Cinecon 2000 Review
ChaneyFan
Cinecon 36 returned to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel after a 4-year hiatus, and
I for one am glad to be back. Now before you gag and choke, let me say that
the rooms have been completely remodeled...mine was two rooms now combined into
an Executive Suite with two bathrooms and a parlor...and the hamster-powered
elevators have been replaced with real electric motors, and they now move at a
normal speed. I never waited more than about 30 seconds for an elevator all
weekend. All films were at the Egyptian Theater just 3 blocks away, and the
theater, screen, and seats are all wonderful. This is one of the best venues I
have ever seen for film screenings at any Cinecon. I also appreciated *not*
having two screening rooms. Why run competing films when you have one great
venue that you can pack with good films?
My only gripes this year were that (a) the dealer's room was too small (this
was due to a scheduling problem with the hotel that will be corrected next
year) and (b) we continue to drift into later and later films simply to
accommodate guests. If getting Jan Sterling as a guest means that we have to
run SKY FULL OF MOON (1952) then I for one would rather drop the guest and
program another rare silent or pre-Code Fox film. One other minor gripe is
that we had 7 Columbia talkies this year. In fairness, several were quite good
and all were rare, but how about dropping half the Columbias and sticking in a
few extra Fox and Paramount titles?
Now on to the film program... Features are rated from * (awful) to ****
(superb).
June Foray Program. The event began with several cartoons featuring the voice
talents of June Foray including SANDY CLAWS (1955), THE HONEY-MOUSERS (1956),
BEWITCHED BUNNY (1955) and a Tom and Jerry the title of which I've forgotten.
This was followed by a Q&A with June. It's astonishing that a woman who began
her career in the 30's is still working, recently having done the grandmother's
voice in MULAN. I'll make a minor gripe about being all 50's films, but it was
a short program and she had great stories to tell. All prints in 35mm.
Richard Roberts Comedy Cavalcade. A.M.S. regular Richard Roberts presented
four very rare comedy shorts. BLACK OXFORDS (1924) was a very funny Sennett
featuring young Marceline Day. THE COVERED SCHOONER (1923) was also a hoot of
a 2-reeler with Monty Banks. DAD'S CHOICE (1928) starred Edward Everett Horton
in his patented role as a flustered boyfriend who runs afoul of his
sweetheart's father's bodyguard. The real surprise of the program was THE HOME
OWNER (1962) a previously unseen (and unheard of!) Buster Keaton industrial
film promoting an Arizona land development deal. Buster captures much of the
flavor of his early silents in this delightful little gem that simply must get
slated for proper preservation, as the Eastmancolor of the only two surviving
prints is rapidly going. All prints in 16mm.
TOL'ABLE DAVID (1930, Columbia) Forget for a moment that (a) Director J.G.
Blystone isn't Henry King, (b) Richard Cromwell isn't Richard Barthelmess, and
(c) it's hopeless to try to remake one of the greatest silent films of all
time. With those caveats in mind, this is a fine remake of the silent version
that follows the original very closely, while trimming 20 min or more of
extraneous footage. (As an example, in the original, Mr. Galt agonizes for 5
min whether to let David drive the hack when the other driver shows up drunk.
In this We're-Columbia-and-we- have-a-footage-limit version he decides in 3
seconds.) Though Ernest Torrence is scarier in the original, Noah Beery in the
talkie is much more of a slime bucket. Overall, a real surprise, and a
stunning 35mm print from Columbia. ***
MOLLY O' (1921, Mack Sennett) A variation of the Cinderella story, with Mabel
Normand playing the poor Irish girl who goes to the ball and catches herself a
rich prince charming. A fun picture, and Mabel is at her most charming, though
just when you think The End title is about to come up, the plot shifts gears
and it goes on for another two reels with a kidnap sequence in a Zeppelin!
Very strange. A 35mm print recently restored by UCLA and pieced together from
several different sources, including the use of stills and titles for about a
reel of missing footage. (Phil Carli on piano) ** ½
PRIVATE DETECTIVE 62 (1933, Warner Brothers) Any film with William Powell
playing a detective is OK by me. In this one he falls in with a crooked
detective agency and is assigned to get some dirt on socialite Margaret
Lindsay, who he of course is far too gallant to double-cross. Lots of fun, and
a beautiful 35mm print from Warner Bros. Classics. ***
SERVANTS' ENTRANCE (1934, Fox) Another variation of the rich girl-poor boy
plot...in this one Janet Gaynor, thinking her family has lost its fortune,
takes a job as a maid, where she falls in love with chauffeur Lew Ayres. She
is charming as can be, and that helps carry this delightful piece of fluff. A
35mm print from UCLA that looked like it was from a so-so preprint. ***
JOHNNY GET YOUR HAIR CUT (1927, MGM) This is the third year in a row we've had
a Jackie Coogan, and I think this is the best of the lot. Jackie does his
standard poor orphan routine, and in this one he is crazy about horses and will
do anything to be around them. Starts out like THE RAG MAN, but then switches
to NATIONAL VELVET for the exciting finale. Another nice 35mm print from
Warner Bros. Classics. (Jon Mirsalis on piano) ***
THE CLAY PIGEON (1949, RKO) Star Barbara Hale was on hand for Q&A after this
noirish thriller. Bill Williams (then Hale's husband in real life) wakes up in
a Naval hospital, can't remember anything, but learns that he is accused of
treason and the death of his best friend. With the dead man's wife in tow, he
races through great San Diego and L.A. locations to try to get his memory back
and clear his name. Quite a good little thriller in the same vein as THE
MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. Though I had seen it on TV, this stunning 35mm from
Warner Bros. made this extra special. ***
BEAU GESTE (1926, Paramount) The old classic was shown in a very beat-up 16mm
print, but the highlight here was a fine score performed by the 5-piece Mont
Alto orchestra. I thought they could use a percussion instrument in a few
scenes, but overall the score...and the film...were first rate. *** ½
THE FROG (1937, General Film Distributors) Pretty much every Edgar Wallace
story is the same, and this entry in the genre is no different. "The Frog" is
terrorizing the nation, recruiting hundreds of people to be "frogs" in his gang
and help with his nefarious schemes, and Scotland Yard is completely baffled.
Silly as can be, but lots of fun. A nice 35mm print from the BFI. ***
BIG TIMER (1932, Columbia) Up-and-coming prizefighter Ben Lyon behaves like a
complete jerk towards wife Constance Cummings (though with Thelma Todd as
temptation, can you blame him?), yet she sticks by him through thick and thin.
Just once I'd like to see the faithful wife dump the idiot husband and run off
with the millionaire who loves her, but NOOOOOO! A beautiful 35mm print from
Columbia, but I was only lukewarm about this one. ** ½
THE ROUNDUP (1921, Famous Players Lasky) This was introduced by Lone Pine
historian Dave Holland along with a brief, and fascinating, video about Lone
Pine, CA showing the locations where countless westerns were shot. The intro
was better than the film. I really wanted to like Fatty Arbuckle's first
feature, shot on great Lone Pine locations, but it just couldn't decide what it
wanted to be. Definitely not a comedy, but shots of a brutal killing are
interspersed with slapstick of Fatty trying to fit into clearly too-small
wedding clothes. Too schizophrenic, though worth looking at. An OK 16mm
print; this one might do better in 35mm. (Jon Mirsalis on piano) ** ½
MILLS OF THE GODS (1934, Columbia) May Robson's plough company goes on the
rocks during the Depression, and her worthless family won't lift a finger to
help her. Fay Wray is wonderful as the snotty rich bitch who eventually comes
around, falling in love with labor activist Victor Jory. Quite a good picture
and another stunning 35mm from Columbia that looks like the first print off a
camera negative. ***
Francis Boggs Program. Bob Birchard introduced a screening of every one of the
extant Francis Boggs pictures (all 3 of them, out of about 200) he made at the
West Coast Selig studio, the first film studio in the L.A. area. THE CATTLE
RUSTLERS (1908), BLACKBEARD (1910...with a very young Hobart Bosworth!), and
THE LITTLE WIDOW (1911) were all exceptionally good for their time. 35mm
prints from LOC and the BFI. (Jon Mirsalis on piano)
JOHANNA ENLISTS (1918, Mary Pickford Productions) Now here's an example of how
to make something out of nothing! What is fundamentally an Army recruiting
picture with no story (Army camps on Mary's farm, an officer and a Private
battle for Mary's attention), has the most charming Pickford performance I have
ever seen. In the course of a couple reels she turns from gawky, homely
teenager to Mary at her most stunning. Add to that a magnificent compiled J.S.
Zamecnik score by Mont Alto Orchestra and you've got a first-rate film event.
One of the delights of the weekend. A nice 35mm print, presumably from the
Pickford Corp. *** ½
CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE (1944, Ealing) 60's British rock star Ian Whitcomb
introduced this tribute to the British Music Halls of the 1860s that featured
Tommy Trinder and Stanley Holloway as rival comic singers. There really isn't
much here other than one drinking song after another, but the music is great,
the film is directed with astonishing style by Alberto Cavalcanti, and this is
one of those things you either like or you don't. I did. A nice 35mm print
from the BFI. ***
IN MARY'S SHADOW (2000, Mary Pickford Corp.) This was a brief (45 min), but
very interesting documentary on the brief, but very interesting life of Jack
Pickford. Obviously done lovingly on a shoestring budget, it covered all the
high points, using mostly p.d. footage. (Minor gripe: His best film, EXIT
SMILING, used stills only, presumably to avoid licensing fees from Turner.)
Kudos to Cinephiles Michael Yakaitis and Elaina Archer for putting this gem
together. Shown in video projection. ***
TOM SAWYER (1917, Oliver Moroscop Photoplay Co.) Jack Pickford stars in the
classic Mark Twain tale and captures some of the charm of the story, but it
ends before you get to all the good stuff in the book (e.g., Injun Joe and the
cave). This would have been a pretty good picture but was submerged by the
score. I hate to criticize a fellow musician, and I'm sure Maria Newman's
score would sound fine on a Kronos Quartet CD, but if I was going to put
together a quartet to accompany TOM SAWYER it would be fiddle, banjo, harmonica
and washboard, not a chamber music group. The atonal, amelodic score had
positively nothing to do with what was happening on screen and, IMO, it killed
it. A very dupey 16mm print didn't help either. **
HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO (1944, Paramount) I'd seen this on TV, but boy, on a
big screen, in a lovely 35mm print, with a large audience, and with Eddie
Bracken present, this was the best film of the weekend. What a gem! ***½
THE DEVIL (1921, Associated Exhibitors) OK, George Arliss does chew the
scenery, and this story is as dated as can be, but I rather enjoyed this
quasi-horror film of exceedingly evil Arliss who, through malicious gossip,
tries to ruin people's lives. Starts out like a standard melodrama, but as you
get into it, the macabre touches take over...Arliss recoils in horror from a
crucifix, and in the finale he bursts into flames! Loads of fun, and a
stunning 35mm print from preservationist and Cinephile Larry Smith. (Jon
Mirsalis on piano) ***
IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (1937, Columbia) Gentle spoof on the transition from
silents to talkies with Richard Dix as a Tom Mix clone (named Tim Bart, and his
horse is "Toby"). He can't make the switch to sound films, while leading lady
Fay Wray goes on to stardom in talkies. A sweet, right-on-target film, with a
wonderful party sequence of astonishing stunt doubles for loads of famous
stars. Yet another stunning 35mm print from Columbia. ***
ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENSE (1932, Columbia) Edmund Lowe is an ambitious D.A. who
sends Dwight Frye to the electric chair, then learns the man was innocent. He
switches to being a defense attorney, eventually defending himself against a
murder charge. If this sounds vaguely like THE MOUTHPIECE...you got it, except
this isn't as good. Still, it's a fun picture, and Constance Cummings is a
delight as the secretary who loves and sticks by Eddie. And still one more
beautiful 35mm print from Columbia. ***
The Max and Mike 50/50 Club. This cryptic title was little more than an excuse
for Michael Schlesinger to program three Max Davidson shorts. SHOULD SECOND
HUSBANDS COME FIRST? has Max thwarted by the sons of the widow he is trying to
marry. WHY GIRLS SAY NO? features Oliver Hardy in a small but choice part.
JEWISH PRUDENCE was the best of the lot, with Max trying to win an insurance
settlement by having his son fake an injury after a car crash. All prints were
16mm, and only so-so quality. (Jon Mirsalis on piano)
LIFE IN THE RAW (1933, Fox) This was one of only three of the George O'Brien
westerns at Fox I hadn't seen so this was a treat. Claire Trevor heads west to
find her brother who has gotten mixed up with gangsters; George steps in to
help her out. No big deal, but with O'Brien and Trevor, this is a cut above
average. 16mm print from UCLA. ***
HAIRPINS (1920, Ince) My last film of the show (I missed the afternoon
programs) was a delightful marital comedy/drama starring Enid Bennett as Matt
Moore's wife. She's just too dowdy to keep his interest, so he begins an
affair with Margaret Livingston (yes, the same one that swiped George O'Brien
from Janet Gaynor in SUNRISE). This drags along as a turgid soaper for about 2
reels, then suddenly Enid decides that instead of committing suicide she will
buy fancy dresses, use makeup, get gorgeous, and have a fling of her own! At
that point, the story turns to deliciously charming comedy, and Bennett is as
appealing as I have ever seen her. Directed by her real-life husband, Fred
Niblo (pre-BEN HUR). This was billed as a 16mm, and if so it must be a
stunning print, because it looked as good as most of the 35mm prints shown all
weekend. (Jon Mirsalis on piano) ***
A number of shorts were scattered throughout the weekend. OUT WHERE THE STARS
BEGIN (1938) was a terrific Technicolor short that went behind the scenes at
Warner Brothers. THE AUTOGRAPH HUNTER (1934) was a Krazy Kat cartoon that
featured caricatures of the Marx Brothers, Garbo, Durante, Laurel & Hardy, and
lots of other stars. SONG OF VICTORY (1942) was a Tashlin/Fleischer anti-war
Propaganda cartoon. SUE MY LAWYER (c1942?) was a Harry Langdon comedy that
actually had a couple of laughs, though the best gag was his variation on the
STRONG MAN routine of carrying the passed out girl up the stairs. Two silent
Photoplay shorts showed behind the scenes footage of Pauline Frederick and
other stars. STREAMLINED SWING (1938) was a funny musical short directed by
Buster Keaton! SYSTEM IS EVERYTHING (1916) was a Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew
comedy, where he tries to introduce organization into the running of his
household, and all hell breaks loose.
I did not see SKY FULL OF MOON, THE WAYNE MURDER CASE, FOOLISH WIVES, OH
DOCTOR! (Phil Carli on piano for these two silents) or MY WOMAN, either because
I had seen them before or had scheduling problems.
So as you can see, I gave nearly everything *** meaning there was hardly a
stinker all weekend, but few blockbusters either. The two best films were
repeats for me (BEAU GESTE, HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO), although JOHANNA ENLISTS
comes in a close third. Overall, I'd put this in the top third of all
Cinecons. Not at the top of the heap, but better than many. Kudos to Bob
Birchard and gang for pulling off another great weekend.
===============================
Jon Mirsalis
e-mail: Chan...@aol.com
Lon Chaney Home Page: http://members.aol.com/ChaneyFan
Jon's Film Sites: http://members.aol.com/ChaneyFan/jonfilm.htm
StormChaser
"ChaneyFan" <chan...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000907032738...@ng-cl1.aol.com...
You would think that such a great classic as BEAU GESTE still surviving
in 35mm,
the archives would restore it to its original luster. Why should just a bad
16mm print
be made the only source available to view this great film? This might be the
same print
I saw in the seventies. Film vaults open and yield BEAU GESTE!!!!
Robert Birchard
> You would think that such a great classic as BEAU GESTE still surviving
> in 35mm,
> the archives would restore it to its original luster. Why should just a bad
> 16mm print
> be made the only source available to view this great film? This might be the
> same print
> I saw in the seventies. Film vaults open and yield BEAU GESTE!!!!
It probably IS the same print. And you only think the picture survives in
35mm. We went to MoMA to borrow their 35mm print and were told that they only had
an old diacetate safety print that was shrunken and smelling of vinegar and that
it was no longer being circulated. Then we went to LoC and were told that they
only have 35mm nitrate and had done nothing with it because MoMA had preserved the
picture!!!!! They were surprised to learn that apparently MoMA only had a single
safety print and no preservation elements. This is another reason why events like
Cinecon, Cinefest, Cinsation, and Cinevent can be so important. We often allow
the archives to compare notes and discover films that need additional work or that
have fallen through the cracks. "Beau Geste" will be revisited by the archives in
the near future.
--
Bob Birchard
bbir...@earthlink.net
http://www.mdle.com/ClassicFilms/Guest/birchard.htm
Richard M Roberts
few minor points so I get to save a lot of typing.
I will definitely agree that the Egyptian Theater is a great venue. The
projection in any guage,35mm, 16mm, and video, all of which we saw over
the weekend looks incredibly good, and I hasten to add that they were
being shown on an very large screen. The high quality 16mm prints could
not be distinguished from the 35mm. The Roosevelt has been improved as
well, and the walk to the Egyptian is shorter than the Alex to the Red
Lion. I have no problem returning there next year as long as we don't
show talkies in the Blossom Room and there is more space for the
dealers.
I also generally agree with you about the film program(no Langdon's this
year). I liked THE ROUNDUP better than you, I have always found it to be
an interesting low-key western with a few more suprises than your
average horse-oater. It has a nice ensemble cast, including two future
directors, Irving Cummings and Eddie Sutherland, and an excellent
restrained performance by Arbuckle as the Sheriff in what is essentially
a dramatic role with comic overtones. I find it fascinating to watch
Arbuckle play a character that is not treated as a buffoon by the other
characters. His Sheriff actually disarms and shoots people and commands
respect within his community and Arbuckle handles all aspects of the
character quite effectively. I think the sad ending is a bit tacked on,
but the emphasis on character and conflict throughout the picture raises
it above an average silent western. It does look better in the 35mm
tinted and toned print I saw years ago.
I did see OH DOCTOR(1925) with Reginald Denny,( which replaced
DETECTIVES with Karl Dane and George K Arthur, which didn't arrive), and
found it to be a delightful comedy. Denny's playing a rich
hypochondriac, somewhat in the Harold Lloyd mold(even down to the
glasses) who's brought back to te world of the living by a pretty
nurse(played by the worshipfully photographed Mary Astor), who then
braves every stunt imaginable to conquer his fears and win back his
estate from the men who swindled it from him by convincing him he was
going to die. A silly plot, resembling WHY WORRY only in the broadest
sense, but Denny is funny as always, and the 16mm Show at Home original
thet was shown looked terrific.Great score as usual by Phil Carli.
MY WOMAN (1934) was nothing special. Helen Twelvetrees weepie in which
she builds up radio comic Wallace Ford until he's a success, a drunk,
and totally unbearable. Claire Dodd is her usual typecast other woman.
Unlike Jon, I am glad we get to see a lot of Columbia B's, there aren't
that many opportunities to do so, and for the most part they are on par
with the Warners B's for high quality. This one wasn't the best of the
lot, but I am still glad I saw it.
For whomever it was who asked, SYSTEM IS EVERYTHING(1916) with Mr and
Mrs Sidney Drew was terrific.I have never seen a bad Drew comedy(which
one did you see that was a disaster?), and this one from the extremely
rare Metro series brought the house down, and in a beautiful 35mm
print.(I understand there are more in the Turner-Warners vaults, hey
Bob, how 'bout a Drew show at Cinecon next year?). The nice situation
comedy plot has Sidney deciding to run his household on the same
schedule as he runs his business:Breakfast--7:30---NO LATER,
Lunch---1:00----NO LATER, etc. He finds a cook who decides to stick
precisely to the system, which means when Sidney and Mrs arrive at 1:01,
they find the plates being taken away. A few days of this, along with an
important dinner party, frightens Sidney and Mrs into upping the cooks
salary to fprget the whole thing. Very funny. Rob Ray mentioned to me
that this was also the basis of an I LOVE LUCY show.
I must comment further on the ABSOLUTELY GHASTLY Maria Newman score that
demolished the showing of TOM SAWYER (musical kinship tempers Jon's
words, I have nothing to lose). The conductor of the Maria Newman
quartet, Hugh Munro-Neely, made a comment in his opening remarks before
the film something to the effect that he disagrees that a silent film
score should not sublimate itself to the film, but should be HEARD by an
audience. Well, we HEARD their score, in fact, it was hard to pay
attention to anything else, and I say without hesitation that it was the
most GAWDAWFUL score I have ever heard inflicted on an audience or a
silent film, perhaps only equalled by the infamous score for Helen
Gardner's CLEOPATRA or Maria Newman's other completely innapropriate and
horrible score for Mary Pickford's THE LOVE LIGHT.
It was the Maria Newman quartet's design to create attention for
themselves over the film from the get-go, beginning with the group's
placement directly below the screen so that the light from their music
stands obliterated the lower-third of the image, to the"music", which
had nothing whatsoever to do with TOM SAWYER, the Old South, Mark Twain,
or melody. Pretentious, atonal, unharmonic, painful wanking, which
didn't change mood with the picture(thats not to say it ever came close
to the same universe as the film. Perhaps if we had been running a
silent slasher flick, it might have come more into the right
neighborhood).
The Maria Newman quartet showed absolute disrespect for the film, the
audience, and the whole silent film genre.I say to you Maria Newman,
conductor Hugh Munro-Neely(whom I feel a bit bad about saying this to,
upon meeting you I found you to be a nice chap), and to Elena Archer of
The Mary Pickford Foundation who footed the bill for the group's
appearance, if this is what you think a silent film should sound like,
you are DEAD WRONG. Please find the quartet another line of work. Heed
the short, polite applause and the Boos(yes, there were boos, I should
know, I was one of them).
Apart from this one unfortunate showing, I give this Cinecon high marks
indeed. Bravo Bob Birchard, Mike Schlesinger, and all the Cinecon
volunteers for a job well done. On to Next Year!!
RICHARD M ROBERTS
pre...@my-deja.com
repro...@earthlink.net wrote:
>
> I also generally agree with you about the film program(no Langdon's
this
> year).
Oops! You must've missed SUE MY LAWYER, which was a fill-in for a Warner
short that didn't show. Actually got a good reaction.
> MY WOMAN (1934) was nothing special.
Well, if it had been, we sure wouldn't have made it the last film on
Monday afternoon! :-)
> Unlike Jon, I am glad we get to see a lot of Columbia B's, there
aren't
> that many opportunities to do so, and for the most part they are on
par
> with the Warners B's for high quality. This one wasn't the best of the
> lot, but I am still glad I saw it.
Thank you! I keep explaining that one reason we run so many Columbias is
that we have access to these gorgeous 35s, they're free, and easy to
clear. (Hmm. Wonder why.) Fox features are a bitch to clear, plus we
have to pay film rental. Universal (which includes the pre-'49 Paramount
talkies) and Paramount (for the silents) are also extremely difficult
to work with. Turner/Warners is quite generous, but given that they
control three major libraries (plus Monogram), we can only borrow so
much per year before it starts to get ridiculous. And God forbid,
something should happen to me, that Columbia access is gone, poof, over.
(For years, I wanted to make 35s of the surviving Raymond Griffith
features, but I needed the Film Forum to launch it. Bruce kept saying,
"We'll get to it, we'll get to it." Then one day, Paramount booted my
ass, and it was too late. Nowadays, it practically takes an act of God
to get them to make new prints of their sound films.) The archive prints
will always be around; the Columbias may not be. And let the record show
that Jon did admit that he had seen exactly NONE of them!
Mike S.
"I'm not a human being. I'm a human doing."--Mike O'Malley on BABY BLUES
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Jazzman
>Thank you! I keep explaining that one reason we run so many Columbias is
>that we have access to these gorgeous 35s, they're free, and easy to
>clear. (Hmm. Wonder why.) Fox features are a bitch to clear, plus we
>have to pay film rental. Universal (which includes the pre-'49 Paramount
>talkies) and Paramount (for the silents) are also extremely difficult
>to work with. Turner/Warners is quite generous, but given that they
>control three major libraries (plus Monogram), we can only borrow so
>much per year before it starts to get ridiculous. And God forbid,
>something should happen to me, that Columbia access is gone, poof, over.
>(For years, I wanted to make 35s of the surviving Raymond Griffith
>features, but I needed the Film Forum to launch it. Bruce kept saying,
>"We'll get to it, we'll get to it." Then one day, Paramount booted my
>ass, and it was too late. Nowadays, it practically takes an act of God
>to get them to make new prints of their sound films.) The archive prints
>will always be around; the Columbias may not be. And let the record show
>that Jon did admit that he had seen exactly NONE of them!
>
>Mike S.
>
>"I'm not a human being. I'm a human doing."--Mike O'Malley on BABY BLUES
No problem. All we've got to do is find someone who works in the
appropriate departments at Fox and Universal who are willing to serve
on the Cinecon committee and has the clout to get us access to their
vaults. Piece of cake!
(Taking tongue out of cheek)
In the meantime, Mike, we truly appreciate your tireless efforts and
committment to the Cinephiles. Count me as another one that is just
thrilled to be able to see these long forgotten Columbia titles in
35mm.
Try to hang on at Sony/Columbia until we screen everything they have,
okay??
--John Aldrich (another happy Cinecon camper)
Richard M Roberts
>
> In article <39B77F...@earthlink.net>,
> repro...@earthlink.net wrote:
> >
> > I also generally agree with you about the film program(no Langdon's
> this
> > year).
>
> Oops! You must've missed SUE MY LAWYER, which was a fill-in for a Warner
> short that didn't show. Actually got a good reaction.
Oops, you're right. Of course I didn't see it, you showed it in the
Morning. I don't do mornings.
I also forgot to mention how wonderful the Mont Alto was, as opposed to
that other group, ironic that the Pickford Foundation paid the way to
bring them both to Cinecon.I know Rodney Sauer and Co could have done a
tons better score for TOM SAWYER, as could have Jon or Phil.
I also forgot to mention that CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE got my vote as favorite
film of the Cinecon. Jon is right in that it is essentially one music
hall song after another presented perfectly in a wonderful recreation of
the period, but one is more amazed when you realize that all but two of
those songs (the two being CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE and MAN ON THE FLYING
TRAPEZE), were actually written FOR THE FILM! It was a wonderful wartime
treat for the british audiences, I dare someone not to be in a good mood
after seeing it.
RICHARD M ROBERTS
RobtMcKay
>I also forgot to mention how wonderful the Mont Alto was, as opposed to
>that other group, ironic that the Pickford Foundation paid the way to
>bring them both to Cinecon.I know Rodney Sauer and Co could have done a
>tons better score for TOM SAWYER, as could have Jon or Phil.
I have to second this. I would say for me the biggest "discovery" of this
year's Cinecon was Rodney and Mont Alto - they simply could not have been any
better. I had the good fortune of being able to see them in action once again
last night at The Rafael Theatre in San Rafael (San Francisco Bay Area) playing
for a beautiful 35mm (directly off the camera negative) of Lloyd's THE KID
BROTHER.
They were minus their trumpet player, who had returned home due to a family
emergency. Even with this handicap, the performance was extraordinary.
Needless to say, they got another standing ovation at the conclusion of the
performance.
Rob McKay
Rodney Sauer
> REVIEW OF CINECON 2000
....
> JOHANNA ENLISTS (1918, Mary Pickford Productions) Now here's an example of how
> to make something out of nothing! What is fundamentally an Army recruiting
> picture with no story (Army camps on Mary's farm, an officer and a Private
> battle for Mary's attention), has the most charming Pickford performance I have
> ever seen. In the course of a couple reels she turns from gawky, homely
> teenager to Mary at her most stunning. Add to that a magnificent compiled J.S.
> Zamecnik score by Mont Alto Orchestra and you've got a first-rate film event.
> One of the delights of the weekend. A nice 35mm print, presumably from the
> Pickford Corp. *** *
Thanks for the compliments -- these mean a lot, especially from Jon Mirsalis, who
has often stated that comedies should not be scored by orchestra (although the
romantic comedy of Pickford is of course a different thing from Lloyd, Keaton, and
Al St. John -- haven't had a chance to try to convince him on those).
Jon was misled by the quality of the print -- JOHANNA was in fact in 16 mm. This
is a nice new print restored by Kevin Brownlow last year for the presentation at
the L.A. County Museum of Art (which I played on solo piano).
But the film gauge did have an unusual effect on our score. Although the Egyptian
Theater can accommodate variable speed 35 mm, it can only show 16 mm at 24 fps.
After BEHIND THE SCENES fell through (which we had already created a nice score to
based on pre-restoration material), we found ourselves with only a week to score
JOHANNA -- something that, with Susan Hall's help, I managed to do, starting from
the piano score I'd done at LACMA. Elaina sent us a video which she believed to be
transferred at no slower than 22 fps. But soon into the Cinecon performance, we
realized that the movie was moving MUCH faster than our working video (which must
actually have been 16 to 18 fps). Unlike Jon and Phil Carli, who are not tied to a
score, an orchestra isn't very flexible. Had you been sitting near the orchestra,
you would have heard me stage-whispering "Skip this repeat!" and "End at this
cadence!" throughout the presentation. Surprisingly, many in the audience told me
they noticed nothing wrong, so that's a testament with how much musical chaos one
can get away with as long as a film is running!
By the next night, when we gave JOHANNA it's third modern-day screening at the El
Segundo Old Time Music Hall, we made all of those changes official in the printed
score, and it went much more smoothly.
This was my first Cinecon, and I had a good time. I dislike the Roosevelt's petty
custom of charging $1 for an outside local phone call -- it just taints everything
they do with crass "gotcha"-ism, but I suppose that's just Hollywood. Brian, our
clarinetist, managed to find spots to park the van on the street at all times to
avoid the valet charge purely on principal.
The Egyptian is elegant and comfortable, but from that front corner the acoustics
-- designed no doubt for Dolby THX designation -- are as dead as playing in an
open field, even with the side acoustical screens pulled back. We didn't sound
very good to ourselves, although I heard it was pretty good in the balcony. For a
quintet that usually sounds much larger, it was a bit of a come-down. Based on
what remain of the walls, the original Egyptian must have been one of the
acoustically liveliest theaters anywhere. It would be a nice pipe-dream to get
some kind of bandshell or acoustical reflector in that corner.
The El Segundo Old Time Music Hall, by the way, would be better with an orchestra
pit, although the screen is raised to be above the Wurlitzer keyboard and we
didn't block it much, but I could hardly argue with the excellent "live" acoustics
and that amazingly responsive 9 ft Boesendorfer grand. That was a surprisingly
good place to present a picture, and I hope we can go back someday.
At Cinecon I was impressed by the artful and melodic improvisation of Jon Mirsalis
and Phil Carli, especially in THE ROUND UP and OH, DOCTOR. Their improvisation is
easy and facile, and when they are presented with a challenge (the onscreen
pianist playing -- but what? -- and suddenly a title "My Old Kentucky Home") they
rise to the occasion without a big show-offy flourish.
But the next time we come out, I hope that at least ONE of the prints we're
expecting actually shows up! It certainly is more practical to use talented
improvisational pianists at a festival where the rarity, fragility, and political
intrigue surrounding the titles may mean that last-minute subtitutions cannot be
avoided. But still, congratulations to all, and thanks to the Pickford Foundation,
Hugh Neely, and Elaina Archer for bringing us out!
Rodney Sauer
rod...@rddconsultants.com
Pianist and Director of the Mont Alto Ragtime and Tango Orchestra
and the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
http://www.ragtime.org/ragtime/MontAlto
ChaneyFan
>>I must comment further on the ABSOLUTELY GHASTLY Maria Newman score that
demolished the showing of TOM SAWYER (musical kinship tempers Jon's
words, I have nothing to lose).
I was choosing my words carefully...But I fundamentally agree with you Richard.
This was especially shocking compared with the magnificent score from Mont
Alto for JOHANNA ENLISTS.
As a further plug for Rodney, I also bought the Zamecnik "Cinema" CD by Mont
Alto and it too is quite wonderful.
FThomp1065
was cherce. Of course, as I've often whined in this group, BEAU GESTE has
always been at the top of my wish list and -- even given the borderline lousy
print -- it was a sublime occasion for me, marred only by the incessent chatter
behind me of a certain renowned film historian who shall remain nameless. (A
different group of chowderheads talked at full voice virtually throughout THE
DEVIL, too, ignoring all shushing. Come on -- this kind of behavior at Cinecon?
there oughta be a law.)
The Mont Alto Orchestra did a simply terrific job for BEAU GESTE -- first class
all the way. I hope to hear them again, when they accompany a new, beautifully
restored print of the film.
I also tried to enjoy TOM SAWYER, but found it difficult to, since it appeared
that somebody was sawing a cat in half during the screening and the horrible
screeching and moaning dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. Maria Newman did to
film scoring what Hitler did to Poland and she should really seek a different
vocation. Yikes. This is precisely why I never bring my dogs to the movies.
HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO was also a real highlight. Of course, I've seen it, if
I've counted correctly, a bazillion times, but it's always wonderful to see a
great comedy like this with a large and appreciative audience.
But I think the film that meant the most to me over the weekend was THE MILLS
OF THE GODS. Just a Columbia programmer, I guess, but I really loved it. Still
think about some of the scenes from time to time. Thanks a million to the great
Mike S. for bringing this gem, and the others, to Cinecon.
The only disappointment came during the private, invitation-only screening of
CONVENTION CITY. I thought reel two looked awfully light.
Frank Thompson
Christopher Snowden
> Of course, as I've often whined in this group, BEAU GESTE has
> always been at the top of my wish list and -- even given the borderline lousy
> print -- it was a sublime occasion for me.
There's at least one beautiful print of "Beau Geste" out there somewhere. The
Stanford ran it only a couple of years ago, and I know I saw it at a Gaylord Carter
performance in San Diego back in the late 1970s. That one might have been 16mm, but
the Stanford's print must have been 35mm. The film looked terrific both times.
On the other hand, the print of "Oh, Doctor!" we saw at Cinecon was far better
than the 35mm blowup the Stanford screened this July, so it evens out!
> I also tried to enjoy TOM SAWYER, but found it difficult to, since it appeared
> that somebody was sawing a cat in half during the screening and the horrible
> screeching and moaning dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. Maria Newman did to
> film scoring what Hitler did to Poland and she should really seek a different
> vocation. Yikes.
>
I agree with everybody else about this score. I knew we were in trouble when
Mr. Neely began delivering what sounded like an appeal for tolerance even before
the first note was played. I didn't mind the quartet sitting beneath the screen,
but I *was* amazed at the way they'd play their music, come to a dead stop, turn
the page on the music stand, and then resume playing, repeating this over and over.
The music complimented the action onscreen so seldom that when the two were in
sync, it seemed coincidental. This was truly a case of a film being played to
accompany some music, rather than the other way around. Maria Newman plays the
violin better than I can and I'm sure she's a very nice lady, but she doesn't
understand what silent film accompaniment is all about.
> I think the film that meant the most to me over the weekend was THE MILLS
> OF THE GODS. Just a Columbia programmer, I guess, but I really loved it.
I really love 1930s films that deal with the Depression head-on, so this was a
big favorite of mine too. And Fay Wray never looked better!
Chris Snowden
Unknown Video
Brent Walker
Christopher Snowden <unk...@earthlink.net> wrote:
I just watched DADDY LONG LEGS yesterday, and that has the same "Norman
Bates' mother attacks" score as well. During the whitewashing the
fence scene of TOM SAWYER, the music was making me anticipate the boys
suddenly attacking each other with brushes.
Other than this, I thought this was the best Cinecon film program I've
ever seen from a consistency standpoint--no outright turkeys (or "of
historical interest only" films) in the bunch. And I can watch as many
30's Columbias as Mike wants to break out on us. Also, I second the
motion for more of the Metro Mrs. & Mrs. Sidney Drews on the program
next year.
I also enjoyed sitting in the comfort of the Egyptian seats--more
comfortable than the Alex, and much more comfortable than stiff hotel
banquet chairs.
Actually, my only complaint (besides the TOM SAWYER score) from the
whole weekend was that Eddie Bracken's interview got cut short, before
he could get into working with Preston Sturges or anything substantial
about working at Paramount in the early 1940's (which, let's face it,
is his era of most importance to film history).
--
Brent Walker
bcw...@earthlink.net
Rodney Sauer
> ...ironic that the Pickford Foundation paid the way to
> bring them both to Cinecon.
It was extremely nice of them, and also enabled our other stops on tour. Is
it my imagination, or is Pickford the only silent movie star to leave a
foundation that is actively promoting and restoring the films of that star?
Much of this is thanks to Elaina Archer's enthusiastic activism, but also of
course to Mary and her mother's incomparable business sense, and perhaps the
lack of descendents who had other uses for that money...
pre...@my-deja.com
fthom...@aol.com (FThomp1065) wrote:
> I didn't get to attend all of the programs at Cinecon this year, but
what I saw
> was cherce. Of course, as I've often whined in this group, BEAU GESTE
has
> always been at the top of my wish list and -- even given the
borderline lousy
> print -- it was a sublime occasion for me, marred only by the
incessent chatter
> behind me of a certain renowned film historian who shall remain
nameless. (A
> different group of chowderheads talked at full voice virtually
throughout THE
> DEVIL, too, ignoring all shushing. Come on -- this kind of behavior at
Cinecon?
> there oughta be a law.)
Isn't there? Seriously, should this ever happen again, you should notify
a member of the Egyptian staff (or even a Cinecon officer). Anyone who
would continue to talk loudly after being shushed forfeits their right
to remain in the theatre and should be ejected. Period.
> But I think the film that meant the most to me over the weekend was
THE MILLS
> OF THE GODS. Just a Columbia programmer, I guess, but I really loved
it. Still
> think about some of the scenes from time to time. Thanks a million to
the great
> Mike S. for bringing this gem, and the others, to Cinecon.
>
Thank you; I knew it would be a blockbuster when I screened it last
year. And I believe Mr. Birchard owes me an apology for mocking me in
the program note! :-)
> The only disappointment came during the private, invitation-only
screening of
> CONVENTION CITY. I thought reel two looked awfully light.
Seemed okay to me, but that replaced end title was definitely annoying.
Mike S.
"I'm no murderer! YOU are!! Your hands are filled with blood!!!"--Dwight
Frye, commenting on George W. Bush as he's dragged off to the electric
chair for a murder he didn't commit in ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENSE
Dr. Giraud
>
> Mike S.
>
> "I'm no murderer! YOU are!! Your hands are filled with blood!!!"--Dwight
> Frye, commenting on George W. Bush as he's dragged off to the electric
> chair for a murder he didn't commit in ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENSE
>
>
"Everytime he opens his mouth he subtracts from the sum total of human
knowledge". - Warren William, as a political guru, commenting on George
W. Bush in THE DARK HORSE
-Shawn Stone
Steven Thornton
> The only disappointment came during the private, invitation-only screening of
> CONVENTION CITY. I thought reel two looked awfully light.
>
I had heard that outtakes from this missing talkie had turned up within the past
year. Can anyone comment on what exactly has survived?
oks...@my-deja.com
> It was the Maria Newman quartet's design to create attention for
> themselves over the film from the get-go, beginning with the group's
> placement directly below the screen so that the light from their music
> stands obliterated the lower-third of the image, to the"music", which
> had nothing whatsoever to do with TOM SAWYER, the Old South, Mark
Twain,
> or melody. Pretentious, atonal, unharmonic, painful wanking, which
> didn't change mood with the picture(thats not to say it ever came
close
> to the same universe as the film. Perhaps if we had been running a
> silent slasher flick, it might have come more into the right
> neighborhood).
I thought the music would have worked considerably better had it been
used to undescore a French avant-garde film like Ballet mecanique, or
alternately Strike, or Potemkin where its atonal quality would be
compatible with the flow of the images and ideas. I certainly agree that
the Quartet failed with all the Pickfords on many levels but I'm really
intrigued by Hugh Munro Neely's notion of multi-media performance and
would be interested in seeing a successful performance where an
orchestra and a film have equal status and where the music lights
obliterating the screen are actually part of the visuals. All of this
has obviously nothing to do with the tradition of silent film exhibition
that we are all know and love.
Oksana
pre...@my-deja.com
Dr. Giraud <s_w_...@my-deja.com> wrote:
>
>
> >
> > Mike S.
> >
> > "I'm no murderer! YOU are!! Your hands are filled with
blood!!!"--Dwight
> > Frye, commenting on George W. Bush as he's dragged off to the
electric
> > chair for a murder he didn't commit in ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENSE
> >
> >
> "Everytime he opens his mouth he subtracts from the sum total of human
> knowledge". - Warren William, as a political guru, commenting on
George
> W. Bush in THE DARK HORSE
>
> -Shawn Stone
>
Arrgghh!!! You beat me to that one!
Mike S.
Roxor2
blood!!!"--Dwight
> > Frye, commenting on George W. Bush as he's dragged off to the
electric
> > chair for a murder he didn't commit in ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENSE
You just can't resist, can you? And you wonder why I don't want to participate
in this group. You and Roberts are two of a kind. I hope you'll be very happy
together.
Robert Birchard
> > But I think the film that meant the most to me over the weekend was
> THE MILLS
> > OF THE GODS. Just a Columbia programmer, I guess, but I really loved
> it. Still
> > think about some of the scenes from time to time. Thanks a million to
> the great
> > Mike S. for bringing this gem, and the others, to Cinecon.
> >
>
> Thank you; I knew it would be a blockbuster when I screened it last
> year. And I believe Mr. Birchard owes me an apology for mocking me in
> the program note! :-)
To borrow a line from one of the Cinecon films: "You're sorry." ;-}
Richard M Roberts
Whoa, hey, wait a minute Ed, whattye' draggin me into this for, I've
been very well behaved politically lately, haven't called Chuck Heston a
Nazi in months. I mean, I know free speech annoys the hell out of
conservatives, but why don't you just do what we do to people like
Shelps, ignore him. After all, this is an election year. And besides,
Mike's not my type. I'm already living with the reincarnation of Una
O'Connor, who needs the reincarnation of Max Davidson?
RICHARD M ROBERTS
rock...@my-deja.com
the "Unidentified Film Seminar"... perhaps the single finest programs
ever put on by Cinecon or any other film organization. Not only are
the films themselves interesting but the hosts!!! ... well, how much
better does it get than Sam Gill and Rob Stone. Shame on Cinecon for by-
passing this great experience in 2000. The return to Hollywood was
great, the Egyptian wonderful... but at what cost? Bring back
the "Unidentified Film Seminar", please I beg of you.
Rob Stone
P.S. For those of you that sit stonefaced through dramas and comedies
alike and have little sense... much less sense of humor let me make one
thing clear: THE ABOVE POST WAS A JOKE, just a little tongue-in-cheek
humor to pass the day.
WWW
And besides,
> Mike's not my type. I'm already living with the reincarnation of Una
> O'Connor, who needs the reincarnation of Max Davidson?
Smacks Frankenstein's creation over head with rolling pin.
WWW
--
You'd be disagreeable too if some kid
dropped a Kansas farmhouse on your sister.
'Generally Buster' http://www.geocities.com/~oldbrit/busterindex.htm
Robert Birchard
Be careful what you wish for, Stone, you might just get your way!!!!! ;-}
P.S. For those of you that sit stonefaced through dramas and comedies
alike and have little sense... much less sense of humor let me make one
thing clear: THE ABOVE RESPONSE WAS IN DEADLY EARNEST,
and not just a little tongue-in-cheek humor to pass the day. ;-}
ChaneyFan
the "Unidentified Film Seminar"... perhaps the single finest programs
ever put on by Cinecon or any other film organization. Not only are
the films themselves interesting but the hosts!!! ..
I have to agree with Rob Stone commenting on the absence of Rob Stone. The
"Unidentified Film" series is a lot of fun. I just assumed that with a single
screening room and the larger theater putting on that particular show (which
relies on the audience calling out film titles or actors) was problematic this
year. But I too would like to see it return next year if logistics could be
worked out.
George Shelps
Richard Roberts wrote:
>Whoa, hey, wait a minute Ed, whattye'
>draggin me into this for, I've been very
>well behaved politically lately, haven't
>called Chuck Heston a Nazi in months. I
>mean, I know free speech annoys the
>hell out of conservatives, but why don't
>you just do what we do to people like
>Shelps, ignore him.
Sounds very Gulag, Richie.
But it's a fact that I never initiate political
debates here.
For example, Moran is now loading up his sig line with gratuitous barbs
about Bush and Schlesinger is delivering his usual leftish hoo-hah.
But if the evil Shelps responds to any of this, why, he's being
"political!"
---------------------------------
"You take Abyssinia and I'll take a hot butterscotch sundae on rye
bread."
----Capt. Jeffrey T. Spaulding
Tired of the Web? Try this link: http://home.att.net/~cecw/lastpage.htm
Early Film
>
>> Film vaults open and yield BEAU GESTE!!!!
>
> only had an old diacetate safety print that was shrunken and smelling
> of vinegar and that it was no longer being circulated. Then we went
> to LoC and were told that they only have 35mm nitrate and had done
> nothing with it because MoMA had preserved the picture!!!!! They
> were surprised to learn that apparently MoMA only had a single
>safety print and no preservation elements.
>the archives to compare notes and discover films that need additional
>work or that have fallen through the cracks. "Beau Geste" will be
>revisited by the archives in the near future.
Bob is correct, however there are a few problems:
The Library of Congress nitrate seems mostly complete with one exception. It
does seem to have been struck directly from the camera original! It has no
nitrate deterioration! The rolls have not actually been measured, but they
look about the correct length.
The nitrate stock used to make the print was manufactured in the first 6 months
of 1939, so we know that this print was manufactured after the cameral original
negative had picked up some wear.
The one completeness exception is that the Technicolor insert is missing. It
is not known if that footage is reproduced from 2nd camera B&W photography, or
is simply missing. In fact, most sources do not even list this title as
having a color insert.
Now for the big problem:
Nothing is known about this print, other than it was Paramount's nitrate
reference print. The full aperture silent camera original was printed on a
SOUND printer at Movietone aperture. This printing error cropped the left
edge. Then a black sound area was printed onto the normal sound area. The
entire left side of the picture is missing! The cropping is so severe that it
actually cuts parts of some titles off.
The reason why this was done is lost in time. My guess is that it was done so
the picture information would not make noise if it were run on a sound
projector.
The ball is in MoMA's court if any restoration is going to be done on this
title!
Earl.
FThomp1065
>The one completeness exception is that the Technicolor insert is missing.
>It is not known if that footage is reproduced from 2nd camera B&W photography,
or is simply missing. In fact, most sources do not even list this title as
having a color insert.
We were just discussing this at the ams lunch at Cinecon. Although the AFI
catalog and a couple of other sources claim that there was a Technicolor
sequence, I've found nothing else to substantiate this. I've checked original
ads and reviews,and gone through the material in the Paramount Collection at
the Herrick Library, and the color sequence is never mentioned. Is anyone
absolutely *sure* that there was one? If so, which scene was it? I guess it's
only logical that it was one of the England/childhood scenes, but it's
anybody's guess.
At any rate, whatever it takes to make sure this film is protected, I'm all
for. Just tell me who to send my money to, assuming that thirty bucks will save
the thing.
And speaking of BEAU GESTE, the 1939 version seems to exist only in its cut,
re-issue version. Does anybody know of a full-length print in any archive?
Certainly it has only been released non-theatrically and on video in the short
version. While we're saving BEAU GESTES, let's save both of them.
In fact, I can see the DVD now -- restored versions of *both* BEAU GESTES with
the trailer from BEAU SABREUR, and mercifully no mention of BEAU IDEAL.
Frank Thompson
David Pierce
The earliest reference I have found for a Technicolor sequence in
the silent "Beau Geste" was James Limbacher's "Four Aspects of
the Film" published around 1960. His list of Technicolor titles was
repeated in virtually every book on the subject that followed.
I am in the middle of a study of color processes in the silent era,
and "Beau Geste" does not appear in the Technicolor corporate
records of films _released_ with color sequences. It is possible
that a scene was contemplated and not filmed, or filmed and not used.
As for the possible color scene, I expect it was used for the
scenes with the jewel.
EarlyFilm doesn't mention the obvious point that the Library of
Congress print was manufactured for reference purposes during
production of the remake. Numerous surviving silent films
survive solely from prints made by studios at the time of remakes,
or anticipated remakes. Some titles I recall include The Enchanted
Cottage, and North of 36. Many, if not all, of these were also printed
sound aperture.
David Pierce
The Silent Film Bookshelf
http://www.cinemaweb.com/silentfilm/bookshelf
EarlyFilm wrote:
>The one completeness exception is that the Technicolor insert is missing.
>It is not known if that footage is reproduced from 2nd camera B&W photography,
or is simply missing. In fact, most sources do not even list this title as
having a color insert.
Early Film
>
>The earliest reference I have found for a Technicolor sequence in
>the silent "Beau Geste" was James Limbacher's "Four Aspects of
>the Film" published around 1960. His list of Technicolor titles was
>repeated in virtually every book on the subject that followed.
>
>I am in the middle of a study of color processes in the silent era,
>and "Beau Geste" does not appear in the Technicolor corporate
>records of films _released_ with color sequences. It is possible
>that a scene was contemplated and not filmed, or filmed and not used.
David,
You are probably correct. I did not have a warm and fuzzy feeling writing that
this film had a Technicolor sequence. However before writting I checked:
AFI: Feature Film Catalogue
Glorious Technicolor, Fred Basten, 1980, page 169
Glorious Technicolor, Fred Basten & Technicolor, 1994, page 168
Since the latter was published by/for Technicolor, I did not question it.
David continued:
>EarlyFilm doesn't mention the obvious point that the Library of
>Congress print was manufactured for reference purposes during
>production of the remake. Numerous surviving silent films
>survive solely from prints made by studios at the time of remakes,
>or anticipated remakes. Some titles I recall include The Enchanted
>Cottage, and North of 36. Many, if not all, of these were also printed
>sound aperture.
On the sole surviving nitrate print of THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE, there is the
sound track of another film, a obvious printing "oops!"
and Frank Thompson wrote:
>
>> We were just discussing this at the ams lunch at Cinecon.
Doh! I must have sat at the wrong table, but I would not have swapped tables
for the world, as I learned a whole lot about silent film music.
Earl.
Stephen Cooke
On 10 Sep 2000, FThomp1065 wrote:
> And speaking of BEAU GESTE, the 1939 version seems to exist only in its cut,
> re-issue version. Does anybody know of a full-length print in any archive?
> Certainly it has only been released non-theatrically and on video in the short
> version. While we're saving BEAU GESTES, let's save both of them.
>
> In fact, I can see the DVD now -- restored versions of *both* BEAU GESTES with
> the trailer from BEAU SABREUR, and mercifully no mention of BEAU IDEAL.
And let us not forget the fabulous '60s version with Doug McClure and
Telly Savalas! :)
Although the Marty Feldman version wouldn't be so bad...
Stephen
Rodney Sauer
the Library of Congress. It surprised me greatly when Bob Birchard told me they
only had the nitrate original, and I assumed that I had been mistaken about the
source. I talked today with the fellow who arranged the Denver show, and he said
"yes, we got it from the Library of Congress. What a beautiful Mylar print!" I
heard from another source that L.O.C. does, in fact, have a projectable 35 mm,
that was shown in Pordenone a few years ago. I do not claim to know any better
than the experts, but they don't seem to agree with each other. But I suggest that
before an emergency film restoration is done, the shelves at L.O.C. should be
checked carefully to see if this film was just misfiled.
FThomp1065 wrote:
> In fact, I can see the DVD now -- restored versions of *both* BEAU GESTES with
> the trailer from BEAU SABREUR, and mercifully no mention of BEAU IDEAL.
Heck, let's throw on the LAST REMAKE while we're at it. Don't DVDs hold seven
hours? (Since Beau Geste is a Paramount, it will probably be a long while before
we see it released in any form...)
William Hooper
>Telly Savalas! :)
>Although the Marty Feldman version wouldn't be so bad...
I fragmentedly remember "The Last Remake of Beau Geste"! Actually, the only
part I really remember from it is its gag with a silents reference:
Heavy James Earl Jones (w/Terry-Thomas incisors) is recruited (by
Valentino?)
into a new career starring in silent movies...."but you must learn to speak
in
subtitles". A neat bit, and a warm & fuzzy off into the sunset.
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Stephen Cooke
On Mon, 11 Sep 2000, William Hooper wrote:
> >And let us not forget the fabulous '60s version with Doug McClure and
> >Telly Savalas! :)
> >Although the Marty Feldman version wouldn't be so bad...
>
> I fragmentedly remember "The Last Remake of Beau Geste"! Actually, the only
> part I really remember from it is its gag with a silents reference:
> Heavy James Earl Jones (w/Terry-Thomas incisors) is recruited (by
> Valentino?)
> into a new career starring in silent movies...."but you must learn to speak
> in subtitles". A neat bit, and a warm & fuzzy off into the sunset.
I haven't seen it in years, but I remember a typical spinning headline
shot, then the camera pulls back to show butler Spike Milligan running in
circles around the spinning newspaper trying to read it.
Anyone know when the "spinning headline" was first used in a movie? Any
silent examples? Just curious...
Stephen
Brent Walker
Not to open a can of worms (or a can of nitrate), but isn't the
Egyptian projection booth nitrate-rated, and only a stone's throw from
the UCLA Archives?
(Spoken by a yokel with a naive disregard for any political, legal or
insurance ramifications of the above comment.)
--
Brent Walker
bcw...@earthlink.net
pre...@my-deja.com
Oh, Ed, lighten up. They're just jokes. Here's one to balance it out:
Hillary Clinton is still having problems in New York. The other day, a
cab drove right by her and picked up Danny Glover.
pre...@my-deja.com
pre...@my-deja.com
> the "Unidentified Film Seminar"... perhaps the single finest programs
> ever put on by Cinecon or any other film organization. Not only are
> the films themselves interesting but the hosts!!! ..
>
> I have to agree with Rob Stone commenting on the absence of Rob Stone.
The
> "Unidentified Film" series is a lot of fun. I just assumed that with
a single
> screening room and the larger theater putting on that particular show
(which
> relies on the audience calling out film titles or actors) was
problematic this
> year. But I too would like to see it return next year if logistics
could be
> worked out.
You are correct, sir. But given that next year Cinecon will have access
to all of the Stinking Deathtrap's meeting rooms, including the Blossom,
Mr. Stone may just get his wish! (And ours, too.)
Mike S.
"I have nothing left to live for...all is blackness."--Ned Sparks in
SERVANTS' ENTRANCE
pre...@my-deja.com
rod...@rddconsultants.com wrote:
>
> > In fact, I can see the DVD now -- restored versions of *both* BEAU
GESTES with
> > the trailer from BEAU SABREUR, and mercifully no mention of BEAU
IDEAL.
>
> Heck, let's throw on the LAST REMAKE while we're at it. Don't DVDs
hold seven
> hours? (Since Beau Geste is a Paramount, it will probably be a long
while before
> we see it released in any form...)
Actually, they'd have to be separate releases, since the '26 is owned by
Paramount and all the subsequent ones by Universal. What would be more
in the realm of possibility is to get TCM involved, and maybe they might
air them back-to-back some day in the future.
By the way, Rodney, I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk more at
Cinecon, but at least allow me to add my huzzah to those already offered
up here on both of the fabulous scores you arranged and performed. Hope
you make your way back to Smogville again soon.
Mike S.
"Before I became a drug addict, I had lots of problems. Now I only have
one."--Adrian Grenier in CECIL B. DEMENTED
DourisOh
>one."--Adrian Grenier in CECIL B. DEMENTED
>
"Drugs have given my life focus."
Early Film
>When we showed BEAU GESTE in Denver two years ago, we
>got a 35 mm print of it from the Library of Congress. It surprised
>me greatly when Bob Birchard told me they only had the nitrate
>original, and I assumed that I had been mistaken about
>the source.
(snip)
> I do not claim to know any better than the experts, but they
>don't seem to agree with each other. But I suggest
>that before an emergency film restoration is done, the shelves at
>L.O.C. should be checked carefully to see if this film was just
>misfiled.
Rodney (and others) are correct in that in addition to the cropped nitrate,
LoC does have a 31 year old safety print of BEAU GESTE. In the rush prior to
Cinecon, this print was simply missed. This title has 35mm elements, each
with problems, in at least three US archives and would make a good candidate
for a future joint restoration.
Earl.
Robert Birchard
> Not to open a can of worms (or a can of nitrate), but isn't the
> Egyptian projection booth nitrate-rated, and only a stone's throw from
> the UCLA Archives?
>
> (Spoken by a yokel with a naive disregard for any political, legal or
> insurance ramifications of the above comment.)
The answer is "yes" and "not really." The Egyptian can show nitrate, but it
requires removing the Dolby equipment, re-installing the snuff rollers and some
other modifications to the projectors. It might be worth doing if we had a whole
day of nitrate--but not for only one or two pictures. We'd need two projectionists
in the booth as well.
Richard M Roberts
>
> Inquiring minds want to know. . . how went the Saturday asm lunch at Hamburger
> Hamlet? I wish I could have been there, but I was busy being delayed by screwed up
> flights at Burbank, and then being rerouted to places I had no wish to visit. Who
> showed, and were pictures taken?
>
> Frederica
The asm lunch went off without a hitch, Jon put in an advance
reservation and about twenty-five attended. no foodfights ensued, and
everyone took up about five tables in the back room at the Hamlet. I
think Mike Schlesinger took pictures, Hey Mike, how about posting a few?
RICHARD M ROBERTS
Jim Harwood
>The Egyptian can show nitrate, but it
>requires removing the Dolby equipment, re-installing the snuff rollers and
>some
>other modifications to the projectors. It might be worth doing if we had a
>whole
>day of nitrate--but not for only one or two pictures. We'd need two
>projectionists
>in the booth as well.
>
So will it be Saturday or Sunday next year when we have a whole day of nitrate
at the Cinecon?
Just asking. :)
Jim Harwood
"Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else."
Frederica Merrivale
Richard M Roberts wrote:
> The asm lunch went off without a hitch, Jon put in an advance
> reservation and about twenty-five attended. no foodfights ensued, and
> everyone took up about five tables in the back room at the Hamlet. I
> think Mike Schlesinger took pictures, Hey Mike, how about posting a few?
>
> RICHARD M ROBERTS
I'm disappointed by the no food fight thing--somehow I feel a bunch of silent film fans
should be able to manage an impromptu pie toss--but I'm awaiting the pictures.
Frederica
Brent Walker
No pie toss, but a few of us did sneak into the kitchen afterward for a
few impromptu Arbuckle kitchen gags.
Frederica Merrivale
James Roots
> reservation and about twenty-five attended. no foodfights ensued, and
> everyone took up about five tables in the back room at the Hamlet.
On the evidence, then, I conclude Tom Moran and George Shelps
did not attend. Or one did and the other didn't.
Jim
ChaneyFan
Hamburger Hamlet? I wish I could have been there, but I was busy being delayed
by screwed up flights at Burbank, and then being rerouted to places I had no
wish to visit. Who showed, and were pictures taken?
We were spread out over too many tables to really have a get-together. I
didn't know (or meet) everyone there, but of the 25 or so people, I can confirm
that the following put in an appearance:
Rob McKay
Tim Dunleavy
Leslie Evans
Michael Schlesinger
Jeremy Shepherd
Frank Thompson
Terri Riegler
David & Lianne Lynne
Bob Birchard
Jim Cozart
Oksana Dykyj
Rodney Saueur
Chris Jacobs
Richard Roberts
Tom Murray
Kathy O'Connell
Chris Snowden
Stan Taffel
Jon Mirsalis
Rodney Sauer
being a lurker at the luncheon, as Cozart, Murry and I rarely let her get a word
in edgewise).
ChaneyFan wrote:
> We were spread out over too many tables to really have a get-together. I
> didn't know (or meet) everyone there, but of the 25 or so people, I can confirm
> that the following put in an appearance:
>
> Rob McKay
> Tim Dunleavy
> Leslie Evans
> Michael Schlesinger
> Jeremy Shepherd
> Frank Thompson
> Terri Riegler
> David & Lianne Lynne
> Bob Birchard
> Jim Cozart
> Oksana Dykyj
> Rodney Sauer
Robert Birchard
> We were spread out over too many tables to really have a get-together. I
> didn't know (or meet) everyone there, but of the 25 or so people, I can confirm
> that the following put in an appearance:
If we do this next year we should do it at Theodore's in the Roosevelt--We'll
have a quiet (no one eats there at lunch) and leisurely (remember the service?)
chance to pull tables together and chat away.
pre...@my-deja.com
repro...@earthlink.net wrote:
> reservation and about twenty-five attended. no foodfights ensued, and
> think Mike Schlesinger took pictures, Hey Mike, how about posting a
few?
>
> RICHARD M ROBERTS
>
I think I may have only taken one or two there, as the seating
arrangements weren't really conducive. I haven't gotten my photos back
yet (I was waiting for Sav-On to do their occasional "2nd set free"
coupons, which they finally did this week), but even so, right now I
have no ability to scan photos into jpgs, but I'll ask around.
Mike S.
Speaking of things of even less interest, last Saturday I participated
in my first on-line chat (about GODZILLA 2000, natch). If anybody really
wants to read the transcript, you can find it here:
http://fandom.com/Godzilla/editorial.asp?action=page&obj_id=230716
pre...@my-deja.com
jharw...@aol.com (Jim Harwood) wrote:
> Robert Birchard wrote:
>
> >The Egyptian can show nitrate, but it
> >requires removing the Dolby equipment, re-installing the snuff
rollers and
> >some
> >other modifications to the projectors. It might be worth doing if we
had a
> >whole
> >day of nitrate--but not for only one or two pictures. We'd need two
> >projectionists
> >in the booth as well.
> >
>
nitrate
> at the Cinecon?
>
Monday. :-D
Mike S.
pre...@my-deja.com
> > reservation and about twenty-five attended. no foodfights ensued,
and
> > everyone took up about five tables in the back room at the Hamlet. I
> > think Mike Schlesinger took pictures, Hey Mike, how about posting a
few?
> >
> > RICHARD M ROBERTS
>
silent film fans
> should be able to manage an impromptu pie toss--but I'm awaiting the
pictures.
>
> Frederica
>
And by the by, weren't you supposed to come by Thursday and Friday? Did
you come by and say hi to anybody? Or were you too busy vamping the kid
at the concession stand for free Raisinets?
Mike S.
Brent Walker
Brent Walker
Rob Ray
David Hayes
David Kiehn (though not on a.m.s.)
Rob Stone
Dennis Campa
John Aldrich
(My meals at the Hamlet that weekend are blurring together hazily, but
I think all or most of the above were there)
--
Brent Walker
bcw...@earthlink.net
In article <39C0FA6F...@rddconsultants.com>,
rod...@rddconsultants.com wrote:
> ...and add Susan Hall, Mont Alto's violinist, who is a lurker here
(and ended up
> being a lurker at the luncheon, as Cozart, Murry and I rarely let her
get a word
> in edgewise).
>
> ChaneyFan wrote:
>
> > We were spread out over too many tables to really have a get-
together. I
> > didn't know (or meet) everyone there, but of the 25 or so people, I
can confirm
> > that the following put in an appearance:
> >
> > Rob McKay
> > Tim Dunleavy
> > Leslie Evans
> > Michael Schlesinger
> > Jeremy Shepherd
> > Frank Thompson
> > Terri Riegler
> > David & Lianne Lynne
> > Bob Birchard
> > Jim Cozart
> > Oksana Dykyj
> > Rodney Sauer
> > Chris Jacobs
> > Richard Roberts
> > Tom Murray
> > Kathy O'Connell
> > Chris Snowden
> > Stan Taffel
> > Jon Mirsalis
> > ===============================
> > Jon Mirsalis
> > e-mail: Chan...@aol.com
> > Lon Chaney Home Page: http://members.aol.com/ChaneyFan
> > Jon's Film Sites: http://members.aol.com/ChaneyFan/jonfilm.htm
>
>
Richard M Roberts
>
> ChaneyFan wrote:
>
> > didn't know (or meet) everyone there, but of the 25 or so people, I can confirm
> > that the following put in an appearance:
>
> have a quiet (no one eats there at lunch) and leisurely (remember the service?)
> chance to pull tables together and chat away.
>
> --
> Bob Birchard
We'd have to get a bank loan to be able to afford to eat there.
RICHARD M ROBERTS
Jeremy Bond Shepherd
pre...@my-deja.com wrote:
> "I have nothing left to live for...all is blackness."--Ned Sparks in
> SERVANTS' ENTRANCE
I suppose this is a good a time as any (since I just don't have the
energy to write a festival review... ) to cite MY favorite quotes from
SERVANTS' ENTRANCE:
"Every day, at least once, I must be funny." (spoken by the cartoonist
but it could have been Mike S.)
"If I don't get an idea in five minutes, I'll drown."
Then there was THE FROG:
"When a man of seventy sets out to make up for lost time, take cover."
"'And the rest is silence', George Bernard Shaw"
And MILLS OF THE GODS:
"Isn't that a charming touch... flowers in a catsup bottle?"
-Jeremy
pre...@my-deja.com
bbir...@earthlink.net wrote:
> ChaneyFan wrote:
>
> > We were spread out over too many tables to really have a
get-together. I
> > didn't know (or meet) everyone there, but of the 25 or so people, I
can confirm
> > that the following put in an appearance:
>
> If we do this next year we should do it at Theodore's in the
Roosevelt--We'll
> have a quiet (no one eats there at lunch) and leisurely (remember the
service?)
> chance to pull tables together and chat away.
>
No one eats there at lunch because they never get served! ;-)
Mike S.
ChaneyFan
SERVANTS' ENTRANCE
>>>"Every day, at least once, I must be funny." (spoken by the cartoonist
but it could have been Mike S.)
I had completely forgotten Ned Sparks when I wrote my review on this, but I
don't think I have ever seen Ned Sparks as funny as he was in SERVANT'S
ENTRANCE.
Stephen Cooke
On 15 Sep 2000, ChaneyFan wrote:
> >>> "I have nothing left to live for...all is blackness."--Ned Sparks in
> SERVANTS' ENTRANCE
>
> >>>"Every day, at least once, I must be funny." (spoken by the cartoonist
> but it could have been Mike S.)
>
> I had completely forgotten Ned Sparks when I wrote my review on this, but I
> don't think I have ever seen Ned Sparks as funny as he was in SERVANT'S
> ENTRANCE.
I think it's quite clear that Ned Sparks is the anti-Snitz.
Stephen
pre...@my-deja.com
chan...@aol.com (ChaneyFan) wrote:
> >>> "I have nothing left to live for...all is blackness."--Ned Sparks
in
> SERVANTS' ENTRANCE
>
> >>>"Every day, at least once, I must be funny." (spoken by the
cartoonist
> but it could have been Mike S.)
>
> I had completely forgotten Ned Sparks when I wrote my review on this,
but I
> don't think I have ever seen Ned Sparks as funny as he was in
SERVANT'S
> ENTRANCE.
Toss-up between this and A PRIVATE SCANDAL, IMHO.
Mike S.
(who doesn't have to TRY to be funny; I'm just naturally zany)