San Francisco Silent Film Festival

[rudyfan]

It's almost here. Anyone on SSO going to be in attendance? I'll be there to watch films and (begin shameless self promotion) will be signing copies of my book Rudolph Valentino The Silent Idol on Sunday July 18th at 4:00 pm (end shameless self promotion).

I'd love to meet anyone who is going to be there in the crush. I'll be down in the reserved seating thanks to a board member friend of mine and wearing a "Daughters of Naldi" button on my lapel. I don't care if you are not interested in my book, really, I'd just like to say hello in person.

Donna

[Lzcutter]

Donna,

I so wish I could be there! We have a big weekend at the Disney Family Museum celebrating the 55th anniversary of Disneyland that I'll be at. I think MoraldoRubini is going to be at the SFSFF. I'm hoping he'll get Bill Wellman, Jr (sigh) to sign my book.

Kevin Brownlow, Bill Wellman, Jr, Jeffrey Vance, you and so much more!!!

I do hope you will write about the Festival! That way I can live vicariously through you and Moraldo.

[MichiganJ]

'll be there to watch films and (begin shameless self promotion) will be singing copies of my book Rudolph Valentino The Silent Idol on Sunday July 18th at 4:00 pm

Hey, that's my birthday!

I really wish I could be there, too. One of these years….

Have a GREAT time (and sell lots of books!)

[rudyfan]

Donna,

I so wish I could be there! We have a big weekend at the Disney Family Museum celebrating the 55th anniversary of Disneyland that I'll be at. I think MoraldoRubini is going to be at the SFSFF. I'm hoping he'll get Bill Wellman, Jr (sigh) to sign my book.

Kevin Brownlow, Bill Wellman, Jr, Jeffrey Vance, you and so much more!!!

I do hope you will write about the Festival! That way I can live vicariously through you and Moraldo.

Oh, DRAT! I was hoping you would be there. I'm sorry I won't be at the Disney Museum that weekend, either. It's such a great museum. I ahve a feeling JB Kaufman may not be at the SFSFF either, he'll be working with you! I'll miss him.

Maybe we can finally meet in August? You've got my number! Also, I've got friends from LA coming up in mid-August, so we will be doing the WDFM.

[rudyfan]

'll be there to watch films and (begin shameless self promotion) will be singing copies of my book Rudolph Valentino The Silent Idol on Sunday July 18th at 4:00 pm

Hey, that's my birthday!

I really wish I could be there, too. One of these years….

Have a GREAT time (and sell lots of books!)

Happy early birthday!

I've already sold a lot of books! Online in just 2 weeks out there, with no promotion beyond some email and updates to my site is 53 as of this morning. This is excluding the copies I've purchased for the festival. I could not be happier. I've always said, if I sell 100 of them I will be a happy girl. I'm over halfway there and what's not to like about that?

[charliechaplinfan]

I'd love to join you there but it's a long way for me to come.

Do keep us updated on the thread. Pictures, gossip, reviews,name dropping, anything. Good luck with your book sales. Did you say Kevin Brownlow and Jeffrey Vance will be there? My two favorite authors. I really wish I was going to be there.

[Moraldo Rubini]

I so wish I could be there! We have a big weekend at the Disney Family Museum celebrating the 55th anniversary of Disneyland that I'll be at. I think MoraldoRubini is going to be at the SFSFF. I'm hoping he'll get Bill Wellman, Jr (sigh) to sign my book.

Kevin Brownlow, Bill Wellman, Jr, Jeffrey Vance, you and so much more!!!

I do hope you will write about the Festival! That way I can live vicariously through you and Moraldo.

Well, I did go, and I did get Mr. Wellman, Jr. to sign Lynn's book, and I did get to meet Donna! It was a fantastic weekend. I also met Kevin Brownlow and had a little chat with him. And I gawked at Anita Monga, whom I've admired from afar for so many years. Only managed four movies this year (Frank Capra's The Strong Man with Harry Langdon; Pabst's Diary of a Lost Girl with Louise, of course; Häxan; and Vertov's Man with a Movie Camera, accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra.) I look forward to next year! Plan now, my fellow fans: The Silent Film Festival is every July.

[rudyfan]

The oxymoron of being exhausted and yet up at 4am, I still have not typed out my thoughts on the festival. That will come later today, I hope. Had a side trip to LA to round out the weekend, the Academy screening of Four Horsemen. Awesome.

Gotta give a shout out to MoraldoRubini. Thanks for stopping by and it was great to meet you at last. Now we need to get together with Liz.

It was a fabulous weekend. One highlight, Kevin B sat behind me for most of the fest and I sat next to him during The Woman Disputed. During the slide show prior to The Shakedown (best movie of the weekend for me) when Valentino showed up, a head leans forward and a voice says, "oh god, there's that lousy Valentino again." I cracked up, it was Mr. B.

The other mind twisting and amazing highlight, not at the movies, was having Kevin B ask me to inscribe my RV book to him. He liked it!

More on the real festival weekend later.

[Lzcutter]

Donna,

It all sounds so wonderful, I can't wait to read your recap. Please include the screening in the City of Angels of Four Horsemen if you can. Thanks!

[rudyfan]

Donna,

It all sounds so wonderful, I can't wait to read your recap. Please include the screening in the City of Angels of Four Horsemen if you can. Thanks!

Here it is, cross-posted from Nitrateville re Four Horsemen:

Okay, I'm now finally feeling like I almost have enough sleep to be coherent, I'll start with the easy one.

This was my first screening at the Goldwyn. Wow, what a nice venue! Plush auditorium and great stuff in the lobby. I'm sorry we got there late enough so that I did not have time to look at all the yummy Chuck Jones stuff in the lobby. Hopefully I can squeeze that in next month.

Got to give props first and foremost to Patrick Stanbury who manned the magical machine in booth that synched the film with the score and controlled the speed of the print going through the gate. Not a single hitch in the projection and after repeated viewings of the film on TV (definitely a lesser experience) I feel I know the Davis score fairly well. It was a dead on match. I'm sorry Patrick was not down for the Q&A as I would have liked to ask him about this process. I gather Mr. B said this was designed by the Photoplay team and I would have liked to hear a bit more about it. One great thing I did learn was that The Four Horsemen themselves took their ride down Pico Blvd. It did not lessen the effect of seeing them riding in the sky later on.

To the film, yes, I am a Valentino fan and maybe I am biased. All that being said, The Four Horsemen stands on its own, even had Valentino not been cast. This is the definition of a grand epic on film and I far prefer it to the later, much loved, Vidor film The Big Parade. Apologies to all, I really do feel this is the better film.

Rex Ingram's direction is great, the camera work stunning and the scenario by June Mathis beautiful. The love story in the film by today's standards is more than hackneyed, but it is handled with such delicacy, it so totally works. I'm sucked in to the film from the moment the thundering score begins until the tragic ending.

The grand battle scenes mix real war footage with the staged and it works. The Carl Davis score (really his best work IMO) adds to the drama and supports the action as it should. This really is how a silent film should be seen.

It was a great night and on a personal note I have to add, it was great to see a lot of people in the LA film community I've not seen in a long while and to meet a lot of new people (including Frank T and his lovely partner in crime Claire). I had the added joy of having some non-silent film LA-centric friends show up to see the film based on my recommendation. They were not dissapointed in it. That was a bonus and I'm afraid we clogged the aisle during the intermission saying hello and catching up.

Props to Randy Hamberkamp and the Academy for screening the film in the best possible fashion. I hope to be able to come down and enjoy these events more often. It was a really great night to see a film like this with a receptive and appreciative audience. Truly, an event in every sense of the word.

[rudyfan]

Okay, I've finally had enough sleep to gather my thoughts on the Festival. You can read it all here: http://strictly-vintage-hollywood.blogs ... tival.html

[Lzcutter]

Donna,

What a great recap! And I love the photo at the top of your blog. It is exquisite!