The Last Edition - women saving the day with technology
photo courtesy of San Francisco Silent Film Festival
It was an abbreviated visit for me this year but I was not going to miss Amazing Tales From The Archives. Rob Byrne talked about the difficulties in putting together a new print of The Half-Breed. Conflicts in print lengths, edits and intertitles of the various sources had to be considered as well as differing states of decomposition. So many decisions had to be made that this seemed to be a huge project, and I hope one day to be involved with something as complicated.
On the path to becoming an archivist I've met more and more people in the field so the meet-and-greet reception after the presentation feels like a reunion. I'm so happy when I can introduce two people I feel should know each other. Looking around the room I can see how much I've achieved since the years when I merely came to watch the film programs.
The First Born (1928)
directed by Miles Mander
A delicious soap opera co-written by Alma Reveille, starring Madeleine Carroll. Lots of deception and risky behavior, plot twists, fantastic acting and an amazing musical score written and performed by Stephen Horne.
Legong: Dance Of The Virgins (1935)
directed by Henry de la Falaise
This presentation had a lot to offer. It was filmed in two-strip Technicolor, my favorite kind. I had been watching a 1970s documentary series on traditional dances of Bali, so it was exciting to see an earlier performance. Also the film would be accompanied by a live gamelan orchestra, Gamelan Sekar Jaya. It was a great viewing.
Gribiche (1925)
directed by Jacques Feyder
An incorrigible boy and his antics are about all I got to see. I stayed to see some gorgeous art deco sets but the threat of another Trayvon Martin protest that evening sent me scurrying to catch the train home early.
The Last Edition (1925)
directed by Emory Johnson
This was a much-hyped film since it was set here in San Francisco. The theater was packed, hot and steamy. Too bad the film couldn't be described that way. It plodded along and was rather dull. The magic was in the few shots of San Francisco including the old Chronicle building which also showed the actors using the newspaper's machinery.
Still its fun to see a film with an appreciative audience all around me and of course its always thrilling to hear Stephen Horne.
The Weavers (1927)
directed by Gunter Buchwald
The highlight here was in the trailer for The Eleventh Year (1928, Dziga Vertov), with gorgeous spinning graphics. After that stunning display, The Weavers felt stiff and plodding. My brain couldn't move away from Dziga Vertov so I moved on from the SFSFF. Thanks for another great year of silent treasures.