Category Archives: Silent Film

Cosmic Voyage

Posted on June 10, 2014 by John Grant

Director Vasili Zhuravlyov created a fun world that consists of a Soviet space institute and the treacherous valleys of the moon in the 1935 Soviet silent film “Kosmicheskiy Reys: Fantasticheskaya Novella,”  or “Cosmic Voyage.” The film premiered in the United … Continue reading →

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Ramona

Posted on June 7, 2014 by John Grant

Prior to the screening of “Ramona,” a 1928 silent film starring Dolores Del Rio, the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra led the large crowd at the Castro Theater in a rendition of the song “Ramona.” The tango-influenced number put everyone … Continue reading →

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The Parson’s Widow

Posted on June 4, 2014 by John Grant

The great Danish (and Swedish) director, Carl Theodore Dreyer, left a memorable trail of films, including the 1928 masterpiece “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” “Master of the House (1925)” and “Michael (1924).” Rather than clutter his films with elaborate … Continue reading →

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Song of the Fisherman

Posted on June 1, 2014 by John Grant

With names like “Little Cat” and “Little Monkey,” the characters in the 1934 Chinese silent film “Song of the Fisherman (Yu Quang Qu),” seem destined for a wild and strenuous life. Being born in a poor fishing family in a … Continue reading →

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Midnight Madness

Posted on May 30, 2014 by John Grant

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) showed “Midnight Madness,” a film from 1928, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon on Friday, May 30, 2014. Rather than being a film about nightlife in the big city, most of the action … Continue reading →

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SFSFF Opening Night

Posted on May 29, 2014 by John Grant

The 2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) opened today with a splendid screening of “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1922),” a Rudolph Valentino movie directed by Rex Ingram. Even sitting in the balcony, I could here the gasp … Continue reading →

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Serge Bromberg

Posted on May 19, 2014 by John Grant

The much-decorated Serge Bromberg brings some silent film rarities the 2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) at the Castro Theater in San Francisco on Saturday, May 31 at 12 noon. In an event called “Serge Bromberg’s Treasure Trove,” Bromberg … Continue reading →

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BFI Honored

Posted on May 16, 2014 by John Grant

The British Film Institute (BFI) will be honored with a 2014 Silent Film Festival Award at the showing of the silent film documentary “The Epic of Everest,” a gem which screens on Saturday, May 31, 2014 at the Castro Theater … Continue reading →

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2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Posted on May 10, 2014 by John Grant

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) opens Thursday, May 29 at 7 PM with a screening of “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” the star-making film of Rudolph Valentino. The exciting 4 days of the festival, held at the Castro … Continue reading →

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The Affairs of Anatol

Posted on April 16, 2014 by John Grant

Cecil B. DeMille’s 1921 movie, “The Affairs of Anatol,” tells the story of a man who cannot seem to remain faithful to his wife. With complete rationalization, Anatol (Wallace Reid) goes about cavorting with 3 women while his suffering wife … Continue reading →

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