Category Archives: Silent Film

The Clinging Vine

Posted on April 1, 2014 by John Grant

With the comic premise of a mannish and successful woman who transforms into a feminine ideal, “The Clinging Vine,” a silent film released in 1926, becomes an excellent vehicle for the dynamic Leatrice Joy. Joy, a popular actress of the … Continue reading →

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Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

Posted on March 4, 2014 by John Grant

The exquisitely made “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans,” the 1927 silent movie masterpiece, not only hits every visual superlative, but also provides a resounding emotional impact that stays with the viewer forever. It’s a dark and richly conceived melodrama … Continue reading →

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It

Posted on February 25, 2014 by John Grant

Paramount Pictures and the other movie studios knew that millions of shopgirls went to the movies every week, so it isn’t surprising that many romantic plots revolve around the dreams of shopgirls. In the movie version of Elinor Glyn’s novel, … Continue reading →

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A Woman of Paris

Posted on February 13, 2014 by John Grant

Just by its category of being a romantic drama, “A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate” stands out as being one of Charles Chaplin’s most interesting films. Chaplin took a bold step forward by producing this realistically acted and … Continue reading →

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Blancanieves

Posted on November 4, 2013 by John Grant

Silent films tell a story in a different way, with images instead of dialogue, and they rely on those images to convey the emotional depth of the tale.  With the modern reliance on booming sounds and excessive dialogue, it’s nice … Continue reading →

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A Cottage on Dartmoor

Posted on October 28, 2013 by John Grant

In the opening sequence of “A Cottage on Dartmoor,” a prisoner escapes from jail and races desperately across the moor to an isolated cottage where a woman attends to her infant.  He enters the cottage and waits in the darkness … Continue reading →

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Shkurnyk

Posted on October 22, 2013 by John Grant

“Shkurnyk,” a silent film from 1929 that I saw at the 2013 Pordenone Silent Film Festival (Giornate del Cinema Muto), is a very funny satire about the civil war in the years following the Russian Revolution.  The title means “The … Continue reading →

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People Among Each Other

Posted on October 16, 2013 by John Grant

A 1926 German silent film called “Menschen untereinander,” or “People Among Each Other,” employs a handy storytelling device to introduce its characters without the extensive use of title cards.  The story concerns the inhabitants of an apartment building in Berlin, … Continue reading →

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Too Much Johnson

Posted on October 13, 2013 by John Grant

Pordenone, Italy — On October 9, 2013, I had the honor of viewing a short silent film made by Orson Welles, only recently discovered in this great town. The film, “Too Much Johnson,” made in 1938, features a man name … Continue reading →

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Beggars of Life

Posted on October 10, 2013 by John Grant

When a drifter (“The Boy”) knocks on a door of backwoods shack asking for bread, he doesn’t expect to find a murder scene, but that’s what happens in William Wellman’s 1928 silent classic, “Beggars of Life.”  The film screened recently … Continue reading →

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