Monthly Archives: October 2012

Hands Up!

Posted on October 28, 2012 by John Grant

Raymond Griffith, one of the forgotten comedy stars of the silent era, starred in a 1926 film called “Hands Up!”, a funny comedy about a Confederate spy working to steal Nevada gold before the Union gets it.  The gags come … Continue reading →

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The Girl With the Hatbox

Posted on October 25, 2012 by John Grant

Who knew that Moscow had a room shortage in 1927?  That’s when Boris Barnet made “The Girl With the Hatbox,” a Soviet silent film that features Anna Sten as Natasha, a milliner who travels to Moscow to sell her hats. … Continue reading →

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Heavenly Days

Posted on October 22, 2012 by John Grant

In 1944, RKO Radio Pictures made a Fibber McGee and Molly vehicle called “Heavenly Days.”  Jim (Fibber) and Marian (Molly) Jordan play a daffy couple who decide to take a trip to Washington to tell the Senate how to run … Continue reading →

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The Viking

Posted on October 19, 2012 by John Grant

In the transition from silent pictures to sound, Hollywood studios released mostly silent pictures with synchronized soundtracks and various sound effects.  I recently saw an MGM film from 1929 that employed this hybrid approach, and it also added the glory of “two-strip” … Continue reading →

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The Weavers

Posted on October 16, 2012 by John Grant

Under the program title, “The Canon Revisited,” the Pordenone Silent Film Festival presented “Die Weber (The Weavers),” a 1927 German film directed by Frederik Zelnik.  The story concerns a revolt by the mistreated weavers at a factory in a small … Continue reading →

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Oliver Twist

Posted on October 13, 2012 by John Grant

I saw three versions of “Oliver Twist” on the big screen at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival, but I liked the one with Jackie Coogan the best.  Several countries produced filmed versions of the Charles Dickens’ novel, including an English … Continue reading →

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My Son

Posted on October 10, 2012 by John Grant

A short Anna Sten film from 1928 called “Moi Syn (My Son)” surfaced recently at the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken, and the curators at the museum made a quick DVD copy to present at the 2012 Pordenone Silent … Continue reading →

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In Pordenone

Posted on October 8, 2012 by John Grant

Pordenone, Italy — I am on the ground in Pordenone for the 31st Pordenone Silent Film Festival.  The wonderful program this year concentrates on Charles Dickens stories, Anna Sten, and the films of the Selig Polyscope Company.  I have already … Continue reading →

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Robinson Crusoe

Posted on October 6, 2012 by John Grant

Pordenone, Italy — A special event at this year’s 31st Pordenone Silent Film Festival (Le Giornate Del Cinema Muto) featured, on October 6, a wonderful restoration (by the Cinémathèque Française and Laboratoires Éclaire) of a George Méliès 1902 film called … Continue reading →

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The Patsy

Posted on October 6, 2012 by John Grant

Pordenone, Italy — The silent film festival festival here screened the comedy “The Patsy,” which stars Marion Davies and Marie Dressler.  The King Vidor directed comedy features Davies as a woman (Patricia) who falls in love with her sister’s boyfriend … Continue reading →

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