Author Archives: chipkaufmann

Even though I have been a silent film enthusiast for 50 years now (I started very young) and have read a number of books on the subject as well as having amassed a rather large collection of silent movies on DVD, I can’t remember ever having run across the name of Hungarian born director PaulContinue reading “LONESOME + 2 = 3 Remarkable Rediscoveries”

I first purchased this film over a decade ago on VHS and then when it first came out on DVD a few years later. Now I see that it has become part of the latest trend and has become an on demand DVD-R. I don’t care what the format is as long as the filmContinue reading “REGENERATION Revisited”

As silent cinema continues to grow in popularity with new silent film festivals popping up and the rediscovery of more and more titles once thought lost, we are beginning to get a clearer picture of the types of movies that were made then. Everyone is familiar with silent comedy thanks to the antics of Chaplin,Continue reading “THE DEVIL’S NEEDLE: Movies With A Message In The Silent Era”

Having recently reviewed the NORMA TALMADGE COLLECTION from Kino, It’s time now to say a few words regarding sister Constance. THE CONSTANCE TALMADGE COLLECTION contains the double feature HER NIGHT OF ROMANCE (1924) and HER SISTER FROM PARIS (1925). Both feature Ronald Colman as her leading man already perfecting the look and stylish interplay ofContinue reading “CONSTANCE TALMADGE DOUBLE FEATURE”

I have been a fan of silent movies since 1962 but not until the release of this DVD have I had a chance to see Norma Talmadge in action. I’ve known about her for years and have seen numerous pictures of her without ever having seen her pictures. I knew her sister Constance from herContinue reading “NORMA TALMADGE DOUBLE FEATURE”

THE LODGER was Alfred Hitchcock’s first big success and set the pattern for many of his future films. It also marks the first of his cameo appearances (there are two). Up until now, at least in the U.S., there have been no decent copies of THE LODGER available to see. It has been lovingly restoredContinue reading “THE LODGER (1927): The 2009 MGM Restoration Of Hitchcock’s First Big Success”

It has taken forever for the Janet Gaynor/Charles Farrell silent classics 7TH HEAVEN and STREET ANGEL to make it to DVD but here they are as part of a monumental 12 DVD package devoted to Frank Borzage and F.W. Murnau and the films they made for William Fox before he lost control of his studioContinue reading “MURNAU / BORZAGE BOX SET Is Well Done But It’s Too Much Of A Good Thing”

One of the participants in my silent film course at the local college told me about this set which is the first time I had heard of it. I knew that Jean Renoir had begun his career in the silent era but I didn’t know if any of those films still existed. They do andContinue reading “JEAN RENOIR BOX SET: Fascinating Collection Includes Rare Jean Renoir Silents”

Dorothy Davenport Reid (1895-1977) was one of the most important women producer/directors during the 1920s. She came from a distinguished theatrical family. Her father Harry Davenport is best remembered as Dr. Meade in GONE WITH THE WIND. She was married to early matinee idol Wallace Reid hence her being known as Mrs Wallace Reid. WhenContinue reading “THE RED KIMONA (1925): An Important Work From A Forgotten Female Film Pioneer”

Alice Guy-Blache’ (1873-1968) was not only the world’s first woman film director but quite possibly the first film director period. Her work As Alice Guy for Gaumont predates Georges Melies by several months although her earliest film LA FEE AUX CHOUX/THE CABBAGE FAIRY (1896) no longer survives. After coming to America in 1907 with herContinue reading “THE OCEAN WAIF (1916): A Tantalizing Tidbit From Alice Guy-Blache’”