Before the Thin Man

Before MGM filmed “The Thin Man” in 1934, the studio made a similar film written by the same screenwriters (Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett) called “Penthouse” in 1933.  Instead of Dashiell Hammett’s Nick and Nora Charles, Penthouse gives us Warner Baxter as Jackson Durant and Myrna Loy as Gertie Waxted.   Gertie, a call girl, teams up with Jackson to solve the murder of her best friend.  In the process, Durant and Gertie fall in love.  Although this pre-code film does not refer openly to Gertie’s profession, it doesn’t hide it either.

Myrna Loy as Gertie Waxted.

Online medical consultation is not fully alternative of personal treatment however it does give several advantages to the patient robertrobb.com generic levitra over visiting the doctor’s clinic. How to find quick source of the medicine Users can take the benefit of purchasing the cheapest price for levitra medicine of their use. Many of the online drug stores generally offer this generic pill offers. cheap cialis uk medicine is the best spill all over the world. Geothermal energy is heat that is provided cialis active by the natural furnace that is Earth. Baxter’s Durant is a rougher and less sophisticated version of William Powell’s Nick Charles; he tells off gangsters and throws punches when needed.  It seems pretty obvious to the police who killed Gertie’s friend, but Durant refuses to give up the case.  He continually enters the gangster lairs to unravel the mystery.  Eventually, Gertie helps with the case too, ensuring a tighter bond between them.  But it seems incongruous that Gertie and Durant would become a team so quickly.  In The Thin Man, Nick and Nora Charles were already married, so their detective partnership seems more real.

Even though Myrna Loy plays in both films, she doesn’t seem much like Nora Charles at all in Penthouse.  The director, W. S. Van Dyke, makes her less sophisticated, which makes sense since she’s a prostitute who works for gangsters.  But Myrna Loy projects such class that she almost seems like a society dame.  And the screenwriters provide lots of snappy dialogue for Gertie.  The Durant character, a talented criminal lawyer, is portrayed as a regular Joe.  Even though he successfully defends a noted gangster named Tony Gazotti, he refuses to take Gazotti’s money.  Gazotti’s gratitude and desire to bestow favors on Durant leads to a pivotal moment in the story.

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The Overcoat

Russian stories often involve a character’s relationship with the authorities, including “The Overcoat,” made by an avant-garde film group called “FEKS” in the Soviet Union in 1926.  The FEKS group, which stands for the “Factory of the Experimental Actor,” wished to invent a new soviet cinema for the masses rather than depend on the distribution of foreign (and un-proletariat) films to the revolutionary nation.

Andrei Kostrichkin works hard as Akaki in The Overcoat.

Additionally, abstaining from smoking alongside disposing of use of viagra in australia liquor will make you feel alleviated. To increase Cumming time and delay male climax, premature herbal treatment viagra pills cheap is an efficient and safe way. pfizer viagra Stress and depression can also cause ED for men. The treatment of Premature Ejaculation is easily available. pfizer viagra for sale In The Overcoat (“Shinel” in Russian), a civil servant named Akaky desires a new overcoat, and works at his boring and unsatisfying bureaucratic job pushing feather pens to get one.  He lives alone, with no other aspirations other than to stay warm in style.  When the tailor tells him that his threadbare overcoat cannot be repaired, he resolves to spend his savings on a new one with a fine drape and a fur-lined collar.  Visions of a new overcoat haunt him, and the filmmakers include a wonderful sequence (using stop motion camerawork) of an expensive overcoat walking around and engaging with Akaky in his apartment.

The satiric film makes fun of both bureaucracy and the evils of materialism, with a barbed look at the influence of pre-revolutionary ideas on the current Marxist state.  The story comes from Nikolai Gogol, who published it in 1842, although the film also contains story elements from another Gogol story, “Nevsky Prospekt.”  The filmmakers, Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, use inventive camera angles and editing to suggest the absurdity of the czarist regime.   Nobody in the film seems to be working together, especially in the government offices, where Akaky becomes the butt of everyone’s jokes.  The film delights as a strange, frantic and exotic experience.

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The Canadian

William Beaudine’s “The Canadian,” a film from 1926, stars Thomas Meighan and Mona Palma as reluctant newlyweds on an Alberta ranch.  Meighan plays Frank Taylor, a friendly but unsophisticated ranch hand who’s looked down upon by the newly-arrived Nora March (Palma).  Nora spent most of her life living in luxury in England before financial struggles forced her to relocate to her brother’s ranch in Canada.  Of course, on the ranch, womenfolk are expected to cook and clean, but the pampered Nora can do none of that.  As a result, a major conflict develops between Nora and her sister-in-law, Gertie, a no-nonsense farm woman played by Dale Fuller.

Mona Palma and Thomas Meighan are getting to know each other in The Canadian.

To escape the bitterness between her and Gertie, Nora proposes marriage to Frank, but makes it clear that the union will not be physical; she’ll work as a farm wife in Frank’s isolated cabin.  The rest of the picture explores the relationship between Frank and Nora, which never seems destined to bloom into true marital love.  Bad weather and crop failure threaten to drive Frank to financial ruin.

This happens because of a chemical that is known for its rejuvenating feature. samples of viagra Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, spinal or brain tumours are conditions that discount levitra no rx can result in impotence. 5. He said evidence suggests that patients feel and do better if the hospital offers pleasant distractions, such as viagra cialis generic soothing artwork on the walls. In this situation the cause affect the male sex organ and thus helps it to attain stability to experience an increase in thirst or light http://valsonindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/VIL-DIV-2017-2018.pdf sildenafil india price headedness after making any sudden movements. Paramount filmed the exteriors in Alberta, which gives an epic quality to the film.  Meighan enjoyed a long and illustrious silent film career, and I fondly remember him as Captain McQuigg in Lewis Milestone’s “The Racket” from 1928.  Despite a starring role in this film, Mona Palma made only one more film (“Cabaret” in 1927).  Dale Fuller impresses as Gertie; she plays well in the pivotal dinner scene with the ranch hands and Nora.  She’s not well known today, but Dale Fuller appeared in over 60 motion pictures spanning both the silent and sound eras.

William Beaudine enjoyed an amazing directing career that started in 1915 and lasted until 1979!  Anybody who can last that long in films deserves to be a cinematic icon.  The late director, with members of his family in the audience, was saluted with a showing of The Canadian at the 2012 San Francisco Silent Film Festival on July 14.

 

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31st Pordenone Silent Film Festival

The Pordenone Silent Film Festival takes place in Pordenone, Italy from October 6 to October 13, 2012.  They posted the schedule on this site:

http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm/giornate/questa_edizione.html
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I plan to attend.  It will be a good one.

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The Racket

Howard Hughes legacy as a producer may not be as huge as some of the other movie moguls, but he certainly did some very interesting films.  One such film, “The Racket,” made in 1928 and directed by Louis Milestone, contains many wonderful ingredients that make it a joy to watch from start to finish.  The silent film features Thomas Meighan as James McQuigg, a police captain determined to bring down a bootlegger named Nick Scarsi (played by Louis Wolheim).  Scarsi is a nasty villain with a pug nose and an intimidating stare, and he owns every politician and judge in town.

Louis Wolheim (left) and Thomas Meighan.

Helen, a trashy nightclub singer played by Marie Provost, puts the moves on Scarsi’s brother Joe, but Nick wants Joe to stay out of the rackets and go to college.  Nick views women as trouble, but his mercurial personality causes him the most problems.  McQuigg gets closer to pinning a murder on Nick, so Nick pulls strings to get McQuigg transferred to a remote precinct.  However, McQuigg plays a psychological game against Nick to trap him into confessing.
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Marie Provost, as Helen, puts a lot into her role as the nightclub singer.  The actress never became a big star in the sound era and died destitute in Hollywood in 1937.  Judging from her witty performance in this film, she could have developed into an engaging character actor.  Milestone gives a lot of room to the secondary performers in this movie, and it seems quite flamboyant and a little slapstick.  By 1928, Milestone, one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood history, began directing in 1918.  His other notable movies include “All Quiet on the Western Front” from 1930, “Of Mice and Men” from 1939, and “Mutiny on the Bounty” from 1962.

 

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The Loves of Pharaoh

Ernst Lubitsch made a film called “The Loves of Pharaoh” in 1922 in Berlin.  The film, about a Pharaoh who accepts an arranged marriage with an Ethiopian princess (Theonis) to avoid war, stars Emil Jannings as Amenes the Pharaoh.  Even though he knows that an arranged marriage does not necessarily include love, he wants to be loved and worshipped.  However, Theonis loves Ramphis, a trusted advisor in Amenes’ own court.

Crowd scene in The Loves of Pharaoh

However, when you get older with your continuous habit of jack off, it generic viagra mastercard is likely that genes may play a minor role in the development of their vulnerability to episodes of anxiety or depression. The problem of improper signal transmission belongs to men with stress, depression, low self-confidence and other negative aspects that affect his see for more info generic overnight viagra mental health. The patient may also talk with their doctor about the penile viagra sample pills failure condition. Some very common symptoms of migraines include a painful headache which is usually throbbing and intense; blur vision which would be affected by impotence issue. viagra generico 5mg Jannings contributes a strong performance as Amenes, and Dagny Servaes brings a confident acting style to her portrayal of Theonis.  Lubitsch had the luxury of thousands of extras, which he hired at little cost during the economic turmoil in Germany during the 1920s.  The sets and costumes make it an interesting epic, and the simple story keeps its focus as the film explores the tensions between the Egyptians and Ethiopians.  Despite the international intrigue and decadent atmosphere in the story, Amenes’ own actions prove critical in his undoing.

The film, which screened at the San Francisco Silent film Festival on Friday, July 13, 2012, shows why film restoration is so exciting for the serious cinema fan.  The Munich Film Museum spent five years on the restoration of The Loves of Pharaoh, and I experienced the privilege of being part of only the second or third screening of the film in decades.  My love of silent films began with the Castro Theater screening of Lubitsch’s “The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg,” which I viewed during the 2007 San Francisco Silent Film Festival.  Any Lubitsch film is a treat, even in an epic where not all of the scenes survive and the “Lubitsch Touch” may not be fully realized.

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Little Toys

“Little Toys,” released in 1933, features the legendary actress Lingyu Ruan as Sister Ye, a talented toymaker in a small village in China.  This Chinese silent movie follows Sister Ye as she designs and makes toys in her family’s workshop.  As she cheerfully makes the toys, she comments on the effect foreign toys made in large city factories have on the Chinese nationalist spirit.  Since Japan invaded Manchuria in September 1931, we can easily see the political emphasis of her comment.

Little Toys of war

A personal tragedy affects Sister Ye when her son disappears during a shopping trip.  When a warlord’s troops attack her village, it thrusts her and her family into the war.  With patriotic ferver, her daughter and the rest of her family fight for the honor of China.  As the story unfolds, an analogy is made about the similarity of the craft of making toy planes and tanks and their real counterparts.  In her destitution, Sister calls out to her fellow citizens to resist foreigners and foreign influence forever.  The movies theme: China should make its own toys and control its own destiny.

The many idyllic family scenes and fabulous hand-made toys add some wonderful visual elements to the story.  We’re shown lots of clever toys, both whimsical and realistic.  The planes and tanks made in the toy workshop are compared with the ones manufactured by machines in the big city.  Using special effects, the factory planes and tanks take to the battle.  China responds with craftiness, courage and resilience against the war machine.
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The film screened at the 2012 San Francisco Silent Film Festival, with the explanation that Chinese merchants in Shanghai made a fortune by making military uniforms for the world’s armies.  They poured money into their homegrown movie industry and made wonderful movies such as Little Toys.  Lingyu Ruan became an icon of Chinese cinema, but she committed suicide at age 24 in 1935, causing massive public grief.

 

 

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The Docks of New York

Somewhere on the Paramount lot in 1928, Joseph von Sternberg filmed a wonderful silent picture called “The Docks of New York.”  It stars George Bancroft as Bill Roberts, a boat stoker who saves a women attempting to drown herself.  Betty Compson plays Mae, a passive-aggressive prostitute who falls into despair.  After he jumps into the water and saves her, Bill  becomes her protector.

Betty Compson (left) and Olga Baclanova

Hence this herb is used in vajikarana Preparations In tadalafil uk buy charaka samhita acharya charaka explains the method of preparing Vajikarana Ghrita (ghee processed with aphrodisiac herbs). Mentat endorses brain health and is an effective way to treat many of the Full Report levitra 40 mg problems you may experience – Headache, Diarrhea, Dizziness, Upset stomach, Vomiting, Nasal congestion. In spite of the sildenafil buy fact that some reactions may be unmistakable throughout introductory time of its admission, it should cede once body adjusts to its usage. Lucrative Kamagra to treat sexual malfunctioning is an affordable treatment levitra viagra cialis for erectile dysfunction. As Bill nurses Mae back to life, it exposes a conflict within himself.  As a seaman, he responds to the pull of the next ship sailing out.  But, as Mae’s protector, a new and not entirely unwelcome feeling overcomes him.  For the first time, he wonders about life ashore.  To add emphasis to the contrasting worlds, von Sternberg shipboard scenes feature a smoky and dirty stokehole full of sweat and masculine energy.  The docks include the strong presence of Mae and another bar girl, Lou, played by Olga Baclanova.  Lou can hold her own against the sailor crowd, and she becomes a key figure in the story involving Bill and Mae.

von Sternberg gets all the atmospherics correct, but the strong acting of Bancroft and Compson keeps our interest.  Bancroft’s offish Bill has his own sense of right and wrong, and Mae immediately recognizes that her brutish savior is not so bad.  Compson is extraordinary as Mae — intermittently resigned to her miserable life and then able to express optimism at her good fortune.  Mae doesn’t overdue her initial suspicions about Bill, even though she’s heard it all before, which makes her subsequent vulnerability so convincing.

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The Wonderful Lie of Nina Petrovna

In “The Wonderful Lie of Nina Petrovna,” Brigitte Helm plays the title character, a kept woman of a colonel in czarist St. Petersburg.  When Nina spots a handsome lieutenant at a nightclub, she risks her security and affluent life for a night of pleasure with him.  This leads to a troubled love affair, loss of status, and serious consequences for Nina and her lover.

Brigitte Helm as Nina Petrovna.

Even though Nina maintains a comfortable life as the colonel’s mistress, her longing for real love becomes a powerful and immediate force when she meets the Lieutenant.  The plot concentrates on Nina for most of the film, but then highlights a fascinating power play between the cold and calculating Colonel Beranoff, played by Warwick Ward, and the naive but determined Lieutenant Rostof (Francis Lederer).  The combination of Helm’s terrific performance and a story that requires the characters to make serious and clear choices make this a compelling drama.
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Like many of the UFA Studios (Germany) silent productions, the film features wonderful pacing and cinematography.  The movie takes its time with Nina’s seduction scene, which takes place at the colonel’s villa.  The would-be couple stumbles to find something exciting and new, but become the victims of circumstances and assumptions they cannot control.  The many interior scenes and tight shots give it a claustrophobic feeling, which is exactly what an involvement in a love triangle might convey.

The director, Hanns Schwarz, brought a lot of experience to the set with him.  He’d already directed ten films, and the cinematographer, Carl Hoffmann, began his career with “Macbeth” in 1913 and had shot dozens of films before this one.  It’s nice to see Helm playing such a warm and empathetic character.  She’s known for “Metropolis (1927),” but she’s also appeared in other terrific films, such as “L’argent (1928),” and “The Love of Jeanne Ney (1927).”

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Wings

One couldn’t overestimate the importance of “Wings,” a silent movie made in 1927 by Paramount and director William A. Welman.  The massively successful motion picture broke visual barriers in filming aerial combat while successfully telling the story of two pilots from the same town and their perky friend, played by Clara Bow.  It influenced filmmakers for years to come and it won the Academy Award for Best Production in 1927-1928.  The film, with a restored print, opened the 2012 San Francisco Silent Film festival today and played at the historic Castro Theater.

Clara Bow, at your service.

Silent films often have sequences of unrelenting drama followed by a totally unexpected bit of comedy.   Of course, one expects comedy to happen whenever Clara Bow comes on screen, but this film contains lots of comedy, especially in the first hour of the film.  From there, the movie explores much darker themes as World War 1 begins and the pilots must put aside their personal rivalries for success in battle.  When the battles with the enemy begin, the film plays them big and full of action both in the air and on the ground.  Overall, Wings manages a perfect balance of drama, thrills, comedy and romance.

Many women with Parkinsons canadian levitra online disease experience low sexual drive, impotency, urinary troubles, etc. which should be addressed by a professional. Don’t get discouraged if your first date after breast cancer if you let yourself embrace the new you! You work so hard to survive this awful disease and generic cialis discover over here you sacrifice so much to live. It contains buy generic cialis very effective ingredient- Sildenafil citrate. The variation of the dose generally depends upon the severity and also the tolerance power of the online levitra patient, a doctor prescribes the most suitable dosage to its patient. The story begins as Jack Powell, a reckless type played by Charles Rogers, works on his souped-up car.  Clara Bow, who plays Mary Preston, the girl next door, comes by and offers to help after parts of the car fall off.  Welman films the opening with some unusual camera angles, perhaps as a precursor to the wild camera stunts coming later in the skies.  With cameras mounted on the airplanes, he later takes us into a new visual realm.

Welman shot some great scenes of Mary driving around France after she joins the ambulance service.  Mary discovers Jack Powell in a Paris nightclub and shirks her medic uniform for a sexy evening gown.  Until then, the movie treats her as a plane Jane, but she immediately heats up the screen in Paris while she woos the highly inebriated Jack.

Both Powell and his buddy David Armstrong, played by Richard Arlen, bring a talisman into the battlefields with them.  Powell takes a locket that contains a picture of his girlfriend, while Armstrong takes a miniature teddy bear.  But these good luck charms just emphasize the role each man’s personal philosophy plays in their fate.  In a war, the good luck charms may return home but the men may not.

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