Outside of a few big names like George Melies or D.W. Griffith, whenever silent movies are mentioned there is a good chance that people are talking about the 1920s. From Dr. Caligari to Safety Last and Phantom of the Opera to The Passion of Joan …
Continue ReadingWomen Filmmakers in Early Hollywood — Book Review
Over the past twenty years, there has been a heightened interest in the hundreds of women who worked in the silent era and helped build the film industry into the global entertainment force it is today. Karen Ward Mahar’s Women Filmmakers in Early Hollywood tells …
Continue ReadingPioneering Utah Filmmakers: From Flickers to Sound
This post on early Utah independent filmmaking is the second historical overview in my series Celebrating 125 Years of Utah and the Movies. Visit the series page for other historical overviews and reviews of films shot in Utah or made by Utahns.
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Continue ReadingHypocrites (1915): Lois Weber’s Tour de Force
No era of filmmaking has the potential to shock and surprise you quite like the silent era. Numerous well-made, interesting silent films from around the world have waited over a century to be discovered by a larger audience. Some hidden silent gems are unearthed from …
Continue ReadingThe Silent Mormon Exploitation Films
This post is the first historical overview in my series Celebrating 125 Years of Utah and the Movies. Visit the series page or other historical overviews and reviews of films shot in Utah or made by Utahns.
The state of Utah is best known …
Continue ReadingLois Weber in Early Hollywood — Book Review
There was really no rhyme or reason to the order of books I read for my summer reading. Fortunately, I managed to save what turned out to be my favorite book of the summer for last. Shelley Stamp’s Lois Weber in Early Hollywood is an …
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