Shush! Silent Films in the City By the Bay
Sunday July 1, 2007
San Francisco's got a whole bag of shush! over here for you. The city's 12th annual silent film festival is scheduled to begin on July 13th with a stellar line-up of guest stars, including Robert Osbourne of TCM and Leonard Maltin of critical fame.
I must admit, silents are not my area of expertise, but I'm sure these folks have put together a great program. Their mssion is to to publicize and preserve the great silent films.
They're kicking off the festival with Ernst Lubitsch's The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg. If one can judge by Lubitsch's later talkies-- like The Shop Around the Corner, - it should be romantic, entertaining and fun. There's also a Cecil B. DeMille melodrama called The Godless Girl that sounds like a hoot.
And of course, I'll take any excuse to go to San Franscisco. Sssh!
Still from The Godless Girl courtesy American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Comments
HELP!!
i saw a great silent horror movie. a scene in the movie; “A man is lying on his bed,a demon comes into his bed room and walks up into the man as he is resting.”
Does any one know the Title & main character of this movie?
thanks jo in philadelphia
Hi Jo,
Was it a foreign film, do you know? Though I haven’t seen it recently, it sounds like something that might have occurred in “Häxan” (1922), a silent directed by Benjamin Christensen. It’s English title is “Witchcraft Through the Ages.” It might not be the one you’re looking for, as it has several different vignettes rather than an ongoing plot with a main character, but it is a worthwhile film nonetheless.
Does that sound familiar? If not, can you remember anything else about it? There are a few films that could fit the bill.
Kylie
I have seen “The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg” and “The Godless Girl.” Both are good films, especially when played by good accompanists.
“The Student Prince” is a sweet and poignant film, and Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer both put in great sympathetic performances. “The Godless Girl” is a terrific compelling drama, with a very good and believably “Godless” Lina Basquette playing opposite Tom Keene (billed as George Duryea). Marie Prevost and Eddie Quillan are also featured in major supporting roles. The scene in the stairwell, when played with appropriate dramatic accompaniment, can be a real heart-stopper.
Should be a treat for those in attendance
.