Kevin Brownlow and the £100,000 minute

£100,000 for a minute of Charlie Chaplin? That and more will be learned in this series of videos from a recent event last year with some moments with Kevin Brownlow and Patrick Stanbury, from Photoplay.

First one includes some on NAPOLEON and a BUSTER KEATON DVD that a company produced with the wrong master.




Kevin talks about seeing a Mary Pickford film directed by Clarence Brown and how it started his collecting of US silent films.




Kevin talks about discovering a film library collection while on holiday and more...






£100,000 for a minute of Charlie Chaplin? That was the rate being charged by Chaplin's agent for any uses of Chaplin's films. With no budget for such a high amount, how Brownlow and Gill did get some Charlie Chaplin clips for HOLLYWOOD SERIES and continued to create UNKNOWN CHAPLIN SERIES.

Peter Pan

Huntington, New York

March 25, 2012

Peter Pan
Huntington's Cinema Arts Centre
 with pianist Ben Model

Suitable for all ages

Press Release from Susan Finkelstein: Ingeniously capturing the mysteries and adventures of childhood, James M. Barrie‘s timeless play became one of the most popular films of the twenties. Virtually unseen for decades, Paramount Studios’ 1924 production of Peter Pan has been fully restored from original nitrate materials, with authentic color tints.

Betty Bronson stars as Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, who charms Wendy and her brother to fly with him to Never Never Land. On this distant island of dreams and magic, they struggle to rescue the Lost Boys from Captian Hook (Ernest Torrence) and his band of pirates, encountering along the way the delightful fairy Tinkerbell (Virginia Browne Faire), a man-eating crocodile, and a band of valiant Indians (led by Anna May Wong). This memorable adaptation — which in turn inspired later film versions of the story — features a delightful cast, remarkable special effects by Roy Pomeroy, and fine photography by James Wong Howe (The Thin Man). (USA, 1924, 102 mins., 35mm print courtesy of Kino Lorber)

Ben Model is one of the USA’s leading silent film accompanists, and has been playing piano and organ for silents at the Museum of Modern Art in New York for the past 27 years. Ben co-curated MoMA’s “Cruel and Unusual Comedy”series and Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle retrospective, and also curated Shout!Factory’s new “Ernie Kovacs Collection” DVD box set.

A five-time recipient of the Meet The Composer grant, Ben is a regular accompanist at classic film festivals around the U.S.A. and in Norway, and performs at universities, museums, and historic theaters. Ben is the producer and co-founder of The Silent Clowns Film Series now in its 14th season in NYC. Ben’s recorded scores can be heard on numerous DVD releases from Kino Video and others. Ben’s composed ensemble scores for films by Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd are performed around the U.S. every year by orchestras and by concert bands.

For more information contact Cinema Arts Centre: LINK

100TH Anniversary of Niles Essanay

April 1, 2012

100TH Anniversary
History of Niles Essanay film studio

in Fremont, California

The original film studio is gone, but the memory is not!
Full day of celebration and events planned
Check Niles Essansay Silent Film Museum for details

Series of events planned!

'The Artist' Best Actor, Jean Dujardin

A few moments with Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer and Best Actor, Jean Dujardin from ABC News. John Goodman said in a recent interview; "Jean, spoke no English at the time. He's learned since, and I will never, I am hopeless at languages," he added." - Reuters

To see the ABC video interview, just click on the image or this LINK.
Jean Dujardin, Best Actor for the French silent film, The Artist

IT with Clara Bow

For another film on my list of favorite silent films for people new to them, is Clara Bow in IT, from 1927. It's charming, fun and just plain joyful!

'Show People' (1928) needs a quality DVD release!

With The Artist going into the widest release today, I hope it appears near you, and you will take the time to see it. Wonderful film, I really loved, and I have seen three times since January.

Meanwhile, there has been lots of people putting lists up of silent films to see. I have posted The Artist director's, Michel Hazanavicius, list earlier this week. I will be posting a few more silent films myself. Ones I have tested over the years with people, who don't normally don't watch silent films.

This is a film I would recommend, and I am really hoping a quality DVD will be released of it. Called, SHOW PEOPLE (1928), it is owned by TCM, part of the MGM collection. No quality DVD of this film is available at this time, only copies from VHS tapes and recordings off of TCM broadcast, which I wouldn't want anyone buying. There are a few high priced VHS tapes of the film still being re-sold, but a proper DVD release has not been made of this film.

It's a wonderful comedy starring Marion Davis, and one of her best! There is plenty in here, that reminds me of The Artist, but with a different story, with a small town girl coming to Hollywood and struggling to get a job in show business. I don't want give away the plot, but it loaded with footage, filmed right in Hollywood and with the big stars from that day.

It's the perfect film to watch for a double bill with The Artist, just no quality DVD of it. This video is a very poor image of the film, but has just a taste. Write TCM to let them know, we love to have a quality release of SHOW PEOPLE.