Pordenone Silent Film Festival 2009

[charliechaplinfan]

Chrisitne, it's great that she comes to these events and appreciates and helps publicise the work of her famous parents. Thanks for the snap, it's so candid.

[Gagman 66]

Christine,

This print from Eastman House of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS was actually restore I am told in 2003. Significant, because that is three years before the film was released by Paramount as a DVD extra in the States. Still an older restoration from the 1980's. But a very good Monochrome transfer. There were no tinting effects, and it has the same Gaylor Carter score of the earlier VHS release. We will probably never see the Eastman House print on DVD, or Blue-Ray, but can always hope. A few Paramount Silents have been leased to Criterion and are expected in 2010, including the Josef' Von Sternberg's UNDERWORLD, THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK, and THE LAST COMMAND. But I sure wish that they would release CHILDREN OF DIVORCE too. I have never seen it, and it was restored a few years ago.

[rudyfan]

Christine,

This print from Eastman House of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS was actually restore I am told in 2003. Significant, because that is three years before the film was released by Paramount as a DVD extra in the States. Still an older restoration from the 1980's. But a very good Monochrome transfer. There were no tinting effects, and it has the same Gaylor Carter score of the earlier VHS release. We will probably never see the Eastman House print on DVD, or Blue-Ray, but can always hope. A few Paramount Silents have been leased to Criterion and are expected in 2010, including the Josef' Von Sternberg's UNDERWORLD, THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK, and THE LAST COMMAND. But I sure wish that they would release CHILDREN OF DIVORCE too. I have never seen it, and it was restored a few years ago.

Well, I'm going to be very happy to see the 3 films, if nothing else, they're all good. Underworld is fabulous.
I fear a DVD release of Wings will remain a dream, forever.

[Gagman 66]

The Von Sternbern's will probably be ruined with lousy new scores. WINGS has been restored three times. By Photoplay Productions in 1993, and by AMPAS and the LOC more recently. There is no reason that can't release one of those versions.

[Ann Harding]

Now, a few British silents!

The Sign of Four (1923, Maurice Elvey) with Ellie Norwood and Isobel Elsom

This adaptation of a Sherlock Holmes story is really well done. The festival ran many detective stories coming from British studios particularly the Stoll Company. Many of them, I am afraid were pedestrian and rather boring with kilometers of titles. But, this one was a lot better. Holmes was rather humorous and his exchanges with Watson were funny. Isobel Elsom, whom later was a staple character actress in many Hollywood pictures, was the heroine. The film boasted a great boat chase on the Thames. For something like 20 min, Holmes was chasing the villain on a speed boat from Richmond Bridge to the Docklands. I must say that this sequence manage to keep up the suspense really well. The pianist Philip Carli pulled all stops as he followed this beathless chase. Really fun!

The Wheels of Chance (1922, Harold Shaw) with George K. Arthur

A little haberdasher employee (G.K. Arthur) goes on a cycling holiday on the south coast of Britain. There, he meets a young girl who is pursued by a complete cad. He decides to protect the girl against the man while inventing himself an upper-class background...
George K. Arthur is well-known as a comic character actor of numerous silent comedies made in Hollywood. In 1922, this Scottish actor was still in Britain making pictures. His childlike appearance lend a real charm to his character. The film is an adaptation of a H.G. Wells story and shows an England still obsessed with class divide. The young girl will return to her middle-class family while Arthur, his holidays over, has no choice but to go back to the toil of his shop. The film wasn't very inventive cinematically -neither were any of the british silents I saw!- but it had charm and a good use of locations. The print from the National Film Archive was pretty good.

[charliechaplinfan]

It's nice to hear of some British silents, there aren't many that I've actually seen.