Category Archives: Silent Film

Howard Hawks made a silent film in 1927 called “Paid to Love,” in which the king of a small Balkin country and an American businessman pay a cabaret dancer (Virginia Valli) to woo bashful Crown Prince Michael.  The prince, played … Continue reading →

“A Girl in Every Port,” a good silent comedy film from 1928, features Louise Brooks as a French circus performer (Marie) who comes between two extremely close male friends.  The film begins as Spike (Victor McLaglen), a sailor, hits town, … Continue reading →

A Howard Hawks’ silent film, “Fazil,” from 1928, concerns a relationship between an Arab sheik (Fazil) and a free-spirited Parisienne woman named Fabienne (Greta Nissen).  Business pursuits bring Fazil to Venice, where he falls in love with Fabienne at first sight.  But … Continue reading →

Howard Hawks made his first big splash in 1926 with “Fig Leaves,” a silent film starring George O’Brien, Olive Borden and Phyllis Haver.  The film starts out in the Garden of Eden, where Eve (Borden) declares, “I have nothing to … Continue reading →

In “The Love of Jeanne Ney,” made in 1927, director Georg Wilhelm Pabst presents a combination spy thriller and romantic drama that involves the Russian civil war and the theft of a $500,000 diamond.  The film stars Édith Jéhanne as Jeanne Ney … Continue reading →

A few years ago, I met Buster Keaton’s granddaughter at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.  During a catered get-together for festival patrons, she approached me and asked me how I got to love silent film.  I told her about … Continue reading →

A wonderful new silent film just opened called “The Artist.”  Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, the film tells the fictional story of silent film star George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin), who rejects talking pictures.  Despite Valentin’s immense popularity as an … Continue reading →

I started going to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in 2007, when I saw a film called “The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg,” a film directed by Ernst Lubitsch in 1927.  This glorious film stars Ramon Navarro as the … Continue reading →

I always enjoy movies about the silent era, so I recently rented a 1988 movie called “Sunset,” directed by Blake Edwards.  Bruce Willis stars as the iconic cowboy star Tom Mix, who is forced by studio head Alfie Alperin (Malcolm … Continue reading →