Yearly Archives: 2012

The River

Posted on September 20, 2012 by John Grant

An Indian film directed by Jean Renoir called “Le Fleuve (The River)” came out in 1951.  Its glorious color photography by Claude Renoir captures the sites along the Ganges River.  The story involves a  British family that runs a jute … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Merry Widow

Posted on September 17, 2012 by John Grant

Last night, TCM exposed countless millions to Erich von Stroheim’s 1925 classic, “The Merry Widow,” starring John Gilbert, Mae Murray and Roy D’Arcy.  Gilbert plays Prince Danilo in a strange European country called Monteblanco, where his cousin, Crown Prince Mirko … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Silent Film | Leave a comment

Artistic Pictures

Posted on September 14, 2012 by John Grant

The 31st Pordenone Silent Film Festival, scheduled for October 6 to October 13, 2012, will show a program called “The Stories of W. W. Jacobs.”  Jacobs, an English fiction writer, wrote humorous stories, but is best known for a 1902 … Continue reading →

Posted in Silent Film | Leave a comment

The Savage Girl

Posted on September 11, 2012 by John Grant

“The Savage Girl,” an interesting pre-code film made by Monarch Film Corporation in 1932, tells the story of an eccentric and drunk millionaire (Amos P. Stitch) who hires a professor to travel to Africa, catch wild animals, and stock Stitch’s private zoo. … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Anna Sten

Posted on September 8, 2012 by John Grant

At the 31st Pordenone Silent Film Festival, we’ll get a feeling for why Samuel Goldwyn brought Anna Sten to America.  He saw a major star in her after seeing her Soviet and German films.  But although a great beauty,  Sten … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements, Silent Film | Leave a comment

Sparrows

Posted on September 5, 2012 by John Grant

A local gardener, Charlie, told me that, at the age of 5, he met Mary Pickford in 1927 in Anaheim, California.  He still remembers that day well; any five-year old who met Pickford at that time must have thought of … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Silent Film | Leave a comment

Night and the City

Posted on September 2, 2012 by John Grant

The remarkable Richard Widmark and Jules Dassin team up in the 1950 thriller called “Night and the City,” which also stars Gene Tierney and Googie Withers.  Widmark plays Harry Fabian, a con man who always looks for a bigger score. … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Sheik

Posted on August 30, 2012 by John Grant

Rudolph Valentino first appeared on the silver screen in an uncredited role in a lost D. W. Griffith film called “The Battle of the Sexes” in 1914.  Several other films followed in which he played exotic and villainous roles.  But after he … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Silent Film | Leave a comment

Harry Langdon

Posted on August 27, 2012 by John Grant

Just before he made Frank Capra’s “The Strong Man” in 1926, Harry Langdon starred in “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp,” an engaging and very funny story about a little man who enters a cross-country walking race for a $50,000 purse that will … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Silent Film | Leave a comment

A Free Soul

Posted on August 24, 2012 by John Grant

Norma Shearer, Clark Gable and Lionel Barrymore star in “A Free Soul,” a 1931 film directed by Clarence Brown.  Shearer plays Jan Ashe, a modern and free-spirited woman who carries on an open affair with Ace Wilfong, a notorious gambler. … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a comment