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Haven't seen either.
Seen: 5/18
My List:
23. The Man Who Laughs (#23)
Seen: 5/18
My List:
23. The Man Who Laughs (#23)
Seen 8/18
The MoFo Top 50 Pre-1930 Countdown: The List
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Seen 8/18
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Two good ones that both made my list! I really liked Broken Blossoms, could be my favorite Griffith when all is said and done.
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Nothing but Griffith and Gish from my list so far. I liked Steamboat but didn't vote for it.
4. The Birth of a Nation (#38)
10. Way Down East (#43)
17. Broken Blossoms (#34)
4. The Birth of a Nation (#38)
10. Way Down East (#43)
17. Broken Blossoms (#34)
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Broken Blossoms was my number 9...I planned on watching more Buster Keaton who's a favorite of mine but just didn't get around to it.
Broken Blossoms
Surprisingly effective!...This one is heady with tragic despair, with just a glimmer of hope illuminating the decaying urban streets where our frail waif dwells.
Our forlorn heroine is Lucy (Lillian Gish) a young girl born of a prostitute mother. The only person in her life is her father (Donald Crisp) a brutish boxing champ full of rage. He likes nothing more than brutally beating his daughter with a horse whip. He's one of the most vilest bad guys I've seen on film. He gave me the creeps...and my heart went out to poor little Lucy. Lucy's one chance in life is the 'yellow man', a Chinese immigrant (Richard Barthelmess) who falls for this frail flower, even though his love is forbidden and has nary a chance to blossom.
The film is told as a fable and does so very effectively. It's interesting that there's a secondary theme of religion about trying to convert 'heathens' in foreign lands. There's also a unique for it's time, positive view on Buddhism. We also see scenes of Chinese culture. The lead is played by a white actor, but this was a cutting edge film in it's day as it showed interracial love on the big screen.
The movie ends as strong as it starts and stays true to it's fabled style of story telling.
Our forlorn heroine is Lucy (Lillian Gish) a young girl born of a prostitute mother. The only person in her life is her father (Donald Crisp) a brutish boxing champ full of rage. He likes nothing more than brutally beating his daughter with a horse whip. He's one of the most vilest bad guys I've seen on film. He gave me the creeps...and my heart went out to poor little Lucy. Lucy's one chance in life is the 'yellow man', a Chinese immigrant (Richard Barthelmess) who falls for this frail flower, even though his love is forbidden and has nary a chance to blossom.
The film is told as a fable and does so very effectively. It's interesting that there's a secondary theme of religion about trying to convert 'heathens' in foreign lands. There's also a unique for it's time, positive view on Buddhism. We also see scenes of Chinese culture. The lead is played by a white actor, but this was a cutting edge film in it's day as it showed interracial love on the big screen.
The movie ends as strong as it starts and stays true to it's fabled style of story telling.
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I do love me some Buster Keaton, but despite some people praising it, this just didn't click with me... I loved Sherlock, Jr but Steamboat Bill, Jr wasn't quite what I wanted from a Keaton flick...
However, because of some key scenes that did work for me and the fact that my pre-1930 game is weak AF, I did have it on my list at #15. For anyone wondering, that is also my last place as I sent in a partial of 15 films.
However, because of some key scenes that did work for me and the fact that my pre-1930 game is weak AF, I did have it on my list at #15. For anyone wondering, that is also my last place as I sent in a partial of 15 films.
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missed out on both of these.
MY LIST: Seen 7 out of 18 (38.89%)
8) The Hunchback of Nortre Dame (#41)
14) A Dog's Life (#39)
16) The Man Who Laughs (#48)
22) Underworld (#47)
25) The Iron Mask (One Pointer)
MY LIST: Seen 7 out of 18 (38.89%)
8) The Hunchback of Nortre Dame (#41)
14) A Dog's Life (#39)
16) The Man Who Laughs (#48)
22) Underworld (#47)
25) The Iron Mask (One Pointer)
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Steamboat Bill Jr. may be my 2nd favorite Keaton feature, though that list fluctuates every so often.
I watched A Dog’s Life a few months back. Expectedly charming, but out of high-profile Chaplin movies, I much prefer the post-1930 stuff with quasi-silent bits.
So far, haven’t seen The Wind and Blackmail, but the former looks appealing.
I watched A Dog’s Life a few months back. Expectedly charming, but out of high-profile Chaplin movies, I much prefer the post-1930 stuff with quasi-silent bits.
So far, haven’t seen The Wind and Blackmail, but the former looks appealing.
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Broken Blossoms is another Griffith I want to see. Interesting to see him doing so well as didn't know how well he was liked on here.
I had Steamboat Bill, Jr. as my number two. Magnificent film, my favourite from Buster Keaton. So many amazing stunts, probably the best I have ever seen. The story is very endearing, and has plenty of laugh out loud moments. An absolute triumph in filmmaking and a superb testament to Keaton's many talents as a filmmaker.
I had Steamboat Bill, Jr. as my number two. Magnificent film, my favourite from Buster Keaton. So many amazing stunts, probably the best I have ever seen. The story is very endearing, and has plenty of laugh out loud moments. An absolute triumph in filmmaking and a superb testament to Keaton's many talents as a filmmaker.
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Enjoyed both 7th Heaven and Diary Of A Lost Girl but neither were really in contention for a spot on my list. On balance I think I prefer the 1937 remake of the former and the latter sadly just didn't quite have the impact with me that I hoped it might but it did introduce to me the lovely Edith Meinhard for which I thank it.
Seen: 19/20
My list:
20. Broken Blossoms (D.W. Griffith, 1919) [#34]
25. Helen Of Four Gates (Cecil M. Hepworth, 1920) [1-ptr]
Seen: 19/20
My list:
20. Broken Blossoms (D.W. Griffith, 1919) [#34]
25. Helen Of Four Gates (Cecil M. Hepworth, 1920) [1-ptr]
Last edited by Chypmunk; 10-22-19 at 04:29 AM.
Reason: Either some antics or semantics - one of 'em
7th Heaven is my #10. Unfortunately Diary was cut near the very end of my composing the list.
. 7th Heaven (Frank Borzage, 1927)
One of the greatest silent films ever, made at Fox Studios at the same time that Janet Gaynor made Sunrise there with F.W. Murnau. This is the perfect example of a film which utilizes the most-shameful melodrama to make superb entertainment. There is just something about the characters and Borzage's realistic, yet "angelic" direction (first Best Director in Oscar history) which makes this film seem far superior to any others which go out of their way to seem like 19th-century Simon Legree laugh-a-thons. Maybe I'm wrong, but Murnau and Borzage (often considered the most-romantic Hollywood director of the first decade of talkies) seemed to push each other to streamline silent storytelling and to especially create awesome sets for their films to live and breathe in. Gaynor's soul shines through the entire film in one of the greatest female performances of the '20s. Another thing to consider is that even before The Jazz Singer was released that this film played in theatres with a "filmed" musical score, some synchronized sound effects and a song at the end. Let me put it this way: even if you think this film is unbelievably hokey, you will be entertained and surprised, far beyond what you could ever imagine. Please report back to me because I've only scratched the surface of this flick. (I don't have the time... )
This DVD had the "restoration" of Borzage's The River which starred Charles Farrell from 7th Heaven and a sexy actress named Mary Duncan. It's full of sex, yet most of the rest of the plot was never filmed or lost. It looks like an enormous production though. I cannot give it a rating, but if you Netflix 7th Heaven, be sure to flip it over to see what's left of The River (1929).
One of the greatest silent films ever, made at Fox Studios at the same time that Janet Gaynor made Sunrise there with F.W. Murnau. This is the perfect example of a film which utilizes the most-shameful melodrama to make superb entertainment. There is just something about the characters and Borzage's realistic, yet "angelic" direction (first Best Director in Oscar history) which makes this film seem far superior to any others which go out of their way to seem like 19th-century Simon Legree laugh-a-thons. Maybe I'm wrong, but Murnau and Borzage (often considered the most-romantic Hollywood director of the first decade of talkies) seemed to push each other to streamline silent storytelling and to especially create awesome sets for their films to live and breathe in. Gaynor's soul shines through the entire film in one of the greatest female performances of the '20s. Another thing to consider is that even before The Jazz Singer was released that this film played in theatres with a "filmed" musical score, some synchronized sound effects and a song at the end. Let me put it this way: even if you think this film is unbelievably hokey, you will be entertained and surprised, far beyond what you could ever imagine. Please report back to me because I've only scratched the surface of this flick. (I don't have the time... )
This DVD had the "restoration" of Borzage's The River which starred Charles Farrell from 7th Heaven and a sexy actress named Mary Duncan. It's full of sex, yet most of the rest of the plot was never filmed or lost. It looks like an enormous production though. I cannot give it a rating, but if you Netflix 7th Heaven, be sure to flip it over to see what's left of The River (1929).
Diary of a Lost Girl (G.W. Pabst, 1929)
I find this far superior to Louise Brooks' more-famous film by Pabst, Pandora's Box. That didn't really have the guts to show all the sex and violence inherent in the story while this film is basically a sensory overload of such dimensions that it becomes one of the most erotic films ever made. Brooks' teenager Thymian is brought up in a home where her father throws out her governess when the latter becomes pregnant. Immediately, the father employs another, even-more-attractive governess, and Thymian falls victim to her father's partner, a pharmacist who rapes and impregnates her. When she refuses to marry the pharmacist, her baby is taken away and Thymian is sent to live in a reform school and after she escapes from there, she and her new friend find themselves working in a brothel. The sets, costumes and performances are all created to play up the exotic nature of unknown sex which later translates into a world of never-ending sensuality which seems to make it easier to survive in a world without any real love. Thymian doesn't really want to be a whore, but she's been abused so many times in her young life that it's almost comforting for awhile, at least until she learns better from a rich old man who seeks nothing but to treat her with fatherly affection. The resolution of the film makes it clear that despite it all, Thymian's heart is ultimately full of both wisdom and innocence, things not possessed by the socialites who try to help girls such as she. Louise Brooks is beautiful and heartbreaking in her presence and performance here.
I find this far superior to Louise Brooks' more-famous film by Pabst, Pandora's Box. That didn't really have the guts to show all the sex and violence inherent in the story while this film is basically a sensory overload of such dimensions that it becomes one of the most erotic films ever made. Brooks' teenager Thymian is brought up in a home where her father throws out her governess when the latter becomes pregnant. Immediately, the father employs another, even-more-attractive governess, and Thymian falls victim to her father's partner, a pharmacist who rapes and impregnates her. When she refuses to marry the pharmacist, her baby is taken away and Thymian is sent to live in a reform school and after she escapes from there, she and her new friend find themselves working in a brothel. The sets, costumes and performances are all created to play up the exotic nature of unknown sex which later translates into a world of never-ending sensuality which seems to make it easier to survive in a world without any real love. Thymian doesn't really want to be a whore, but she's been abused so many times in her young life that it's almost comforting for awhile, at least until she learns better from a rich old man who seeks nothing but to treat her with fatherly affection. The resolution of the film makes it clear that despite it all, Thymian's heart is ultimately full of both wisdom and innocence, things not possessed by the socialites who try to help girls such as she. Louise Brooks is beautiful and heartbreaking in her presence and performance here.
My List
1. Entr'acte
2. The Goat
10. 7th Heaven
15. The Last Command
19. The Circus
25. The Wind
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Two movies I got to see thanks to a couple of HoFs.
3. Diary of a Lost Girl (#31)
4. The Birth of a Nation (#38)
10. Way Down East (#43)
17. Broken Blossoms (#34)
22. 7th Heaven (#32)
3. Diary of a Lost Girl (#31)
4. The Birth of a Nation (#38)
10. Way Down East (#43)
17. Broken Blossoms (#34)
22. 7th Heaven (#32)
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So I missed Diary of a Lost Girl completely. It would have made the middle end of my list, but I never had it logged where I track my films . Sorry that I missed giving it a few extra points!
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7th Heaven was my #22. Another one I wasn't too keen on:
Seen: 6/20
My List:
22. 7th Heaven (#32)
23. The Man Who Laughs (#48)
7th Heaven
7th Heaven is fine I guess. It didn't really do much for me, and I couldn't help but get bored by the end. None of the actors were all that good, including the street worker, who was just wooden. The characters also weren't funny or interesting like in "It." The guy was pretentious and full of himself, bossy and sometimes rude. The woman was frustratingly simple, shy, and un-interesting. It made for a couple that I didn't care in the slightest about. That said, some of the war scenes were great, and overall there was a nice calm flow of the film's romance and events.
7th Heaven is fine I guess. It didn't really do much for me, and I couldn't help but get bored by the end. None of the actors were all that good, including the street worker, who was just wooden. The characters also weren't funny or interesting like in "It." The guy was pretentious and full of himself, bossy and sometimes rude. The woman was frustratingly simple, shy, and un-interesting. It made for a couple that I didn't care in the slightest about. That said, some of the war scenes were great, and overall there was a nice calm flow of the film's romance and events.
My List:
22. 7th Heaven (#32)
23. The Man Who Laughs (#48)
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I really enjoyed 7th Heaven (1927), it was my #7
I had Diary of a Lost Girl (1929) at #19
I'm glad to see some of the noms from the two Pre 30s Hofs made it into the countdown
I had Diary of a Lost Girl (1929) at #19
I'm glad to see some of the noms from the two Pre 30s Hofs made it into the countdown
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as usual, reading mark f's review of Diary of a Lost Girl has got me very intrigued by it. And 7th Heaven was my blind grab for the second 30's HoF. I had it at #6.
7th Heaven
Chico: Don't you want to marry me?
Diane: But you never said... you love me. Couldn't you say it - just once?
Chico: I can't say it! It's too silly. [walks around the room]
Chico: Well, this way then... Chico - Diane - Heaven!
Diane: Say it again! Say it again!
Like all of my noms for this HoF and its predecessor, this was a blind grab. I had been curious about it since watching the remake from the thirties with James Stewart and Simone Simon that I just adored:
That curiosity got the better of me after watching the stars of this film, Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell in the previous HoF in Lucky Stars. Even though I had ranked it low due to so many other amazing films, I just had to see the two of them in a story I had found completely enchanting with Stewart and Simon. While at the same time curious to see if it was going to be like when I watched Pépé le Moko having loved the remake (which I had no idea WAS a remake) Algiers, until coming across the original.
Well, it was just like that.
Almost exactly.
Where I was completely captivated by the actress in the remakes there was NO denying the actresses in the original.
Same with the leading men. Putting the other to shame and giving the character FAR more depth than the remake could. Which says a lot for Farrell out acting Stewart. But he did. Or rather, the character was definitely more personified by Farrell than Stewart - well, being Stewart. Whom I love when Stewart is Stewart in so many films, but Farrell WAS Chico. Pure and simple.
The cinematography was pretty close in comparison as well, but I do believe this version had a more realistic feel to the sets and definitely expanded on the time at war where the remake simply showed Stewart on a set, outside a barracks, while this had some pretty impressive battle scenes. Including an amusing bit involving French taxis commandeered to get soldiers to a battle.
Even though in the ending, as the light broke through and shined directly upon them was a little cornball, my heart still smiled watching it.
MY LIST: Seen 8 out of 20 (40%)
6) 7th Heaven (#32)
8) The Hunchback of Nortre Dame (#41)
14) A Dog's Life (#39)
16) The Man Who Laughs (#48)
22) Underworld (#47)
25) The Iron Mask (One Pointer)
7th Heaven
Chico: Don't you want to marry me?
Diane: But you never said... you love me. Couldn't you say it - just once?
Chico: I can't say it! It's too silly. [walks around the room]
Chico: Well, this way then... Chico - Diane - Heaven!
Diane: Say it again! Say it again!
Like all of my noms for this HoF and its predecessor, this was a blind grab. I had been curious about it since watching the remake from the thirties with James Stewart and Simone Simon that I just adored:
That curiosity got the better of me after watching the stars of this film, Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell in the previous HoF in Lucky Stars. Even though I had ranked it low due to so many other amazing films, I just had to see the two of them in a story I had found completely enchanting with Stewart and Simon. While at the same time curious to see if it was going to be like when I watched Pépé le Moko having loved the remake (which I had no idea WAS a remake) Algiers, until coming across the original.
Well, it was just like that.
Almost exactly.
Where I was completely captivated by the actress in the remakes there was NO denying the actresses in the original.
Same with the leading men. Putting the other to shame and giving the character FAR more depth than the remake could. Which says a lot for Farrell out acting Stewart. But he did. Or rather, the character was definitely more personified by Farrell than Stewart - well, being Stewart. Whom I love when Stewart is Stewart in so many films, but Farrell WAS Chico. Pure and simple.
The cinematography was pretty close in comparison as well, but I do believe this version had a more realistic feel to the sets and definitely expanded on the time at war where the remake simply showed Stewart on a set, outside a barracks, while this had some pretty impressive battle scenes. Including an amusing bit involving French taxis commandeered to get soldiers to a battle.
Even though in the ending, as the light broke through and shined directly upon them was a little cornball, my heart still smiled watching it.
MY LIST: Seen 8 out of 20 (40%)
6) 7th Heaven (#32)
8) The Hunchback of Nortre Dame (#41)
14) A Dog's Life (#39)
16) The Man Who Laughs (#48)
22) Underworld (#47)
25) The Iron Mask (One Pointer)
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Not seen either but I've heard great things about Borzage and Pabst. Cool to see some interesting names on the list so far.
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I've seen TWO of these, The Circus (1928) and Steamboat Bill, Jr (1928). Haven't voted for an arrival yet. Oh whoa, anyone want to see a vicious Teutonic montage video, they were growing in strength around the pre-1930s time. And Nanook Of The North is from "Gladiator." Oh wait, that's Duduk Of The North. 
He Who Defied An Empire
