Top 10 Reasons to go to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival

10.  If you loved The Artist, you will love seeing a real silent film.  The Artist used footage from Douglas Fairbanks’ The Mark of Zorro in the film.  The on screen character of George Valentin was inspired by Douglas Fairbanks.  Do not miss this chance to see the real Douglas Fairbanks on the big screen.  The Mark of Zorro will screen on Sunday, July 15^th at 10:00 am.  Accompanied by Dennis James on the Mighty Wurlitzer, it’s going to be grand swashbuckling fun.

9.  Authors!  You will get to meet authors, Emily Leider (author of Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino; Becoming Mae West) will be signing her book Myrna Loy The Only Good Girl in Hollywood; Jeffrey Vance (author of Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema, Harold Lloyd Master Comedian and Buster Keaton Remembered) will be signing his book Douglas Fairbanks.  Jeff Codori will be on hand to sign his new and long awaited biography of flapper extrodinare, Colleen Moore.  Colleen Moore: A Biography of the Silent Film Star.  Mary Mallory will be signing her book on the history of Hollywoodland.  Many more authors will be on hand to sign their books, leave your kindle at home and enjoy reading the old fashioned way! 

8.  Are you a Dr. Who fan?  If you are, do not miss your chance to meet Paul Gann (Dr. Who #8.  According to Thomas Gladysz’s excellent blog , “McGann is teaming up with acclaimed British pianist Stephen Horne to present South (1919), director Frank Hurley’s moving documentary of Ernest Shackleton’s failed 1914-1917 expedition to Antarctica. Now restored by the British Film Institute with original tints and toning, the film is a stunning record of one of the great adventures in the annals of exploration. McGann will narrate, reading Shackleton’s letters to Horne’s elegiac score.”  I'm really looking forward to this compelling film.  If it's anything like The Great White Silence from last year, it's going to be fabulous!

7.  Bring the Kleenex for the classic tearjerker Stella Dallas.  It’s a film that’s been on my list to see for years.  I repeat, Ronald Colman has nothing to do with it, I swear to you! Well, perhaps only a little.  Belle Bennett's performance is well regarded and there is nothing better than a real old fashioned tear jerker.

6.  Musicians!  We will have fantastic live music to accompany the films.  It’s how they did it in the silent era, and it’s how they do it at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.  Not only do we have Dennis James accompanying The Mark of Zorro, he will accompany the 1922 german epic The Loves of Pharoah.  The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra returns to San Francisco and will accompany William Wellman’s 1927 film Wings and The Wonderful Lie of Nina Petrovna and Buster Keaton’s 1928 film The Cameraman.  The wonderful Matti Bye Ensemble will accompany the recently restored Pandora’s Box featuring festival favorite Louise Brooks as well as the Mauritz Stiller film Erotikon.  Donald Sosin will accompany Little Toys, Irrepressible Felix the Cat, The Spanish Dancer, and The Docks of New York.  The accomplished Stephen Horne will accompany Mantrap, The Canadian, and Stella Dallas.  Finally Ken Winokur and the Alloy Orchestra will accompany and rock the house for the Soviet import The Overcoat.  Be prepared to be blown out of your seats!

5.  Clara Bow.  We get two films starring the incredible Clara Bow.  Mantrap and Wings.  If you’ve not seen Clara on screen, you will be amazed at the talent, charm and delicious quality she had.  She was a real star.

4.  The Castro Theater, as always.  It’s a 1000% pleasure to be able to enjoy and silent film as it’s supposed to be seen in a vintage movie theater.  Nothing better and the popcorn is fresh popped and good!

3.  Pola Negri.  Not only do we get Clara Bow, we get a primo, recently restored Pola Negri film The Spanish Dancer.  Paramount spared no expense on this film, it’s gorgeous to look at, Pola is great and Antonio Moreno is no slouch either.  The President of the Board of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and Archivist who worked with EyeFilm NL Rob Byrne will introduce the film and tell us all about the restoration.  The film geeks will appreciate this and getting the opportunity to say thanks in person is worth the price of admission.

2.  The Canadian. My prediction is this will be the sleeper hit of the festival.  Thomas Meighan, rugged actor 90% of you have never heard of.  Meighan worked with the cream of the crop and was one of the highest paid and most popular actors in the 1920s.  Do not miss it!

1.  The best reason for attending the festival is because it's incredibly fun.  You're surrounded by film geeks from all over the world who love movies, film, cinema as much as you do.  The films are top notch.  The prints are excellent.  The music fabulous.  Come join in the fun, see new movies and make new friends.  Buy your tickets and festival passes now!  Because True Art Transcends Time!

Be there or be square!

Pola Negri The Spanish Dancer - San Francisco Silent Film Festival 2012

(Image Courtesy: Start's Thursday)

Pola Negri is famously remembered as Rudolph Valentino’s post-Natacha Rambova amorata and also for her displays of grief during Valentino's funeral.  She’s been categorized as one of the silent era Divas. 

Hers is a name I've always been familiar with, particularly in view of her connection with Rudolph Valentino.  I confess, a good portion of my opinion of her was formed based on her relationship with Valentino.  This colored my view and I have never given Ms. Negri her proper due.  What I knew about her as an actress was precious little.  For years I was content to leave it at that.  My bad.

Rudolph Valentino, Manuel Reachi and Pola Negri at the Biltmore Hotel 1926
Valentino is wearing his suit of lights from Blood and Sand, Negri is in costume from The Spanish Dancer.

So, I've given her little thought as an actress and not too much respect, either.  I’m very much looking forward to rectifying my pathetically ill-informed opinion of Pola Negri this coming July.  Up until recently, not too many of her films have been screened and not too many are available on quality dvds.  Happily, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival is giving me a great opportunity to eat crow, eat my words and join the throngs of Pola Negri admirers with the upcoming screening of the 1923 Paramount film The Spanish Dancer.

Screen grab from the restored film (altfg)

Up until a few years back, this film was considered lost.  It is lost no more, recently restored by EYE Film The Spanish Dancer premiered in the Netherlands to rapturous reviews.   Kevin Brownlow told me it was great and if Kevin says so, it’s a do not miss film for me!

The reverse side of the unusual herald to promote the film

In 1922 Rudolph Valentino almost made a movie called The Spanish Cavalier with the recently imported to Hollywood, Pola Negri.  The film was announced by Paramount in their annual campaign book, it was sure to be a blockbuster.  Negri was the hottest new thing to come out of Europe and it was predicted that the pairing of Valentino and Negri on screen would be dynamite.  Chances are it likely would have been as tempestuous as their off screen romance later proved to be. 

Regretably, fate and lawyers deemed otherwise as Valentino refused to begin work his next film and went on his much-publicized strike.  He remained embroiled in a legal dispute with Paramount/Lasky that was not settled until late 1923.  He continued on to his wildly successful 1923 cross-country dance tour promoting beauty contests and Mineralava Beauty products.  He was the flapper’s delight, but not onscreen at this time.

Antonio Moreno by C.S. Bull (Image: Silent Hollywood)

Paramount moved on, changed the script and the director from the original Fred Niblo to Herbert Brenon.  Which, IMO, was a huge improvement right from the get go. To replace the recalcitrant and litigious Valentino, they cast Antonio Moreno with Negri in what was to become the newly titled The Spanish Dancer. 

Click to enlarge

This got me curious about the reception of the film in 1923.  Was it a smash?  I did a little digging around and found some contemporary reviews and ads from the trade mags (primarily Wid’s Film Daily).  The production values are rich and the film was very well received.

Photoplay reviewed the film in the December 1923 issue: 

THE SPANISH DANCER

starring Pola Negri and Antonio Moreno
After being wasted in "Bella Donna" and "The Cheat," Pola Negri comes back to her own in this picture. She is again La Negri of "Passion." She has shed the veneer of sophistication and has reverted to the primitive woman type. As the gypsy girl in this adaptation of "Don Caesar de Bazan," she gives a magnificent performance. She portrays almost every emotion conceivable, and does each and every one admirably. Herbert Brenon, the director, shares the honors. Tony Moreno is a lovable scapegrace as the hero, playing the role in a dashing devil-may-care fashion. Wallace Beery adds another to his long list of fine characterizations as the king of Spain. With this production, Paramount is keeping its promise of bigger and better pictures.

Motion Picture also weighed in the January 1924 issue

THE SPANISH DANCER

starring Pola Negri and Antonio Moreno
We have seen Pola Negri in "The Spanish Dancer," and we admit frankly that we are captive to her flashing beauty and her fire. There has been disparaging criticism of Pola Negri, which has attempted to analyze her fascination and her subsequent popularity. It has been laid to a number of things, chiefly sex appeal. And, admitting that this is basically true, we do not grant that it makes her any the less a personality. She dominates every scene in which she appears, and she is an actress, to boot.

A gypsy girl who wins the King's fancy on a Carnival day. . . while, on the same day her lover merits the royal disfavor and is sentenced to be hanged. . . this is the stuff of which "The Spanish Dancer" is made. Like Mary Pickford's "Rosita," it is adapted from "Don Caesar de Bazan." We have less praise for the production of "The Spanish Dancer" itself than we had for "Rosita." Ernst Lubitsch knows more about Kings and their retinues and European people than our American directors. That is natural. He was born a European, and for years he knew the sophistication of the Continent. We doubt his directorial dexterity in producing a drama of our Middle West.

Antonio Moreno is the dashing Don Caesar, and he is good to look upon. There were several times when he called Douglas Fairbanks to our mind. The monarch, of course, is Wallace Beery. What casting director would have any other actor as a king? Not that we quarrel with them on this score. However, Wallace Beery is to our cinematic mind History personified.

Kathlyn Williams was a regal Queen . . . Adolph Menjou was a fascinating courtier . . . and Gareth Hughes gave poignancy to the role of the weak, adolescent apprentice in whose behalf the hero disregards the royal proclamation.

Sounds good to me! 

You can buy tickets for the 17th San Francisco Silent Film Festival here.

A website dedicated to all things Pola Negri can be found here. 

On a personal note, I've been to one of Antonio Moreno's old homes in the Los Feliz neighborhood and it was a marvelous experience.  The home had very little done to it by owners over the years and the current owner has maintained the home in pristine 1920's, original glory down to the massive vintage stove in the kitchen and the original linoleum (green and cream) floor.  That was awesome to see.

I'm looking forward to seeing this film in just about a month.  I love the director Herbert Brenon, I've liked Moreno in all the films I've seen and I am looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about Pola Negri. 

A documentary entitled Life is a Dream in Cinema devoted to Pola was premiered in 2006.  I recently had a chance to watch it and found that it was quite good and really did spark an interest in me to see more of Madame Negri.  Pay a visit to the Facebook page for the film and seek it out, I really enjoyed it.

CHECK OUT THE SCEDULE OF FILMS AND BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE

See you at the Castro in July!  I'm counting the days!