Yearly Archives: 2013

My Best Girl

My 93 year-old neighbor, Charlie, tells me he fondly remembers seeing Mary Pickford in 1925 when she visited his hometown of Anaheim, California.  A huge crowd lined up to see her motorcade, and Charlie recalls the excitement of seeing Pickford … Continue reading

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Faust

“Faust,” the 1926 silent film shown at this year’s Silent Film Festival “Silent Winter,” stars Emil Jannings in an impressive performance as Mephisto (the Devil).  Faust, a learned alchemist, can do nothing after Mephisto delivers the plague to his village. … Continue reading

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The Thief of Bagdad

Douglas Fairbank’s wonderful “The Thief of Bagdad,” released in 1924, played in front of an enthusiastic crowd today at the Castro Theater in San Francisco.  The movie features Fairbanks as the title character, Ahmed, a witty and athletic burglar, pickpocket and … Continue reading

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One Hour With You

Of all the Ernst Lubitsch musical comedy films I’ve seen, I’ve found that the one with the least subtlety may be “One Hour With You,” which was released in 1932.  Maurice Chevalier stars as Dr. Andre Bertier, a happily married … Continue reading

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Mayerling

Anatole Litvak directed a film in France in 1936 called “Mayerling,” which tells the true story of the love affair between Crown Prince Rud0lf and Baroness Marie Vetsera.  The events occurred in the 1880s, and involved the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.  Tragically, the outcome … Continue reading

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Treasure Island

A lot of thought and talent went into the 1934 version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” directed by Victor Fleming.  The story involves a sailing trip for buried pirate treasure by a boy named Jim Hawkins, the son of … Continue reading

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Over the Moon

The film, “Over the Moon,” came out in 1939 with an interesting cast that includes Merle Oberon, Rex Harrison and Robert Douglas.  Oberon plays Jane Benson, a poor but generally happy woman that receives an inheritance of 18 million pounds. … Continue reading

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Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

When I visited India in 2009, I expected to see a couple of dozen first-run films playing concurrently at the cinemas.  I found, however, that only about 3 new films normally screen at one time.  Perhaps that’s why Bollywood filmmakers … Continue reading

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Le Plaisir

Two key characteristics of Max Ophüls show up in his 1952 film, “Le Plaisir,” which tells 3 stories of pleasure: The camera often follows the characters, and furniture and other items often clutter the foreground of scenes.  Many critics make … Continue reading

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Rififi

As a big fan of silent films, I appreciate it when filmmakers tell the story visually in sound films.  One of the pleasures of “Rififi,” a 1955 caper film directed by Jules Dassin, is that he shows the entire caper … Continue reading

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