Category Archives: Uncategorized

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’”

Kino’s new set HOUDINI: THE MOVIE STAR is a three disc collection of just about everything that Houdini did which still survives. HH made 5 films over a 5 year period (1919-1923). His first effort THE MASTER MYSTERY is a serial which survives mostly intact. It’s also a rare opportunity to see Mae Marsh’s olderContinue reading “HOUDINI-THE MOVIE STAR: Harry Houdini Returns…On Home Video”

THE HARRY LANGDON COLLECTION: LOST AND FOUND is one of those rare opportunities where a cinematic wrong gets to be righted and cinematic history gets to be rewritten. This amazing compilation not only traces the evolution of Harry Langdon’s screen character before his entry into feature films but shows us what Mack Sennett comedies fromContinue reading “THE HARRY LANGDON COLLECTION: LOST & FOUND: Absolutely Essential For Fans Of Silent Comedy”

JOHN FORD’S SILENT EPICS which is part of the much larger FORD AT FOX collection is a most welcome addition to the catalogue of available DVDs and fortuntaely for silent film fans you don’t have to buy the entire set. Of the 5 films in this set THE IRON HORSE is the most famous andContinue reading “JOHN FORD’S SILENT EPICS: Thank You Fox For Doing Silent Film Fans A Favor”

Unless you are a silent film enthusiast or an aficionado of Westerns then you are probably unfamiliar with THE IRON HORSE although the phrase describing locomotives is well known. It was made in 1924 by the Fox Film Corporation hoping to cash in on the success of Paramount’s THE COVERED WAGON from the year before.Continue reading “THE IRON HORSE In Two Different Versions”

British silent cinema, generally disregarded for the past 90 years, receives its due in this new release from Kino. A collaborative effort between them and the British Film Institute, it contains one of the greatest silent films coupled with a fascinating documentary about the history of silent film in Britain. A COTTAGE ON DARTMOOR isContinue reading “A COTTAGE ON DARTMOOR: One Of My Favorite Silent Film Releases”

…42ND STREET and Busby Berkeley, the Goldwyn Girls, and any other backstage musical on film that you can think of can be found in LA REVUE. What makes it so intriguing is that this is a SILENT musical. That may sound like an oxymoron but it really isn’t. The lavish stagings and the incredible varietyContinue reading “LA REVUE DES REVUES (1927): The Origins Of A CHORUS LINE…”

Being a film historian, a silent film enthusiast, and an avid baseball fan, this set was tailor made for me and I eagerly awaited its release since Kino first announced it. Perhaps it was the keen anticipation or maybe I’ve become spoiled by recent silent film releases but I was somewhat disappointed by this setContinue reading “REEL BASEBALL: Silent Films Of The Old Ball Game”

This is not my personal opinion (I prefer F. W. Murnau’s FAUST) but it is the general consensus regarding this groundbreaking adult film which made a screen icon out of Louise Brooks and assured G.W. Pabst his place in cinema history. The movie is based on two plays (EARTH SPIRIT and PANDORA’S BOX) by controversialContinue reading “PANDORA’S BOX: The High Water Mark Of German Silent Cinema”

I must admit that I was reluctant to buy this set thinking “Oh no, not another batch of slapstick comedies” but being the silent film completist that I am I purchased it. Although I’m glad I did, this set is primarily for hardcore silent film afficionados like myself. While there are a couple of offeringsContinue reading “AMERICAN SLAPSTICK Is An Interesting Batch Of Curios”