Anyone even slightly familiar with the silent era knows of the staggering amount of films lost to time either through carelessness, accident, or cost-cutting measures. Less discussed are the dozens and dozens of surviving films extant but unavailable for public viewing hoarded by a private …
Continue ReadingThe Beast Within: The Hands of Orlac (1924) and Mad Love (1935)
Horror has always been a genre tremendously suited for exploring the inner machinations of human desire and morality. Two cinematic adaptations of Maurice Renard’s 1920 novel, Robert Wiene’s 1924 The Hands of Orlac and Karl Freund’s Mad Love, explore this in a tale of …
Continue ReadingBrigham Young: Frontiersman (1940) – Hollywood’s Mormon Epic
When plucked by Daryl F. Zanuck from Paramount to helm the production of 1940’s Brigham Young, director Henry Hathaway initially told Zanuck that “the two dullest things are wagon trains and religion”. Despite Hathaway’s and others’ correct assertion that the project didn’t scream box …
Continue ReadingMy Top 20 Most Wanted Lost Silent Films
Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway once won a bet writing a devasting six-word short story. For sale: baby shoes. Never worn. As a silent film fan, I can think of an even shorter heartwrenching tale. Silent film. No Prints Extant.
According to a 2013 …
Continue ReadingMy Top 20 Most Wanted Lost Silent Films
Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway once won a bet writing a devasting six-word short story. For sale: baby shoes. Never worn. As a silent film fan, I can think of an even shorter heartwrenching tale. Silent film. No Prints Extant.
According to a 2013 …
Continue ReadingAll Quiet on the Western Front: Three Differing Film Adaptations
I first watched All Quiet on the Western Front as a college freshman while falling head-first into the classic film rabbit hole. After watching a couple of creaky talkies like The Broadway Melody, I was completely floored by Lewis Milestone’s expertly directed adaptation and …
Continue Reading