Amazing Tales From The Archive is one of the highlights for me of the entire weekend. It's so inspiring to learn about all the work done to bring all these films and fragments to such an appreciative audience. This year the theatre was nearly full to see these little tidbits:
Screen Shots promotional short (1923)
The Actor's Children short (1910)
Polly of the Follies trailer starring Constance Talmadge (1922)
Happiness Ahead trailer fragments starring Colleen Moore (1928)
The Lover's Oath trailer starring Ramon Navarro
How the Hungry Man Was Fed (1911)
I missed the next but was back in time for
Wild Rose (China, 1932, directed by Sun Yu)
The special guest was actress Qin Yi, who received a standing ovation as a well-known actress and wife of the star of this film. Restored by the China Film Archive, it was a beautiful print. Unfortunately the film occasionally jumped its tracks, one time obscuring the FANTASTIC Art Deco set I knew had to be in a film from Shanghai in the early 1930s. It also featured the most beautiful intertitle of the fesetival: the Chinese character for snow that was drawn as if weighed under in snow. Qin Yi said before the film that China was behind the rest of the world in film making but with double exposures and a crane shot, this movie wasn't lacking in any department.
Underworld (1927, directed by Josef von Sternberg)
This was as stunning as everyone told me it would be. The lighting was moody and turned out multiple gradations of gray. The nightclub scene was a stand-out, especially the rapid set of close-ups as the drinking progressed. The look was reminiscent of der Blaue Engel showing that this was pure von Sternberg. Stephen Horne's score was as impressive as ever- understated as the film was in the first half, dramatic and pulling tension as the film making picked up the same speed. Mr Horne really knows how to ratchet up the tension, even dropping back if need be. He doesn't always replicate the sound effects suggested by the screen, rather he underscores these moments and plays around them as a good jazz musician does to swing the melody. Brilliant.
The Wind (1928, directed by Victor Sjostrom)
Far better than I had expected. As phenomenal as it was, it greatly benefitted from the accompaniment of the mightly Whurlitzer organ and TWO wind sound machines hand cranked by sound artists. The overwhelming storm was fighting it out with the volume of the organ - I could feel the wind from the pipes along the wall of the theatre.
More next time about the final day of the festival.
6 comments:
Really wish I'd get the chance to see Underworld on screen. I notice you mentioned in a post below that there's rumor of a DVD. Any details?
Randy,
I got a chance to see both UNDERWORLD and Von Sternberg's THE LAST COMMAND last year here at the Detroit Film Theater, the Alloy Orchestra performed at both screenings. For as much as I enjoyed seeing UNDERWORLD, I think the Alloy Orchestra outdid themselves with their score for THE LAST COMMAND, I was blown away, and asked one of their members afterward if it would be available on DVD at some point in time not too far off. He said that things were in the talking stage, nothing finalized yet, but I was enthralled by their score for THE LAST COMMAND, I hope that in time it does become available on DVD, with the Alloy Orchestra's music adjoined.
One last word, I spoke with someone this morning, a sales clerk in the DVD department at Barnes & Noble here in Royal Oak, Michigan. Greg's a very knowledgeable film aficionado who tells me that Paramount has already made arrangements with Criterion to handle the restoration and release of UNDERWORLD and THE LAST COMMAND. We have that to look forward to, but as to when this takes place who's to say, he states the restoration process can be a long drawn-out affair. Let's just hope it's sooner than later.
Guy - Yes, I've heard the same thing. There's an unconfirmed report that Criterion will issue it in 2010. Can't wait!
wow ! what a blog
wow ! what a blog
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