans to make their pilgrimage to the gorgeous Castro Theater to enjoy the 2013 edition of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.  It’s a festival I look forward to every summer and while I confess there are times I do grumble to myself about some of the choices, I come away at the end of the long weekend thrilled with the films I’ve seen.

The festival this year has a lot of variety and my initial not-to-be-missed films and programs (for me) are: Tales From the Archives; The First Born; Tokyo Chorus; The Patsy; Winsor McKay His Life and Art; The Half Breed; Legong: Dance of the Virgins; Gribiche; The House on Trubnaya Square; and The Last Edition.

If you’ve not bought tickets to any films yet, or the entire magilla, get them here.

Prix de Beaute

Thursday, July 18 at 7:00 pm
Musical Accompaniment Stephen Horne
France, 1930 • Director Augusto Genina
Cast Louise Brooks, Georges Charlia, H. Bandini, A. Nicolle, M. Ziboulsky, Yves Glad, Alex Bernard

Prix de Beauté marks Louise Brooks’s last starring role in a feature. Less known than her work with G.W. Pabst (Pandora’s Box, Diary of a Lost Girl), Prix de Beauté was marred by its foray into early sound (Brooks’s voice was dubbed). Our presentation is the superior silent version recently restored by the Cineteca di Bologna. Brooks is stunning as Lucienne, the “everygirl” typist who enters a beauty contest and is introduced to a shiny world of fame and modernity. But Prix’s script, a collaboration between René Clair and G.W. Pabst, doesn’t leave Lucienne in a fairy tale bubble but leads to a powerful, moving denouement. Cinematographers Rudolph Maté and Louis Née make beautiful use of Brooks’s glorious face. Approximately 108 minutes. 2012 Restoration courtesy of Cineteca Bologna, screening in DCP

 

Tales from the Archives

Friday, July 19 at 11:00 am – Free Admission!
Céline Ruivo, Director of Film Collections at the Cinémathèque française, will present on the Cinémathèque's restoration of films from the Paris Exposition of 1900, Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre. Rob Byrne, film preservationist, will present on his restoration of Allan Dwan's The Half-Breed starring Douglas Fairbanks (and premiering on Saturday, July 20 at 12 noon!).

 

The First Born

Friday, July 19 at 2:00 pm
Musical Accompaniment Stephen Horne
UK, 1928 • Director Miles Mander
Cast Miles Mander, Madeleine Carroll, John Loder, Margot Armand, Ellat Atherton, Ivo Dawson Scenario Miles Mander, Alma Reville

The directorial debut of actor, writer, and producer Miles Mander, The First Born was adapted from his own novel and play, set in a British upper-class milieu and touching on morality, politics, and the disintegration of a marriage. Sir Hugh Boycott (Mander) and his young bride Madeleine (Madeleine Carroll) have a passionate marriage that is rocked when she fails to produce an heir. Mander’s gem rises above standard melodrama with its deft observance of character, perhaps helped by its co-writer Alma Reville, a well-known advisor to her husband Alfred Hitchcock. The First Born was recently restored by the BFI National Archive. Approximately 88 minutes. 35mm restored print from the BFI National Archive

 

Tokyo Chorus

Friday, July 19 at 4:30 pm
Musical Accompaniment Günter Buchwald
Japan, 1931 • Director Yasujiro Ozu
Cast Tokihiko Okada, Emiko Yagumo, Hideo Sugawara, Hideko Takamine, Tatsuo Saito, Chouko Iida

Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Chorus is a delicately composed tale of parental love, middle-class dreams, and suburban and urban realities. A young insurance salesman finds his life turned upside-down when he defends a fired co-worker. His family’s response, particularly his young son who wants a bicycle, is the heart of this film which shows the emergence of Ozu’s mature style—and a wonderful blend of comedy and drama. Approximately 90 minutes. 35mm print from Janus Films

 

The Patsy

Musical Accompaniment Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
USA, 1928 • Director King Vidor
Cast Marion Davies, Orville Caldwell, Marie Dressler, Dell Henderson, Lawrence Gray, Jane Winton

Before William Randolph Hearst decided that comedic roles were beneath her, Marion Davies had already established herself as a madcap comedienne on the musical stage. Director King Vidor had enough Hollywood clout to defy Hearst and play to Davies’ true strengths and the result is demonstrated in her incandescent performance in The Patsy. J.B. Kaufman writes, “Energetic, irrepressible, bubbling over with good humor yet capable of quiet sensitivity, she proves herself once and for all a genuine star. In her most celebrated scene she demonstrates her talent for mimicry by offering devastatingly accurate impressions of Mae Murray, Lillian Gish, and Pola Negri. (Mae Murray and Lillian Gish were, like Davies, MGM stars at the time, and Pola Negri's Three Sinners was released almost simultaneously with The Patsy.)” Approximately 84 minutes 35mm print from the Library of Congress

 

Gosta Eckman in The Golden Clown

 

The Golden Clown

Musical Accompaniment Matti Bye Ensemble
Denmark, 1926 • Director A.W. Sandberg
Cast Gösta Ekman, Maurice de Féraudy, Kate Fabian, Karina Bell, Robert Schmidt, Erik Bertner

Gösta Ekman is the eponymous clown in this tale of rural ways confronting the glamour and danger of the big city. The small town Joe (Ekman) and his circus princess Daisy (Karina Bell) find success in Paris, but become embroiled in a love triangle with a Parisian bon vivant. This beautiful restoration by the Danish Film Institute highlights the exquisite cinematography of Chresten Jørgensen and Einar Olsen. Approximately 128 minutes. 35mm restored print courtesy of the Danish Film Institute

 

Winsor McCay His Life and Art

Saturday, July 20 at 10:00 am
A Special Presentation by John Canemaker
Musical Accompaniment Stephen Horne

John Canemaker acclaimed biography Winsor McCay: His Life and Art celebrates the early-twentieth-century genius who gave the world Little Nemo and Gertie the Dinosaur. This special presentation is illustrated with stunning images from Canemaker’s book, as well as screenings of four of McCay's greatest films: Little Nemo (1911, 3 mins), the first adaptation of a comic strip to a film format; the indelibly disturbing How a Mosquito Operates (1912, 6 mins); Gertie the Dinosaur (1914, 18 mins), the charming and infinitely influential animation McCay designed as part of a Vaudeville act; and The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918, 12 mins), a somber animated counterpart to McCay's editorial cartoons. Approximately 70 minutes.

 

Douglas Fairbanks in The Half Breed (and in the altogether)

The Half-Breed

Saturday, July 20 at 12:00 noon
Musical Accompaniment Günter Buchwald on the Mighty Wurlitzer
USA, 1916 • Director Allan Dwan
Cast Douglas Fairbanks, Alma Rubens, Sam De Grasse, Tom Wilson, Frank Brownlee, Jewel Carmen, George Beranger

The great Allan Dwan directed this western drama set amongst the redwoods and filmed in part near Boulder Creek (with Victor Fleming behind the camera!). Based on a story by Bret Harte and adapted by Anita Loos, The Half-Breed stars Douglas Fairbanks as Lo Dorman, a half-Indian outcast from society who lives in the forest and makes his home in a hollow tree. The coquettish pastor’s daughter (Jewel Carmen) toys with his affections, but it is Teresa (Alma Reuben) on the run from the law, who shares Lo’s status as an outsider. This brand new restoration is the result of a partnership between Cinémathèque Française and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. World Premiere! Approximately 70 minutes. 2013 Restoration 35mm print

 

Legong: Dance of the Virgins

Saturday, July 20 at 2:15 pm
Musical Accompaniment Gamela Sekar Jaya and the Club Foot Orchestra
Bali, 1935 • Director Henri de la Falaise
Cast Poetoe Aloes Goesti, Bagus Mara Goesti, Saplak Njoman, Njong Njong Njoman

One of the last features shot in two-strip Technicolor, Legong was filmed entirely on location in Bali in 1935 by the Marquis Henry de la Falaise (a WWI hero, the ex-husband of Gloria Swanson, and the current spouse of Constance Bennett). The film is a tragic tale of love denied—Poutou, a respected Legong dancer, falls in love with young musician, Nyoung. Her father is delighted with Poutou's choice and wants to help her to conquer Nyoung's heart. But Poutou's half-sister Saplak pines for the musician. When Nyoung chooses Saplak, Poutou drowns herself. Legong's real theme is much more than mere melodrama—it is the delineation of Balinese culture. De la Falaise captured religious rituals including frenetic dances and mystical parades, and everyday dealings at the local marketplace. Small details chronicling the life of the villagers make the film an absorbing and mesmerizing quasi-documentary in gorgeous Two-Color Technicolor! Approximately 65 minutes. 35mm restored print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive

 

Gribiche

Gribiche

Saturday, July 20 at 4:00 pm
Musical Accompaniment Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
France, 1926 • Director Jacques Feyder
Cast Jean Forest, Françoise Rosay, Cécile Guyon, Rolla Norman, Charles Barrois, Andrée Canti, Armand Dufour, Serge Otto, Alice Tissot, Major Heitner, Georges Pionnier, Soufflot, Mme. Surgères

Jacques Feyder’s first film for Films Albatros is the story of a young boy (Jean Forest) who lives with his widowed mother (Cécile Guyon) in a lower-middle-class Paris neighborhood when he is “discovered” by a rich American widow, Mrs. Maranet (Françoise Rosay in her first important role), who decides to adopt the boy and give him a “proper education.” This charming film was recently restored by the Cinémathèque Française with the collaboration of the Franco-American Cultural Fund—DGA, MPA, SACEM, WGA. Approximately 112 minutes. Restored 35mm print from the Cinémathèque Française

 The House on Trubnaya Square
Saturday, July 20 at 6:30 pm
Musical Accompaniment Stephen Horne
USSR, 1928 • Director Boris Barnet
Cast Vera Maretskaya, Vladimir Fogel, Yelena Tyapkina, Sergei Komarov, Anel Duakevich, Ada Vojtsik

Our vote for Best Soviet Silent Comedy ever, Trubnaya is a brilliant look at class distinctions in the newly urbanized Soviet Union. “Set in a Moscow housing project, where a young scrubwoman discovers a new sense of self after she sees a film about Joan of Arc, this silent 1928 comedy displays a superb technique, a grace with actors, and a talent for eccentric characterizations that suggest Leo McCarey more than Karl Marx.” —Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader. Approximately 64 minutes. 35mm print courtesy of the Pacific Film Archive

 

The Joyless Street (Die freudlose Gasse)

Saturday, July 20 at 8:30 pm
Musical Accompaniment Matti Bye Ensemble
Germany, 1925 • Director G.W. Pabst
Cast: Asta Nielsen, Greta Garbo, Gräfin, Agnes Esterhazy, Werner Krauß, Henry Stuart, Einar Hanson, Grigori Chmara

Not only one of the most important films of Weimar-era Germany, The Joyless Streetis also one of the most spectacular censorship cases of the era. The story from the inflationary period in Vienna in the years immediately after World War I was considered too much of a provocation with its juxtaposition of haves and have nots—that and its frank sexuality. Pabst’s film was twice shortened by the German censors and other countries made cuts or outright banned the film. This painstaking restoration supervised by Stefan Drössler has reconstructed the film as close as possible to Pabst’s intention. It is a magnificent achievement. Approximately 150 minutes. Restored 35mm print from Filmmuseum München

 

Kings of (Silent) Comedy

Sunday, July 21 at 10:00 am
Musical Accompaniment Günter Buchwald

Preservationist and showman Serge Bromberg has selected some of his favorite silent era shorts to make gorgeous new transfers using the best materials possible. The films in our program feature titans of silent comedy—Charley Chase, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and of course, Felix the Cat. The Silent Film Festival starts Sunday morning right—with a program fit for the entire family. Titles include: Felix Goes West (USA, d. Otto Messmer, 1924), Mighty Like a Moose (USA, d. Leo McCarey, 1926), The Love Nest (USA, d. Buster Keaton, 1923), The Immigrant (USA, d. Charles Chaplin, 1917). Approximately 71 minutes. DCP presentation

 

The Outlaw and His Wife (Berg-Ejvind och hans hustru)

Sunday, July 21 at 1:00 pm
Musical Accompaniment Matti Bye Ensemble
Sweden, 1918 • Director Victor Sjöström
Cast Victor Sjöström, Edith Erastoff, John Ekman, Jenny Tschernichin-Larsson, Artur Rolén, Nils Aréhn

Produced during a renaissance in the Swedish film industry, The Outlaw and His Wifeconfirmed the promise of director Victor Sjöström, whose previous film, Terje Vigen, had been a big success for Svenska Biograf. Like a western with a romanticized renegade hero, The Outlaw and His Wife is the ballad of an accused thief on the run (played by Sjöström) who finds work on the farm of a generous, self-sufficient widow, and their growing attraction turns to love. When a jealous rival alerts the authorities to the thief's real identity, the couple take off together into the wilds of Iceland. Approximately 105 minutes. 2013 35mm restoration courtesy of the Swedish Film Institute

 

The Last Edition

Sunday, July 21 at 3:30 pm
Musical Accompaniment Stephen Horne
USA, 1925 • Director Emory Johnson
Cast Ralph Lewis, John Bailey, Billy Bakewell, Wade Boteler, Joseph Campbell, Will Frank, Ray Hallor, David Kirby, Rex Lease, Lisa Leslie

In 2011, film preservationist and SFSFF Board President Rob Byrne learned that an original nitrate print—the only known surviving copy—of The Last Edition existed in the vaults of the Dutch national archive. One of the few surviving films created by Emory Johnson in the mid-1920s, The Last Edition stars veteran actor Ralph Lewis as a pressman at the San Francisco Chronicle. Shot in and around the Chronicle building, the action-packed drama features thrilling chases throughout San Francisco, newspaper production from press to print, and a (literally) “stop the presses” climax that includes a dramatic fire and rescue. This brand new restoration is the result of a partnership between EYE Film Institute Netherlands and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. World Premiere! Approximately 105 minutes. 2013 35mm restoration

 

The Weavers (Die Weber)

Sunday, July 21 at 6:00 pm
Musical Accompaniment Günter Buchwald
Germany, 1927 • Director Friedrich Zelnik
Cast Paul Wegener, Valeska Stock, Georg Burhahrdt, Emil Lind, Wilhelm Dieterle, Hermann Picha, Herta von Walther, Camilla von Hollay, Theodor Loos, Dagny Servaes Intertitles designed and hand drawn by George Grosz

Based on the 1892 play by Gerhart Hauptman dramatizing a Silesian cotton weavers uprising of 1844, The Weavers was once known as the German Potemkin. Its makers downplayed its radical message, but The Weavers resonated with viewers in 1927 whose social reality reflected a chasm between rich and poor. George Grosz’s sardonic, beautifully drawn intertitle art has been restored to this riveting film. Approximately 97 minutes. 2012 restoration courtesy of F. W. Murnau Stiftung and Transit Film GmbH. Screening in DCP

Special Addition to this Presentation!

Ken Winokur of the Alloy Orchestra made an amazing discovery while the orchestra was traveling in the Ukraine—a two-minute trailer for Dziga Vertov's THE ELEVENTH YEAR, created by Aleksander Rodchenko!  As a special gift to San Francisco, he and Beth Custer will perform the World Premiere of their score accompanying Vertov's trailer just before the July 21 screening of THE WEAVERS. The 35mm print of THE ELEVENTH YEAR trailer is courtesy of EYE International, The Netherlands.

Harold Lloyd in Safety Last

 

Safety Last!

Sunday, July 21 at 8:30 pm
Musical Accompaniment Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
USA, 1923 • Directors Sam Taylor, Fred Newmeyer
Cast Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother, Noah Young, Westcott B. Clarke

A bespectacled man hanging off the hands of a collapsing clock on the side of a skyscraper high above teeming city streets is one of the most indelible images of cinema. The thrilling climax of Safety Last! is made all the more exciting because Harold Lloyd, one of the masters of silent-era comedy, didn’t need CGI to make it happen. But why he is up there in the first place? A girl of course! Safety Last! takes a familiar story of a boy meets girl and turns it into high-art comedy. Layered with expert gags, the 1923 film inspired Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Agee to write of the climb: “Each new floor is like a stanza in a poem.” Approximately 70 minutes. 2013 restoration courtesy of Janus Films, screening in DCP

 I'll be live posting during the festival, via my iPhone.  I beg indulgence for the typos that will surely be forthcoming as I really stink at texting!  See you there!