Wednesday, April 25, 2012

San Francisco Silent Film Festival - July 12-15 2012


Mark your calendars!  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival will be annoucing the schedule of films for the 2012 festival on May 10, 2012.  Rest assured, I will be posting about it.

We already know, because the SFSFF told us, that WINGS, the 1927 Academy Award winning Best Picture will be the opening night film.  WINGS has recently been restored to great ballyhoo (well deserved). 

We'll also be seeing a 1922 epic from Germany, The Loves of the Pharaoh.  The restoration on this looks gorgeous! 




I've heard some rumors about other possible films and am very excited if those rumors are true!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Universal Pictures - 100 Years Young - 1912-2012

Carl Laemmle

I stated my resolution for the new year for this blog would be to post more and watch more movies.  I began this post at 8am on January 1, and now it's April.  So much for New Year Resolutions!  ;-)

In 1912 cinema was a booming business.  Rapidly growing there were many many film companies on the books.  By 1912 some early pioneers were already fading, Thanhouser was acquired by Mutual in 1912 (and Mutual later aquired Majestic; Mutual did not last long either).   Famous-Players Film Corporation was founded in 1912 (the company later merged with Jesse Lasky and became Paramount Pictures Corpration). Mack Sennett had left D.W. Griffith and Biograph and founded Keystone under the Triangle Corporation Banner (with Griffith and Ince).



1912 also saw the birth of Universal Pictures.  Universal Pictures is still going strong in 2012.  Universal is celebrating their centenary, among other thing, by releasing some wonderful classics on blu-ray.  The excitement is already building for the restoration of the 1931 Dracula (I understand the soundtrack has been most affected by the restoration, in a really good way) and the 1975 Jaws also undergoing a complete restoration.  They've dedicated a website for the 100th anniversary.

Universal infamously through inattention or accident lost most of the negatives of their impressive silent output.  Happily, even though some exist only in badly worn or decomposed prints, plenty of good stuff remains.  Many many well known stars got their start or spent some time working at Universal, including Mary Pickford, Rudolph Valentino, Lon Chaney, and directors like Erich von Stroheim, Clarence Brown and William Wyler.  Universal created some of the most memorable silent films, including The Phantom of the Opera (buy this one, it is the BEST), Foolish Wives, The Man Who Laughs, The Goose Woman and Smoldering Fires.  Like many of the studios, there were plenty of run of the mill programmer pictures in between the Universal-Jewell Super productions, but what remains, some of it is really choice!

Universal brought us the wonderful horror films Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein and The Mummy.  They even brought us the always fun and campy as hell Maria Montez and Jon Hall pictures of the 1940s. 

Over the years, Universal has also had a fabulous and ever evolving logo to introduce their films.  What follows is a sampling of some of the variations over the years.


Here's a rather creepy version of the Universal Logo circa 1925 in which Carl Laemmle conquers the universe.



Here's one from 1927


Here's one from 1928


Here's another that was standard from 1937-46


And here is the new logo for 2012

I hope to review some Universal Pictures from the silent and talkie era to help celebrate the centenary in proper fashion.  Watch this space!


Here's the main studio building that opened originally in 1914 (this postcard looks to be from the 1940s).  The central window was a 4x4 stained glass panel with the Universal Pictures logo.  This building has long since been torn down.  Sad.

Photo Courtesy: Tracy Terhune

Happily, the peeps at Universal salvaged the stained glass and it is now in the main administration building on the still functioning and very active lot.

I'm looking forward to celebrating Universal's centenary.  1912 will also be a year of celebration for Paramount Pictures, more on that later.


The Mary Pickford Institute Fund Raiser - April 16, 2012

Click image to Enlarge

A few weeks back there was much hoopla in the news about saving historic buildings that were being demolished on The Lot (former UA, Pickford-Fairbanks Studio).  Sadly, that effort was really too little, too late as the permits for that demolition had been signed off on years ago.

There is a much more critical emergency with the Mary Pickford Institute and their loss of funding from the Mary Pickford Foundation.  The Mary Pickford Foundation recently appointed a new Director of Archive and Legacy.  Both sides are gearing up for a legal battle that does not look to be pretty.

The Mary Pickford Institute and Library are fighting for their identity and their life right now.  You can help firstly by signing the petition.  Secondly, if you are in the Los Angeles area, attend the screening advertised above.  Help show your support and go see the films and see what a delightful and talented actor Mary Pickford was. 

It's a very sad thing.  To me, much more tragic than the loss of some old buildings long ago earmarked for demolition.  The Mary Pickford Institute has provided great service to the life and legacy of Mary Pickford.  I hope they prevail.

In conjunction with the Mary Pickford Foundation and Mary Pickford Institute, Milestone Films has released several of Mary Pickford's classic silent films on DVD.  Some films will be soming to blu-ray later this year, for which I'm really excited. Please note in the link to the blu-ray the price you see is not for the home dvd market, that is for institutional/educational.  Don't be alarmed, home viewing is much more budget friendly!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Napoleon vu Par Kevin Brownlow

when you are silent you are irresistible.”

The Fuse is Lit

I shall never forget my first encounter with Abel Gance’s Napoleon. I was not one of those fortunate enough to see the film as it was meant to be seen, with the magic of three screens and a vast orchestra. I saw it under the most unpromising circumstances – fragments of the great original, shown on a home projector, twenty-five years after its original release. Yet those fragments changed my life. - Kevin Brownlow, Napoleon (1980)


Abel Gance and Kevin Brownlow
Courtesy: Photoplay Productions/San Francisco Silent Film Festival

KUDOS to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Kevin Brownlow, Patrick Stanbury (Photoplay Productions), Carl Davis, The Oakland East Bay Symphony Orchestra, The Paramount Theater for a weekend that will not be forgotten. I hazard to say that everyone in attendance during each of the four screenings in the last two weeks of March 2012 had their lives changed. I know mine has. Thanks to the lifework of Kevin Brownlow, we all had the chance to see Napoleon vu par Abel Gance as close as it was meant to be seen in 1927. It was epic, overwhelming, tender, intimate, breathtaking, and absolutely glorious.

Looking back now, two weeks later, I’m still completely gobsmacked by the film and the experience of the event itself. I’m still excited about the film. Napoleon is a film that Kevin Brownlow declares is the greatest film ever made. I do not have the chops to state whether or not it is the greatest ever, it one of the greatest in my experience, and it is pretty darn close to the top. Imperfect, epic, engrossing and a technical marvel, this film had just about everything in the five and half hour running time. The film combined with the venue made this a complete extravaganza. Napoleon vu par Abel Gance was, and is likely to remain, the single greatest cinema experience of my life, ever. What follows will likely be a rambling, incoherent mess, sorry in advance! I can’t hit on every aspect of the film, but only impressions.

Let’s begin with the Paramount Theater itself. It is a glorious art deco masterpiece. Completed during the height of the depression, the Paramount has been repurposed as a venue for the Oakland East Bay Symphony and the Oakland Ballet. The Paramount also regularly screens classic films. Like the glorious looking Fox Theater around the corner (hosts musical events and concerts), the city of Oakland is to be applauded as it has preserved two real beauties from the Movie Palace era. Something I am ashamed to say is almost entirely lacking in San Francisco save for the neighborhood theaters like the Balboa and the Castro. The photos online cannot do justice, as I told my companions who had never been, wait, wait, WAIT until you get in to the lobby, you won’t believe it. The collective gasps of wonder were pretty much worth the price of admission right there. For those visiting the Bay Area, the Paramount offers docent tours and I highly recommend it, I’ve been and need to go again.

A frisson of excitement rippled through the audience of approximately 3000 people as Carl Davis entered the pit and the Oakland East Bay Symphony Orchestra crashed to life with the opening notes of Davis’ score. His score relied heavily on the work of Beethoven which was not inappropriate. Beethoven’s 3rd (originally dedicated to Napoleon), the 6th and 7th symphonies were incorporated, as well as some Mozart and plenty of themes composed by Davis himself. Not to mention the French National Anthem, La Marseillaise. For this evening, everyone in the audience was a French National. I certainly felt that way.

As I watched the 1927 epic unfurl before my eyes, I could not help but be reminded of Woodrow Wilson's famous quotation about seeing D.W. Griffith's 1915 epic The Birth of a Nation, "It was like seeing history written with lightening." I can attest, seeing this film was exactly like seeing history written with lightening. Granted, I will give you that it was a Frenchman's view of French history. It was also a filmmaker’s view of history, mixing myth, legend and fact. I'm not so well versed in the actualities of Napoleonic history to nitpick. Nor do I care, really. What I can say with some authority is that Abel Gance totally out-Griffithed D.W. Griffith; in really a good way.

I wish that I could translate the images from the film into screen captures for you to see here. Cinematically so many are positively seared on my brain. During the screening I tried to remain dispassionate, but it was not an easy task. It was very easy to be caught up in and sucked into the film.  In that I think I suceeded in trying to view the film with the eyes of someone in the silent era.  I was and still am agog with wonder at what I saw.

From the instant the film begins, you are captured by the young Napoleon. Napoleon, the boy, was portrayed by the haunting and mesmerizing Vladimir Roudenko. The film opens with what is now a famous set piece, the snowball fight at Brienne. Carl Davis set this to Mozart’s 25th Symphony, slightly frenetic and it worked so well. Gance’s rapid cutting during the climax of the battle left me breathless. I am still agog at the technique used in the cutting in this sequence (and many others). To think this was cut by hand, some of the fragments 1, 2 or 3 frames in length. I wonder that Gance and his editorial assistants Marguerite Beaugé and Henriette Pinson did not go blind or crazy cutting the film. The clips I had seen of this sequence on television did not do it any favors. It really does need to be seen on the big screen for you to really appreciate how masterfully it was done and how well it works in context. You become a part of the battle. The exact effect Gance was going for.

Roudenko as Napoleon

Vladimir Roudenko’s part is not a large one, but is entirely memorable as the fiercely proud Napoleon. Gance’s camera lingers on the boy’s intense gaze. His face is transparent as he is triumphant during the snow battle. Another incredible set piece and a masterful piece of filmmaking is the pillow fight. The pillow fight is checker boarded across the screen in 9 separate images, all matted by hand, rewound and re-filmed in the camera. A single mistake would have ruined the sequence. Simply mind boggling. Roudenko weeps at the loss of his beloved eagle (symbol of Napoleon throughout the film), the tragedy and then joy cross his face and light his eyes as he sees the rustle of the tree branches and the return of his loyal, beautiful friend.


Courtesy: Photoplay Productions/San Francisco Silent Film Festival

I have seen much discussion on whether or not Albert Dieudonné is effective or well cast as Napoleon. Various critics, back in the 1920’s and as recently as the last few weeks complained that Dieudonné’s portrayal consisted of little more that strutting about and posing. If that was all that was required, even in a rather nasty looking wig, he did it very well. Like so many of the close ups of other actors, Dieudonné was very effective in transmitting his thoughts with a telegraphic precision. I also thought the small bits of comedy as Napoleon was attempting to woo Josephine were charming. It was gentle laughter at so commanding a figure on the battlefield, uncomfortable in the art of romance.  Later in the story, a scene stands out to me, Napoleon and Josephine walking arm in arm, trees in blossom, it was cinematic romance at it's finest.

This brings me to two more set pieces that are well known, the dual storm at the Convention and Napoleon in the storm at sea off the coast of Corsica and the Siege of Toulon. The dual storm was everything it was intended to be, as the camera swung back and forth over the multitudes in The Convention, to the crashing waves and rocking boat at sea, you felt that you were in the midst of all the action and more than a little motion sick, as well. Dieudonné is to be commended for surviving the massive amounts of water heaped upon him during the filming of this sequence; he took quite a beating for art.

The Siege of Toulon hightlighted the brutal battle and the hard life of a soldier.  The endless rain, the battle and Dieudonné's commanding presence, all memorable.  Again, like the Convention, you almost feel yourself dying in the mud and the blood. 

It is here I really must mention Gance’s care in casting the film and casting the faces. The Three Gods of the revolution, Danton (Alexandre Koubitsky), Marat (Antonin Artaud) and Robespierre (Edmond Van Daële) each are wonderful in their roles. Again, more rapid cutting and the faces, the faces he chose, each flashed by for an instant, and all were memorable. The same goes for Gance’s casting himself as Saint-Just, he was perfectly malevolent. A handsome man, Gance could have been a matinee idol of the highest order.  The costuming in the film was beautiful.  Later on during the dinner break there was plenty of discussion on whether or not Marat really did wear a leopard skin.  Van Daële was so memorable and simply creepy as Robespierre, my heart really broke as Danton was led away in the tumbril and Robespierre watched from the window, incarnate of evil and corrupt power.

In what may well be another early first, Gance took his cast and crew to Corsica, the birthplace of Napoleon for location shooting. Cleverly covering the historical plaque on the Napoleonic residence with a convenient patch of creeping ivy, Gance then turned time back. Gance and his cameramen, and the technical wizardry of the Debrie cameras created imagery that is hard to forget. In the race across Corsica, Gance placed a camera on the withers of a galloping horse and captured this bird’s eye view of the chase that really got the heart beating.

Courtesy: Photoplay Productions/San Francisco Silent Film Festival

The only portion of the film that dragged, and really it did not drag, but it just did not move me or move the narrative was the fictional story of Tristan Fleuri (Nicolas Koline) and his daughter Violine (Annabella). I have no objections to the addition of the fictional characters, Tristan Fleuri as the early witness to Napoleon’s genius who crosses paths with the great man at varying stages of his meteoric rise much like Judah Ben-Hur crossing paths with Christ, was not objectionable. His pride at being the first to recognize Napoleon as a man with a future (snowball fight) was delightful, his friendship with the young Napoleon was tender.  It is the story of his daughter and her crush on Napoleon that goes nowhere for me. This is a Griffith-like touch that took me out of the picture.  There is no doubt that Annabella was a beautiful girl and a touching actress, but if Gance had decided in the end to cut this sequence out of the film, I would not have missed it.


Courtesy: Photoplay Productions/San Francisco Silent Film Festival

The Second Act opens with the murder of Marat, it was the painting of David come to life. Josephine de Beauharnais (Gina Manès) does a lovely job as the beautiful and somewhat earthy foil to Napoleon. Her scenes in prison are moving and in during the Survivor’s Ball she’s drop dead gorgeous. A friend mentioned during an intermission, she was a rather pudgy Josephine. I thought she hit the right note to counter with Napoleon’s inherent gravity.

Another, most memorable sequence was Napoleon in the empty Convention with the ghosts of the revolution. Danton, Marat, Robespierre and Saint-Just all dead and rise again with all the other ghosts of the revolution filling the convention before Napoleon goes off to battle in Italy. The double exposures, the triple exposures and quadruple exposures filling the scene until you are overwhelmed.

Click to enlarge the triptych

Then we come to the triptychs and you have seen a hint in the trailer. Knowing they’re coming, you’re still not prepared. When the curtains parted to reveal the 2nd and 3rd screens, a cheer and whoop went up in the audience. From that moment I was really engulfed by the emotion of the whole film and it was just a magnificent feat of technical audacity. To see the horses cross the three screens and the panoramas unfold, the pace of the cutting quickens and the images flash and change. The eagle swoops across the three screens in magnificent fashion. In the end you are left exhausted, exhilarated and overwhelmed. It was totally magnificent. When Gance’s signature appeared on the screen, the audience cheering as one, rose to their feet and continued to applaud and cheer for a good 5 or 6 minutes without ceasing. Kevin Brownlow and Patrick Stanbury did not take a bow until the final performance.  I missed seeing Kevin, but I did thank Patrick in person.  Thank you is such an insignificant phrase.  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is to be applauded for taking the risk on such an event.  It was wholly memorable and I think, wholly successful. 

My recollections here hardly hint at the complete experience. I’ve hardly touched on the plot and stories within the film. This is silent film as it is meant to be seen, as Photoplay proclaims, “live cinema.” The film is not perfect, but in five and a half hours, two intermissions and a delicious dinner break (Le Cheval), my attention did not lag. I loved this film. I LOVED this film.

Gance spent the budget for his planned six films with this one (and then some). I cannot regret that he was not able to make the other planned films, I can’t image Gance following up anything better than what I was really privileged to see. Kevin Brownlow might well disagree with me on that.

Some might call me a heretic but I hope that the film does not come out on dvd or blu-ray.  Really.  If it did, I’d buy it in a heartbeat to have and also to support Photoplay Productions. That said, you can't recreate or recapture this experience and bottle it.  You cannot package this in a clamshell case and expect to be as blown away as the audience was. I do not care if you have three 80” televisions lined up, a home viewer cannot recreate this experience. It is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen with live music and a big audience. It’s not just a movie, it’s an event. I now define my cinematic experiences as Before Napoleon and After Napoleon. Everything has changed.

Someone I know did see Kevin during the screening and complimented him; Kevin ever humble, replied, “I did not make this film.” I have to disagree yet again, 45 years of passion, reconstruction, attention to incredible detail, and some really amazing detective work and a with more than a little bit of luck, Kevin Brownlow did make this film.  He saved this film and I am unbelievably grateful that I got the chance to see it. My only regret is that I did not see it twice.

 I liked it!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Color Block Dress Trend

Nowadays, celebrities can be seen mixing and matching many bright colors in an outfit for a futuristic yet sophisticated look. These celebs are showing everyone how to get perfect color block effect with no efforts.


Recently, Hollywood babes like Cheryl Cole, Iman, Jessica Alba, Kim Kardashian and more were photographed rocking this Spring/Summer must-have trend.

Color block ensembles look so flattering, vibrant and comfortable. Not just clothes, color blocking effect can also be done on shoes, handbags and other fashion accessories for a fun-edgy look.



Combination of hot pink and fluorescent, coral and violet, or orange, green and yellow; may sound like crazy, but it will give perfect color blocked look. You can also create your own color blocked pieces that will make everyone’s eyes pop.

This trend is the easiest and affordable way to add punch to one’s personality. It transforms simple clothes into unique and trendy pieces to create a fresh new look for Spring.


Those who are afraid of bold colors can wear color blocked pieces by using basic color combinations for attract attention and make a bold statement. It will definitely give your wardrobe an instant update.


So, for a bold and sassy appearance, this season mix and match all colors of rainbow. You are sure to look super stylish and hot, this season.


Saturday, April 7, 2012

Taylor Swift Latest Hairstyles Red Carpet

Hey guyz here are some awesome Taylor Swift hairstyles.
These are super cute and exquisite for any special occasion.










Floral Jeans Fashion 2012

Floral Jeans are so hot right now. Celebs are wearing them everywhere..









Naya Rivera Latina May 2012 Cover

Naya Rivera covers Latina magazine May 2012 issue. This sexy Glee babe smiles on cover page in super sexy striped top and striped skirt with Chanel belt. Here is her interview from magazine.



On her debut album deal with Columbia Records: “So far I’m doing some awesome club songs that are fun to dance to…” Glee co-creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy says, “She can and will be on the radio.”

On playing a newly out-of-the-closet lesbian on Glee: “I get so many tweets a day from people thanking me and saying how the role has changed their lives, enabling them to come out.”

On her character’s impending graduation on Glee: “Personally, I want to stay on the show for as long as they’ll have me. I see it as my little home base.”

On being compared to J.Lo: “I would love to be where she is one day.” According to Muprhy, Rivera will one day reach Jennifer Lopez status. “I’m friends with Jennifer, and they’re both beautiful, fun, talented and ambitious,” Murphy says.

On being raised a devout Christian and discussing her beliefs: “It’s hard and sort of sad that you do feel like you need to tread lightly when you say, “Yes, I do go to church and I read the Bible,’ because once you do that people will be like, ‘Why are her boobs out? Why is her midriff showing? Why is she playing a lesbian?’ I don’t want to deal with that stuff, and so I’ve never really discussed it. It’s very personal.”

On preferring on-set high school to the real thing: “I always knew I liked being on sets more than anything in the world, especially high school…I was super flat chested and really skinny. I didn’t have any boyfriends and didn’t go to any high school dances.”

Hilary Duff Baby Luca Photos

Hilary Duff shared an adorable photo of her 2-week-old baby boy on Luca

Friday, April 6, 2012

Kim Kardashian Kanye West Dating 2012

American socialite Kim Kardashian steps out with new beau Kanye West..Look so hawt together




Brooklyn Decker Pink Hair Streaks

Brooklyn Decker Pink Hair Streaks

The model and actress Brooklyn Decker wears eye-popping pink hair streaks at at 'Battleship' Premiere in South Korea recently..





Hot or Not??????????


Prom hairstyles For Girls 2012

Hey girls!!! Want to try out hot and alluring hairstyles for your prom party?
Then check out these celebrity inspired hairstyles
These are chic, smart and super hot...

Ponytail Hairstyle: If you want to creat girly and innocence look, try out ponytail.



Curly Updo: Curly updo give mature and more polsihed look.




Headband Hairstyle: This type of style provides romantic touch to your appearance.



Half Up Half Down: For a gorgeous look, wear Half Up Half Down hair 'do.