Thankyou Gagman :D :D Harold Lloyd's films have only just been released in the UK and thankfully I acquired them for Christmas along with a book by Jeffrey Vance. So far I have watched in order of preference Safety Last, Girl Shy and The Kid Brother I thought these very good. Ranking just below is F...

I can see both sides. Her dancing in 42nd Street does look awkward and she is so not 'Shanghai Lil' in Footlight Parade yet she was more than Jolson's wife. She did have the cutsy little girl next door to her. She wasn't streetwise like Ginger Rogers and Una Merkel. Somehow though her character work...

mrsl I agree The Great Dictator is not the best Chaplin film and it is not the crowning achievement of a glittering career. It was a film idea that then became a necessity as the Second World War began. In his biography talks about how he had to rush the film as it was needed in Great Britain and al...

Thanks for your reply. I'll register my request for the Mary Pickford films right away. I hope the BFI continue in some way, they have brought some fabulous DVD's to market.

It's so nice to hear what you have to say. I have seen your name on many of the discs I own and have you to thank for the wonderful quality that makes them so enjoyable. Being a Brit many of my discs come from the BFI but you made a comment about them, are they in danger of pulling out of the market...

I hope you all got the books you wanted for Christmas. I got the Silent Movie Book mentioned, it's very good. Father Christmas also brought 3 books by Jeffrey Vance one each on Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton. Also a book entitled Marlene Dietrich Photographs and Memories.

Thanks knitwit 45 I can get that movie to watch

You're not the only technically challenged one. I pretty dire myself.

I love Judy Holiday in this movie but to me she's just as good in It Should Happen to You. The storyline is just so ahead of it's time. You could easily imagine someone like that today. OK, it's called reality TV but the movie has something very sweet and innocent about it.

Although the Great Dictator is not Chaplin's best film by a long way, it is still a good film and very brave. I can imagine it would be difficult to hit the right note at the time and as stated it was more a work of propaganda rather than a riotously funny comedy, as such it's one of the best propag...

I'm in the process of renting out Laurel and Hardy's Laughing Twenties to watch with my daughter. I'll update members of the Laurel and Hardy thread. Somehow I think she'll be blown away. She's 5 and a big Buster and Charlie fan already

Chaplin knew that once his Little Fellow talked it would narrow his range and alienate some of his audience. He was right, he couldn't continue producing comedies with the Little Fellow and I think this had more to do with his voice than his age. He did make three wonderful films away from the Tramp...

I would place Harold Lloyd below Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Sorry if I have offended anybody :) I think Harold Lloyd a very fine comedian but he didn't have the urge for perfection that Chaplin and Keaton did. As for Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, my preference is for Charlie but Buster ...

I'm in the UK. I rented what I could from a DVD rental service and ended up so in love with his films I got the Art of Buster Keaton as a present. At the moment I have still to watch Steamboat Bill Jnr, The Navigator and Go West form his features and half of his shorts. Last night I watched the shor...

Thank you for your welcome both of you

Thank you movieman I've left a message there