Silent films

[Achim]

Addded to the Amazon Wishlist. Thanks Achim!  

I had a hunch that mentioning the availability on Blu-ray may get you hooked

I have never seen it myself, but am very excited about the disc being in the mail already.


Battleship Potemkin coming up too? I might be tempted, again. The staircase scene was so famously copied by De Palma...

[lyonsden5]

I just received an email from Deep Discount. They have a sale on Kino International  titles. I checked a couple against Amazon and it looks like a pretty good deal 

Kino Sale

Of course if you get anything use the link on this site and find the sale from there. Today it shows up in their top banner.

[W0m6at]

I consider myself a fan of silent-era films, but I basically have to see things for myself and decide... I don't necessarily like things that are universally given high praise. For example, Nosferatu did nothing for me. I enjoyed Metropolis, but not enough to buy it (but that's not stopping me from being sorely tempted by the upcoming Masters of Cinema Blu-ray).

I find that on poorer transfers I get really sleepy. I think the fluctuating brightness levels get me. I have also recently established that the bold make-up and hyperbolic acting are elements that I like... I watched Frankenstein (1910) and was rather bored by it. I gave up on The Great Train Robbery (1903) half way through (which is scary for something with a ~10min runtime). Both felt like modern attempts to make silent films (I know that doesn't make sense, but it's what it felt like to me).

I'm very keen to check out Faust right now. From the screenshots I've seen and the background I've read, I think it could well be my thing.

I've really seen very little early cinema, but am working on rectifying that.

[Antares]

75 lost films found in New Zealand vault. 

[W0m6at]

75 lost films found in New Zealand vault. 

Awesome news, especially now that companies are really embracing Blu-ray for silent-era films. Hopefully we'll get some excellent restorations and home video releases.
I was hoping for a complete list of the 75.

Courtesy of Twitter (found via some movie site):

DIE NIBELUNGEN is in the BD pipeline, but not SPIONE right now I'm afraid.
4:37 PM May 14th  via web  in reply to WDUK

Link

[hal9g]

Yup, this is very exciting news!  I certainly hope that they will all be made available on DVD/Blu Ray in the not too distant future!  

[W0m6at]

National Film Preservation Foundation's website lists some of the titles to be repatriated and restored, with brief synopses on each.

[Antares]

National Film Preservation Foundation's website lists some of the titles to be repatriated and restored, with brief synopses on each.

I just wish, that for once, when one of these lost caches is found, it would contain Murnau's Four Devils or Lon Chaney's London After Midnight.

[Antares]

Wow, when it rains , it pours...

Lost Chaplin Film found at antique sale 

[Najemikon]

Well, damn, they had to go and screw up my nice Chaplin Collection boxset, didn't they? 

Great news, of course...

Now, how about the real lost treasure? The complete It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World...

[Antares]

Now, how about the real lost treasure? The complete It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World...

Sorry Jon, but I can't stand that film.

[Najemikon]

No accounting for taste. 

You'll say you don't like The Cannonball Run next!

[lyonsden5]

Now, how about the real lost treasure? The complete It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World...

Sorry Jon, but I can't stand that film.

What, you and Jon disagree on a film?!?  

[Antares]

I understand that Kramer was paying homage to the era of silent comedy, but unfortunately, he got stuck on the Mack Sennett school of comedy. While Max Turpin and the Keystone Kops are great examples of the pie in the face comedy or chaotic car chase, it could only be sustained for about 20 minutes. Hence the reason for comedies never pushing the 30 minutes mark back in the early days of screen comedy.

Kramer pushes that envelope to the 3 hour mark, and after about 30 minutes, it becomes grating and tedious.

Believe me Jon, I am a huge fan of silent comedy, but Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd, would never have had the success they did if they tried doing that.

[Antares]

Now, how about the real lost treasure? The complete It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World...

Sorry Jon, but I can't stand that film.

What, you and Jon disagree on a film?!?  

Never happens.......No......Never