Yearly Archives: 2012

The Emperor Waltz

Posted on March 30, 2012 by John Grant

Having done my master’s thesis in writing school on the films of Billy Wilder, I know what inspired him to make “The Emperor Waltz” in 1948.  Wilder’s admiration of Ernst Lubitsch and memories of the lost Europe of his youth … Continue reading →

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Napoleon

Posted on March 27, 2012 by John Grant

I attended the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California to watch Abel Gance’s 1927 classic “Napoleon” on Sunday, March 25, 2012.  The Paramount showings, which include an orchestral score written by Carl Davis and performed by the Oakland-East Bay Symphony, continue … Continue reading →

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Asphalt

Posted on March 24, 2012 by John Grant

Sometimes a film contains so many striking images that it seems impossible to turn away from it.  Silent movies demand more attention anyway, since they don’t rely on spoken dialogue to move  the plot along.  If you turn away, you … Continue reading →

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The Childhood of Maxim Gorky

Posted on March 21, 2012 by John Grant

Soviet cinema produced some innovative and great movies, including “Battleship Potemkin” in 1925, and “A Man With a Camera,”  in 1929.  “The Childhood of Maxim Gorky,” made in 1938, does not break any new ground, but the poignant story of Gorky’s … Continue reading →

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Caper Movie

Posted on March 18, 2012 by John Grant

I watched a 1960 caper movie the other day called “The Day They Robbed the Bank of England.”  The “they” in the title includes a gang representing the Irish Republican Army and their American hired help, played by actor Aldo … Continue reading →

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Woman Times Seven

Posted on March 15, 2012 by John Grant

Although Vittorio De Sica — the acclaimed director of “Ladri di Biciclette (Bicycle Thieves)” in 1948, and a master of Italian neorealist cinema — directed “Woman Times Seven (1967),” I watched it because I wanted to see Shirley MacLaine play … Continue reading →

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The Invisible Man

Posted on March 12, 2012 by John Grant

The brilliant actor Claude Rains did not mind playing villains and antagonists in many of his films.  He does a fine performance as the menacing and smug Prince John in “The Adventures of Robin Hood” in 1938, the crooked Senator Paine in Frank Capra’s … Continue reading →

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Napoleon at the Paramount

Posted on March 9, 2012 by John Grant

“Napoleon,” the 1927 silent masterpiece by Abel Gance, plays later this month at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California.  The schedule includes showings on March 24, March 25, March 31 and April 1.  The Oakland East Bay Symphony will play … Continue reading →

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The Temptress

Posted on March 6, 2012 by John Grant

If you want to see Greta Garbo at her absolute most-powerful best, I recommend a 1926 silent film called “The Temptress.”  Garbo plays Elena, a Parisian woman in a loveless marriage who becomes a mistress for a financier.  At a … Continue reading →

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The Prince and the Showgirl

Posted on March 3, 2012 by John Grant

After seeing last year’s “My Week With Marilyn,” I wanted to screen  the “The Prince and the Showgirl,” made in 1957 and starring Marilyn Monroe and Lawrence Olivier.  My Week With Marilyn makes it seem like Monroe sabotaged The Prince and … Continue reading →

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