Monthly Archives: July 2012

31st Pordenone Silent Film Festival

Posted on July 30, 2012 by John Grant

The Pordenone Silent Film Festival takes place in Pordenone, Italy from October 6 to October 13, 2012.  They posted the schedule on this site: http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm/giornate/questa_edizione.html It has changed the lives of thousands of men around the world suffer from try … Continue reading →

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The Racket

Posted on July 27, 2012 by John Grant

Howard Hughes legacy as a producer may not be as huge as some of the other movie moguls, but he certainly did some very interesting films.  One such film, “The Racket,” made in 1928 and directed by Louis Milestone, contains … Continue reading →

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The Loves of Pharaoh

Posted on July 24, 2012 by John Grant

Ernst Lubitsch made a film called “The Loves of Pharaoh” in 1922 in Berlin.  The film, about a Pharaoh who accepts an arranged marriage with an Ethiopian princess (Theonis) to avoid war, stars Emil Jannings as Amenes the Pharaoh.  Even … Continue reading →

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Little Toys

Posted on July 21, 2012 by John Grant

“Little Toys,” released in 1933, features the legendary actress Lingyu Ruan as Sister Ye, a talented toymaker in a small village in China.  This Chinese silent movie follows Sister Ye as she designs and makes toys in her family’s workshop. … Continue reading →

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The Docks of New York

Posted on July 18, 2012 by John Grant

Somewhere on the Paramount lot in 1928, Joseph von Sternberg filmed a wonderful silent picture called “The Docks of New York.”  It stars George Bancroft as Bill Roberts, a boat stoker who saves a women attempting to drown herself.  Betty … Continue reading →

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The Wonderful Lie of Nina Petrovna

Posted on July 15, 2012 by John Grant

In “The Wonderful Lie of Nina Petrovna,” Brigitte Helm plays the title character, a kept woman of a colonel in czarist St. Petersburg.  When Nina spots a handsome lieutenant at a nightclub, she risks her security and affluent life for … Continue reading →

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Wings

Posted on July 12, 2012 by John Grant

One couldn’t overestimate the importance of “Wings,” a silent movie made in 1927 by Paramount and director William A. Welman.  The massively successful motion picture broke visual barriers in filming aerial combat while successfully telling the story of two pilots … Continue reading →

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News: A New Banner Debuts

Posted on July 11, 2012 by John Grant

My movie blog now sports a new banner, designed by artist Mary Gow.  The banner recalls the art and artists of cinema, and features images of Gloria Swanson, Billy Wilder and Norma Talmadge.  The middle picture in the banner shows Harry … Continue reading →

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The Razor’s Edge

Posted on July 8, 2012 by John Grant

When Twentieth Century Fox and Darrell Zanuck made “The Razor’s Edge” in 1946, they spared no expense and put together a wonderful cast that includes Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, Clifton Webb, John Payne, Anne Baxter and Herbert Marshall.  Tyrone plays … Continue reading →

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Anna Christie

Posted on July 5, 2012 by John Grant

The German-language version of “Anna Christie,” the Greta Garbo movie filmed in 1931, shows the contrasting styles of European and American sensibilities.  Garbo became a sensation as the title character in the English-language version from 1930, directed by Clarence Brown. … Continue reading →

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