Pre-1930s Hall of Fame

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Who are all these people in the photo? I think I know them all except the first photo (top left) and the 10th photo (the woman with the mirror). Anyone know?



First one is Valentino CR, not sure about the lady.



Of course, I should've known that. But the lady, I don't think I've seen her pic before.
Mebbe drop both Harold and Douglas an email - perhaps one of them will remember who they sat next to



Sadie Thompson



I think it was one of the 30's HoFs that had a bunch of movies featuring prostitution, and here we have another one. That's usually a good thing for me since it usually means a darker movie. The print of this movie is not great, but for some I guess it's fortunate that it exists at all. That didn't bother me; it's just something I noticed. I liked the supporting cast and the dialogue via title cards. I didn't like much else unfortunately. I'm not a Gloria Swanson fan, and that's probably a big reason why I don't like Sunset Boulevard as much as most others. I hated the musical score which was friggin driving me bananas. The story was ok for a while but then I thought it got a bit stupid. The way they pieced together the ending, I guess they did what they could, but it certainly doesn't help the movie. I don't feel like I hated it but I didn't care for it. Sorry CR.




[Mabel Normand]Really, damn I never even heard of her.
Normand had been a huge star in Silents. She'd worked with every big comedian in Hollywood, but for Buster Keaton. She'd linked up early with Max Sennett, and was in many of his "Keystone Cops" comedies. She also worked frequently with Chaplin.

She had a string of bad luck and poor press. First, she had been associated with the sensationalized murder of director William Desmond Taylor, of which Normand had no part.

Second she had starred in many Fatty Arbuckle comedies, and had been linked with him; so when he was acquitted of rape, but yet the public soured on him, Normand's career was hurt because Arbuckle's films were pulled from circulation due to the scandals.

She was a tuberculosis victim, which may have later been exacerbated by her heavy drinking. She died at the close of the silent era at aged 37. But she'd been one of the greats.

~Doc




The Unknown (1927)

This was a really good film, I enjoyed it. It totally caught my interest and held my attention. Unlike a lot of silent dramas, it was easy to follow thanks to the focused story and the limited characters...by my count there were only four characters and that helped the story to come across without words. I loved the story line of an 'armless' carnival performer in love with a woman who detested men's hands. It was proper Tod Browning bizarre and that made the film pretty cool. Lon Chaney totally commanded the screen whenever he was in the camera's eye. I can't believe that was Joan Crawford! I couldn't see any resemblance to her in her later films. I read that 14 minutes are missing of this film, that's too bad as I would have loved to seen those lost scenes. The Unknown, is a silent that should be known.
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Metropolis

This is a visually stunning and beautiful film, with rich sets and designs, and stunning camera work and mission. The story is definitely second to the technical aspects, but it’s interesting too, although I think it really should have been cut thirty or so minutes for a more concise experience... it got boring at the end. But for a two hour silent film, Metropolis held my attention remarkably well, and I hope to watch more Fritz Lang in the future.




Women will be your undoing, Pépé



The Kid

Title Card: A picture with a smile - and perhaps, a tear.

Which, kinda says it all.
A smile; very much so. And perhaps, a tear; surprisingly, not this time. Though it has been so very long because I do remember how much I used to bawl as a youngster and for the longest time I couldn't watch this because it was too heartbreaking for me. Even in my twenties, little baby Uncle Fester would affect me every time I saw them trying to haul him away and The Tramp valiantly coming to his aid. Literally, kicking @ss and taking names.

Though a little a curious to the why of not shedding a heart warming tear on this last viewing, nonetheless I was still enamored to The Kid's antics.
During the window breaking scenes when he pulls back to throw a rock and bumps a cop, it was like watching a young Tramp. Perhaps it was simply Chaplin's directing, but Jackie Coogan did such a great job of a child acting like his father while still being himself.

Like so many other Chaplin films, this does come from Charlie's heart, and even more so since the harshness of the orphanage and its offices are drawn from his own childhood while his mother was in an asylum.
There are a number of scenes, where we see within Charlie's heart and tormented memories, looking to right the past wrongs and to win, instead of losing to such establishments.

And he does.
And we love him for it.
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Lucky Star (1929)

Such a wonderful film with such an odd title, I mean what was a lucky star anyway? Well never mind I'm not really looking for an answer, just saying it was an odd title. Anyway let's cut to the chase...

...Director Frank Borzage knew how to world build! I swear I wasn't watching a movie, I was in the movie, somewhere deep in the Ozarks or some other backwoods place where poor people eke out a living by any means they could, even if that means hiding nickels in the dirt!

I'm amazed that during the silent era that this film could make such three dimensional scenes...with country roads that seem to go on forever. Even in today's CG crap-world they can't do what was done here, build atmosphere out of dirt and wood.

I was impressed by the way the film was lite with it's subdued lighting and what looked like fog or mist in the quiet country side, which really added depth and ambiance. Even more impressive is the way the director worked in all three dimensions with roads that twisted and went uphill right out of the screen...and Mary's house that was down low in a gully, beneath the dirt road like it was sunken from all hope. Gosh this film is stunning in it's look, but did I like the story?

...Yes I did! I'm a sucker for a love story and that's what this is, both Janet Gaynor (wow was she tiny or what!) and the two male leads were both good. I swear the one guy Wren, looked like George W. Bush on steroids. The ending was the only disappointment for me as it was a prime example of a deus ex machina...but that's OK because visually the movie rocked!






Sadie Thompson (1928)

This is one of those films that didn't hit me to deeply at the beginning. But as the film went on, the pace intensified until I was deeply into the story. Then as we get to the final resolution of Sadie and the Preacher man, the damn last reel of film is missing! I hate that when that happens. I'd sure like to seen the missing reel. Overall an impressive movie even with the missing ending.
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Well, I done gone watched Sadie Thompson...I've no idea who commissioned the modern score but I had to turn it off after a few minutes as to me it belonged far more to a crappy arcade game than a fillum
Sadie Thompson
.....I hated the musical score which was friggin driving me bananas.
Guys, did we watch the same version of Sadie Thompson, because I liked the score. Where did you see it at? Maybe you heard a different score than I did.

Lucky Star
I hated the musical score and thought it really detracted from the movie...
Same question, where did you watch it? I thought Lucky Star with it's southern blue grass score was brilliant. I'm just wondering if there are different score versions out there? Or where you holding out for Creedence Clearwater Revival



Guys, did we watch the same version of Sadie Thompson, because I liked the score. Where did you see it at? Maybe you heard a different score than I did.

Same question, where did you watch it? I thought Lucky Star with it's southern blue grass score was brilliant. I'm just wondering if there are different score versions out there? Or where you holding out for Creedence Clearwater Revival
Lucky Star I watched on YouTube. I thought it was part bluegrass but also sometimes sounded like it was from a 50's Japanese movie. It just didn't fit to me.

I watched Sadie Thompson on internet archive. That score was the ultimate in annoying.



Guys, did we watch the same version of Sadie Thompson, because I liked the score. Where did you see it at? Maybe you heard a different score than I did.
I watched Sadie Thompson on internet archive. That score was the ultimate in annoying.
Same place as crick - IA. The score on there belongs to a sh*tty video arcade game not a movie imho.



.

I watched Sadie Thompson on internet archive. That score was the ultimate in annoying.
Same place as crick - IA. The score on there belongs to a sh*tty video arcade game not a movie imho.
Oh bloody hell that score on the Internet Archive was bad. That was a crap copy. I agree it sounded like a video game. I'll send you a link to what a watched. If you're in the mind to give the score a listen for a few minutes, give it a listen.



Oh bloody hell that score on the Internet Archive was bad. That was a crap copy. I agree it sounded like a video game. I'll send you a link to what a watched. If you're in the mind to give the score a listen for a few minutes, give it a listen.

Do you realize I was just writing up my review when you sent me that link....


ah well....I got The Man who laughs in the mail today so I'll do that one.