West of Zanzibar is a 1928 American silent film directed by Tod Browning about the vengefulness of a cuckolded magician (Lon Chaney) paralyzed in a brawl with his rival (Lionel Barrymore). The supporting cast includes Mary Nolan and Warner Baxter. The picture is based on a 1926 Broadway play called Kongo starring Walter Huston. Huston … [Read more…]
March is full of Silent Film Gems from Charlie Chaplin’s 1st feature to Mary Pickford’s last Silent. The spring is shaping up to be very busy for Cliff with tons of silent stars from Mary Pickford to Lon Chaney. Catch him playing at the UCLA Film and Television Archive Festival of Preservation as well as … [Read more…]
According to Clara Bow, the Twenties’ “It” girl herself: “the best silent picture I ever made”. Proving she wasn’t just a pair of bare ankles, the then-20-year-old took it upon herself to upgrade her scripted Mantrap character Alverna from boring and drab to a flirtatious minx. Clara foregrounds a delicious love triangle amongst a charming … [Read more…]
UCLA Film & Television Archive is proud to celebrate the legacy of storied producer and director Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959). At the heart of this retrospective are restorations of 10 DeMille features performed by the Archive throughout its own history. A founding figure of American cinema, Cecil B. DeMille was one of filmdom’s most influential … [Read more…]
An enormous hit from director Cecil B. DeMille’s independent production phase, this telling of the life of Christ is a masterpiece of pictorial arrangement, offering the essential episodes of the Biblical story as devotional tableaux, capped with teeming sequences of intense, dramatic action (in particular, the crucifixion). H. B. Warner’s wan, ethereal Jesus is breathtaking, … [Read more…]
Baby Peggy, “Hollywood’s Tiny Titan,” stars as the adorable Captain January, a shipwrecked orphan taken in and raised by kindly lighthouse keeper Jeremiah Judkins. When the local townsfolk become concerned about the elderly Judkins’ ability to care for little January, she is determined to find a way to stay with her beloved guardian, in this … [Read more…]
On the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, UCLA Film & Television Archive is proud to celebrate the legacy of storied producer and director Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959). At the heart of this retrospective are restorations of 10 DeMille features performed by the Archive throughout its own history. A founding figure of American cinema, Cecil B. … [Read more…]
For a feller who claimed to vastly prefer working with male actors rather than female ones, director William Wellman certainly knew how to construct a lush romantic lark. After a string of dusty oaters in the first half of the Twenties (and before the machismo of films like Wings, The Public Enemy and The Call … [Read more…]
“Garbo’s acting, across near a century of time, can still put a tingle in your gut. Garbo makes you suspend disbelief.” — Chris Edwards, Silent Volume Ahhhh, that kiss! That legendary first kiss between Greta Garbo and John Gilbert, the one that’s reverberated across the decades as a landmark in cinematic sensuality, is contained within … [Read more…]
Crescenta Valley’s Silent Movie Man, Joe Renaudo, will use his vintage hand cranked silent movie projector to entertain everyone with Christmas/winter themed movies. Live music by Cliff Retallick will accompany the silent movies. Bring a snack or treat to share. Drinks will be provided Enjoy the historical photos on display Local history books, all signed … [Read more…]