Author Archives: chipkaufmann

THE BAT is the great granddaddy of all “old dark house” films. Immediately after its release in 1926, its success quickly spawned the much better known THE CAT AND THE CANARY the following year and director Roland West remade it as a sound film, THE BAT WHISPERS, in 1930. The gold standard for this typeContinue reading “THE BAT (1926): First Film Version And Still The Best”

THE BAT WHISPERS is Roland West’s 1930 sound remake of his 1926 version of Mary Roberts Rinehart’s long running comedy/mystery play THE BAT. While the earlier version had the benefit of a better all around cast including Jack Pickford and Louise Fazenda (which deserves a quality DVD release), this version was shot in an earlyContinue reading “THE BAT WHISPERS (1930): The Inspiration for BATMAN”

This DVD is a compilation of seven of the best titles from a six volume VHS set that was issued in 1996 and 2000 by Thanhouser Company Film Preservation Inc. of Portland, Oregon which is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of films made by the Thanhouser Company of New Rochelle NY between 1910 andContinue reading “THANHOUSER: A Real Eye Opener For Silent Film Buffs”

As a lifelong silent film enthusiast, I have been collecting Thanhouser films since they first became available on the home market. Originally there was a 6 volume set on VHS in 1997 and then I got the 2009 DVD-R upgrade which came in 12 volumes. I even have the long deleted 2002 Marengo Films editionContinue reading “THANHOUSER: Library Of Congress Collection Continues The Saga”

There are currently 3 collections of the pioneer Thanhouser Film Studios available on DVD. Of the three, this one, in my opinion, ranks third. There are two main reasons for this assessment. 1) The majority of the titles included are just not that interesting compared to the other two releases and 2) the condition ofContinue reading “THANHOUSER: Eye Museum Collection Not The Best One Out There”

Any discussion of silent film in Russia centers around the dawn of the Soviet era and its three great directors Eisenstein, Dovzhenko, and Pudovkin. Yet before World War I and the Russian Revolution there existed a flourishing film industry that is all but forgotten today. Among the people working at that time was one EvgeniContinue reading “MAD LOVE: The Films of Russian Director Evgeni Bauer (1865-1917)”

As a silent film enthusiast and as someone who has taught close to 30 classes on silent movies at the local university, I have seen a LOT of silent movies including a number of silent documentaries but nothing quite like THE EPIC OF EVEREST. I was vaguely aware of the 1924 George Mallory expedition butContinue reading “THE EPIC OF EVEREST (1924): The Most Amazing Documentary I Have Ever Seen”

What a great time to be a silent film enthusiast. Thanks to video technology it’s now possible to have access to more silent films than ever before and in the best condition since their original release. For years Danish director Benjamin Christensen’s 1922 controversial “documentary” HAXAN (The Witches) has been available (when it’s been available)Continue reading “HAXAN Is A 1922 Scandinavian Docudrama About Witchcraft”

After the success of their earlier documentary GRASS (1925) about tribesman in Iran (then Persia), filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack went to Northeastern Thailand (then Siam) to photograph the trials and tribulations of a Laotian farmer, his family and his village. This film marks the duo’s transition from straight documentary (GRASS) towardContinue reading “CHANG (1926): Early Jungle Docudrama With Disturbing Overtones For Today’s Audiences”

As a silent film enthusiast, I am always on the lookout for quality silent film releases on DVD. Three sources you can always depend on are Kino Lorber, Flicker Alley, and Milestone Films. From Milestone comes LEGONG: DANCE OF THE VIRGINS and it constitutes a major discovery. Although released in 1935 this movie was theContinue reading “LEGONG: A Major Discovery”