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Post by Jesse on May 3, 2014 14:07:52 GMT -5
I've watched quite a few silent films and have found them mostly enjoyable. Possibly my favorite silent movie is Fritz Lang's Metropolis. The production quality of this movie is amazing and there is a newly restored version with footage thought lost for decades. Every science fiction fan needs to see this film at least once in their life time.
As a Batman fan naturally I was curious so I decided to watch the silent version of The Mark of Zorro. Its a really fun swashbuckler adventure and I highly recommend checking it out. I also recommend a movie called The Dragon Painter. I had a lot of fun watching films starring Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy.
My preference is more the macabre and I think some of the best horror films of all time come from this era. Films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu, The Hands of Orlac, Haxan, The Phantom Carriage, etc. really capture the mood and atmosphere that is necessary to tell a good scary story. Something many more modern films completely lack.
Way-back in school we were forced to watch Lon Chaney, Sr. in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by our English professor and at the time I never gave it much thought. In fact I kind of prefer the Charles Laughton version. I still love the way he delivered the line "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!"
It wasn't until I saw Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera that I really started to appreciate these films for great works of art. There is this scene at the masked-ball where the Phantom shows up disguised as Poe's Red-Death. It changes to mostly color and it really blew me away. Since then I've checked out many other Chaney works including The Ace of Hearts, Tod Browning's The Unknown as-well-as going back to re-watch The Huntchback.
In The Unknown Chaney plays a murderer who has two thumbs on one hand. He poses as a man with no arms, joins a carnival as a knife thrower and falls in love with a girl there. Its really creepy and easily one of my top 3 favorite Tod Browning films.
The Monster has everything a B-movie should have including a charismatic villain with creepy henchmen and an atmospheric setting. I especially love the fact that the lead character is not a typical hero type. Instead he is a bumbling detective who literally gets his badge, gun and diploma through the mail at the beginning of the film. Chaney plays Dr. Ziska a mad scientist who performs ghastly experiments at an abandoned sanitarium and it's up to our would-be detective Johnny Goodlittle to stop him. It is fun, suspenseful, with a great use of mood and irony.
The Black Bird features the combination of Tod Browning and Lon Chaney and is not to be missed. Chaney's character is a notorious thief called The Blackbird who pretends to be his twin, a crippled missionary known as The Bishop. Not the first time I've seen him play a character with a secondary identity, which he does brilliantly in this film. The supporting cast really shine in this movie especially Renée Adorée and Owen Moore who play The Blackbird's love interest and rival, respectively. Great ending and a really beautiful score by Robert Israel.
The Unholy Three not only stars Chaney but it also features Harry Earles from Tod Browning's Freaks. Seeing one dressed in drag and the other dressed up as a baby is pretty funny. I nearly died of laughter seeing Earles with a cigar in his mouth wearing a toy fireman's helmet. I swear he had to be the inspiration for the Baby Herman character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Browning really nails the suspense throughout the movie especially in the toy elephant scene. The camera trick used during the "ape" scene at the end seems almost revolutionary for the time period. Great reveal during the courtroom confession and a happy ending of sorts. While it's not my favorite Browning film it's certainly an entertaining story and worth checking out if you're a fan of either Chaney or Browning.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 3, 2014 15:01:32 GMT -5
Dropout, you're doing a great job of picking great silent movies to watch and enjoy. I've been a fan of silent film for years and you've watched a few I've never seen. The Mark of Zorro, The Ace of Hearts, The Monster, The Black Bird. I've never even heard of The Dragon Painter.
I love The Unknown. Did you notice the heroine was Joan Crawford? She's really good in it.
For more great Chaney, I recommend West of Zanzibar and He Who Gets Slapped, especially the latter. It doesn't get much attention, but I know it's on DVD, and it's my favorite Lon Chaney film. (The heroine is Norma Shearer!)
Another criminally unnoticed silent film is The Wildcat, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Pola Negri. You can hardly believe it was directed in 1921!
My two favorite silent films are Sunrise and Pandora's Box.
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Post by Jasoomian on May 3, 2014 16:38:29 GMT -5
May 2, 2014 18:28:07 GMT -5 gothos said: I just re-watched the 80s MANHUNTER the other week. I think I prefer it to the critically acclaimed SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, which is enjoyable but doesn't grapple with the Problem of Evil quite so well. I prefer Manhunter to Red Dragon although it has much less Hannibal Lector in it. Brian Cox is decent as the character but lacks the charm and charisma that Anthony Hopkins has. I would say that and Silence of the Lambs are the only really must see films made from Thomas Harris novels. I'll watch Manhunter when I run across it. I had Amazon Prime for a month recently and I watched Hannibal Rising and rewatched Hannibal (2001), which I had originally screened at Union Station in DC, which is where they filmed one of the chase scenes. I di myself a favor last night and unplugged the QAM cable and plugged in the antenna so I could get the uncompressed picture and 5.1 surround sound. The sound design is just as amazing as the cinematography.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 3, 2014 17:02:59 GMT -5
I've seen a bunch of silents so far this year including the restored Metropolis,Safety Last,Cabinet of Dr Caliguri,Haxan and2 Chaplin features. I still have a bunch on DVD I need to see
BEN-HUR 1925 BIRTH OF A NATION 1915 HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME 1923 KING OF KINGS 1927 LOST WORLD 1925 NOSFERATU 1922 RING 1927 UNDERWORLD 1927 WINGS 1927
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 3, 2014 19:17:27 GMT -5
Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978) Peter Sellers,Herbert Lum,Burt Kwouk,Dyan Cannon,Robert Webber
Just as I suspected,this movie doesn't come close to the previous film
To prove that he still is strong and powerful, Philippe Douvier (Robert Webber) decides to kill Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Once Clouseau's death has been announced, the former Chief Inspector, Charles Dreyfus, feels much, much better and is released from the mental hospital. Jacques Clouseau tries to take advantage of his "death" and goes under cover with Cato to find out who tried to assassinate him.Douvier's jilted mistress (Dyan Cannon) assists Clouseau
Burt Kwouk gets more camera time then any previous Panther film and I always enjoy seeing Dyan Cannon as well.Those are the good things.Otherwise the comedy is flat,uninspired.Nothing new had been added to the series and the old routines don't come close to the manic levels of Strikes Again.It has the feel of just wanting to cash into a franchise while the money was still there. Would this have been a temporary bump (or as Closeau would say bimp ) in the road and the next film a recovery. We'll never know. This was Peter Seller's last hurrah as the French Inspector. The next Panther film will be made up of outtakes and unused scenes from Strikes Again. I'll have the er..pleasure of watching that next
Peter Sellers made 3 more films after Revenge.The Prisoner of Zenda and The Fiendish Plot Of Fu Manchu both I found nothing special. However 1979's Being There was one of his best Blake Edwards went on to write and direct a string of hits 10,S.O.B.,Victor/Victoria,A Fine Mess and just directing Micki +Maude and Blind Date. He passed away in 2010
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Post by Hoosier X on May 3, 2014 23:09:36 GMT -5
Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978) Peter Sellers,Herbert Lum,Burt Kwouk,Dyan Cannon,Robert Webber
Just as I suspected,this movie doesn't come close to the previous film To prove that he still is strong and powerful, Philippe Douvier (Robert Webber) decides to kill Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Once Clouseau's death has been announced, the former Chief Inspector, Charles Dreyfus, feels much, much better and is released from the mental hospital. Jacques Clouseau tries to take advantage of his "death" and goes under cover with Cato to find out who tried to assassinate him.Douvier's jilted mistress (Dyan Cannon) assists Clouseau Burt Kwouk gets more camera time then any previous Panther film and I always enjoy seeing Dyan Cannon as well.Those are the good things.Otherwise the comedy is flat,uninspired.Nothing new had been added to the series and the old routines don't come close to the manic levels of Strikes Again.It has the feel of just wanting to cash into a franchise while the money was still there. Would this have been a temporary bump (or as Closeau would say bimp ) in the road and the next film a recovery. We'll never know. This was Peter Seller's last hurrah as the French Inspector. The next Panther film will be made up of outtakes and unused scenes from Strikes Again. I'll have the er..pleasure of watching that next Peter Sellers made 3 more films after Revenge. The Prisoner of Zenda and The Fiendish Plot Of Fu Manchu both I found nothing special. However 1979's Being There was one of his best Blake Edwards went on to write and direct a string of hits 10,S.O.B.,Victor/Victoria,A Fine Mess and just directing Micki +Maude and Blind Date. He passed away in 2010 I remember seeing this one at the theater when I was 14. I thought it was great! Then I saw it years later after I'd seen some of the earlier ones on cable ... and it's just OK.
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Post by Jesse on May 4, 2014 3:05:20 GMT -5
Dropout, you're doing a great job of picking great silent movies to watch and enjoy. I've been a fan of silent film for years and you've watched a few I've never seen. The Mark of Zorro, The Ace of Hearts, The Monster. I caught a ton of them of TCM Silent Sundays. Haven't watched one in awhile and not sure if they're still doing that though. I've never even heard of The Dragon Painter. I watched it on TCM and really enjoyed it. IIRC they aired it during Asian Images in Film month where they also showed a bunch of Akira Kurosawa and Ishirō Honda movies. I also discovered some really cool early Japanese horror movies like Jigoku (The Sinners of Hell) and Hausu (House). Really awesome stuff. I love The Unknown. Did you notice the heroine was Joan Crawford? She's really good in it. Yeah Robert Osborne ( or Ben Mankiewicz) mentioned it on TCM. I enjoyed her a lot in William Castle's Strait-Jacket. For more great Chaney, I recommend West of Zanzibar and He Who Gets Slapped, especially the latter. It doesn't get much attention, but I know it's on DVD, and it's my favorite Lon Chaney film. (The heroine is Norma Shearer!) Another criminally unnoticed silent film is The Wildcat, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Pola Negri. You can hardly believe it was directed in 1921! My two favorite silent films are Sunrise and Pandora's Box. I have not seen any of the films. I di myself a favor last night and unplugged the QAM cable and plugged in the antenna so I could get the uncompressed picture and 5.1 surround sound. The sound design is just as amazing as the cinematography. They're sound engineer really doesn't get enough credit. It helps set the mood so perfectly.
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Post by numberthirty on May 4, 2014 3:56:51 GMT -5
The original Svengoolie was Jerry G. Bishop but he only performed as the character for a few years in the early '70s. The Svengoolie I think most people know is Rich Koz who started as Son of Svengoolie in the 80s and still plays the part today. Thanks for the info. I don't think either of these guys is the Svengoolie I remember. From the show's old days.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on May 4, 2014 11:43:43 GMT -5
Just about to start watching Once Upon A Time In The West. It's the full 2 hrs 46 min version on netflix. First time view for me. Though I have seen a lot of this genre of westerns.
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Post by Jasoomian on May 4, 2014 12:32:46 GMT -5
Just about to start watching Once Upon A Time In The West. It's the full 2 hrs 46 min version on netflix. First time view for me. Though I have seen a lot of this genre of westerns. How is that framed on Netflix? I saw a few minutes on TCM recently and noticed that they were presenting it in "smilebox" rather than letterbox in an attempt to preserve the Cinerama effect:
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on May 4, 2014 12:36:43 GMT -5
It's letterbox.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 4, 2014 12:50:25 GMT -5
I caught a ton of them of TCM Silent Sundays. Haven't watched one in awhile and not sure if they're still doing that though. They still do it. (Though I haven't watched it for a while. Sometimes the Silent Sundays end up on TCM On Demand, so I've watched Oliver Twist (1922, I think. Lon Chaney is Fagan.) and King of Kings within the last few months.) Tonight they're showing Sparrows, one of the few Mary Pickford movies I've seen. Watch it, if you have the time. I saw it years ago on a very poor-quality VHS. I almost didn't watch it because of the poor quality of the tape, but I stuck with it and it got a little better and it turned it into a pretty entertaining movie. It has one scene in particular that is amazing and exciting and will stick in your head for years. (You'll know it when you see it.) Sparrows was directed by William Beaudine, who was in the business forever. He is most famous for a bunch of famously bad movies, including some low-budget Bela Lugosi thrillers as well as Billy the Kid vs. Dracula. Sparrows is very good. You would never guess it was directed by someone who is famous for his bad movies.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 4, 2014 13:12:39 GMT -5
Just about to start watching Once Upon A Time In The West. It's the full 2 hrs 46 min version on netflix. First time view for me. Though I have seen a lot of this genre of westerns. How is that framed on Netflix? I saw a few minutes on TCM recently and noticed that they were presenting it in "smilebox" rather than letterbox in an attempt to preserve the Cinerama effect: That's How the West Was Won. Once Upon a Time wasn't Cinerama.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 4, 2014 15:11:19 GMT -5
I taped Going Hollywood on the DVR and I'm watching it now. It's one of those INSANE 1930s musicals where anything can happen. It stars Marion Davies and Bing Crosby. It's pretty weird. (I think Marion Davies is in blackface in one scene but I haven't got to that yet.)
I love the films of the early 1930s. Anybody else like Footlight Parade? 42nd Street? How about Dancing Lady with Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire and the Three Stooges? (The big finale is a musical tribute to beer.)
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 4, 2014 15:19:36 GMT -5
I enjoy those Busby Berkley musicals.Just for the spectacular dance sequences.They are absolutely insane. Which reminds me that I have a DVD Busby Berkley doc which I believe compiles them. Everyone should at least check them out
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