Silent Movies

I used to think that silent movies were all pretty bad. With maturity, I realized it was just another case of Sturgeon's Law; most of them are bad, but that doesn't mean that there aren't some really good ones out there, also.

Friday, I got together with fabrisse to watch a few silents. Of the three features we saw, one was interesting but not actually good, one was OK, and one seriously rocked. In ascending order:

The Patchwork Girl of Oz. Made by L. Frank Baum's film company. I had seen this before, but not in about a decade. While I had forgotten many of the details, I had the pretty much the same reaction overall: some interesting special effects and costumes, but the acting and story were just execrable.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (starring Lon Chaney Sr.). Pretty good. Lon's makeup was, of course, excellent, and he also did a nice acting job (within the limited constraints of the role). Other actors also did a good job. Intriguing hat designs, though I'd have to check with cvirtue to find out if they were remotely authentic.

The Gaucho (starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr.). Fairbanks is responsible for most of the great silent movies, and this is one of them. His exuberance and joy are infectious. He has an ability that I've only seen Gene Kelly duplicate, of pulling off the most amazing physical maneuvers as if they were as easy as walking. His supporting cast in this one is quite good generally, but his leading lady (Lupe Velez) is excellent. The two of them have the kind of fiery, passionate love that often involves throwing things at each other :-) The story is about halfway between Robin Hood and Zorro; nothing terribly original, but executed with panache. It kind of reminded me of Pirates of the Carribean in that way -- the story is powered by sheer enthusiasm for the genre. Highly recommended.

Silent Movies

I used to think that silent movies were all pretty bad. With maturity, I realized it was just another case of Sturgeon's Law; most of them are bad, but that doesn't mean that there aren't some really good ones out there, also.

Friday, I got together with fabrisse to watch a few silents. Of the three features we saw, one was interesting but not actually good, one was OK, and one seriously rocked. In ascending order:

The Patchwork Girl of Oz. Made by L. Frank Baum's film company. I had seen this before, but not in about a decade. While I had forgotten many of the details, I had the pretty much the same reaction overall: some interesting special effects and costumes, but the acting and story were just execrable.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (starring Lon Chaney Sr.). Pretty good. Lon's makeup was, of course, excellent, and he also did a nice acting job (within the limited constraints of the role). Other actors also did a good job. Intriguing hat designs, though I'd have to check with cvirtue to find out if they were remotely authentic.

The Gaucho (starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr.). Fairbanks is responsible for most of the great silent movies, and this is one of them. His exuberance and joy are infectious. He has an ability that I've only seen Gene Kelly duplicate, of pulling off the most amazing physical maneuvers as if they were as easy as walking. His supporting cast in this one is quite good generally, but his leading lady (Lupe Velez) is excellent. The two of them have the kind of fiery, passionate love that often involves throwing things at each other :-) The story is about halfway between Robin Hood and Zorro; nothing terribly original, but executed with panache. It kind of reminded me of Pirates of the Carribean in that way -- the story is powered by sheer enthusiasm for the genre. Highly recommended.