Author Archives: chipkaufmann

This release marks the end of the recent silent Cecil B. DeMille double features for the time being and in many ways is the best of the lot thanks to the study in contrasts it provide. It features two films made back to back by DeMille in 1918. One is a moody psychological drama withContinue reading “OLD WIVES FOR NEW / THE WHISPERING CHORUS: A Study In Contrasts”

DON’T CHANGE YOUR HUSBAND/THE GOLDEN CHANCE is the first of at least three double bill DVDs featuring early films by Cecil B. DeMille to be released by David Shepard of Film Preservation Associates and what an inspired choice it is. It provides a rare opportunity to see one of the major filmmakers of Old HollywoodContinue reading “DON’T CHANGE YOUR HUSBAND / THE GOLDEN CHANCE: Dynamic DeMille Double Bill”

Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 film of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is one of the best known films to the generation of baby boomers born after World War II. It made an icon out of Charlton Heston and the parting of the Red Sea remains one of the most spectacular and remembered of Hollywood special effects. ItContinue reading “THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1923): DeMille’s First Version”

I have always been surprised by the fact that the great German born director Ernst Lubitsch first made his reputation by a series of large scale silent costume dramas such as THE EYES OF THE MUMMY, MADAME DU BARRY (PASSION), and this film. Today he is remembered and revered for his comic touch in suchContinue reading “ANNA BOLEYN (1921) Has Lots Of Spectacle But Little Else”

As disappointed as I was in the dramatic titles in Kino’s LUBITSCH IN BERLIN series, this comic double feature more than makes up for it. It clearly shows that Lubitsch’s true talent lay in comedy not dramatic spectacle and these movies serve as a blueprint for his later career in Hollywood. THE OYSTER PRINCESS (1919)Continue reading “THE OYSTER PRINCESS / I DON’T WANT TO BE A MAN: Great Ernst Lubitsch Silent Double Feature”

Kino’s release of THE DOLL and the documentary ERNST LUBITSCH IN BERLIN completes their box set that features 5 DVDs and 7 films altogether. THE DOLL, released in 1919, re-imagines the old storyline of a mechanical doll that comes to life by incorporating a number of comic possibilities that would appeal to a 20th centuryContinue reading “LUBITSCH IN BERLIN Completed”

It took almost 80 years but at last Oswald The Lucky Rabbit is back where he belongs…at Disney. This new 2 DVD set is valuable on many levels. It’s not only a missing piece of animation history but a look into the history of animation. Disc 2 contains the 1999 documentary THE HAND BEHIND THEContinue reading “OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT: Welcome Back!”

This is the third time around for the animated shorts of Winsor McCay on video and this is the best version by far. Those of you familiar with the previous Lumivision and Slingshot editions will find the same films as before only this time the source prints are better (for the most part), the pianoContinue reading “WINSOR McCAY: THE MASTER EDITION Is The Best Incarnation Yet Of A One-Of- A -Kind Artist.”

WAGON TRACKS is not one of William S. Hart’s better known films which is why this recent Olive Films release comes as a something of a surprise. The print from the Library of Congress is in excellent shape. In fact it is the best looking of any William S. Hart print that I have everContinue reading “WAGON TRACKS (1919): Gorgeous Print Of A Minor William S. Hart Film”

As a silent film enthusiast, I am constantly amazed at the rediscovery of old movies long thought to be lost. Many were discovered in archives in Russia and Eastern Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union. However, occasionally, some turn up in unexpected places like THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC in a closetContinue reading “THE UNDESIRABLE (1915): Rare Silent Film From The Director of CASABLANCA”