Philadelphia Film History #6- The Show Off part 4 WHERE ARE WE?

Want to play historian? I've had a great time figuring out the 1926 location shooting for The Show Off. However, there are a few scenes that have me stumped. Can you identify any of these?

Most of these are a part of a car chase so these shots could have been filmed anywhere but, due to Hollywood efficiency, are more likely to take place near to locations where the camera has already been set up. Not always, as seen here in the jump from Washington Square to Logan Circle .

#1
That is a gorgeous bank - which one is it? Is this First National Bank on Chestnut Street? The buildings are closely packed so possibly this is Center City.

#2
 I think I've tracked down the hotel. This source from the University of Pennsylvania says that the Bertram Hotel was located in West Philly on Woodland Avenue near 33rd Street. Our protagonist is based in West Philly, so this makes sense. Which street is this?

#3
That is a hotel straight ahead and there is another to our left. Neither name is clear. There appears to be a sign with raised letters above the hotel on the left, maybe reading "THEBA"- it really isn't clear.

#4
I have the feeling this is a different neighborhood since there is so much space around the building. Are the rounded curbs a clue? They are similar to the curbs encircling Washington Square.

I love being a detective. I needed to do this type of investigation as a film archivist, to figure out when and where a home movie was filmed. Now it's your chance. Leave your answers in the comments.

Tones of grey, from white to black

Such gorgeous tones of grey.

The square, the circle, curves and parallel lines.

Human and architecture.

I think this may be one of my favorite images.

Stray Dog (1949)

directed by Akira Kurosawa

cinematography by Asakazu Nakai

onto a new year

This is the Hearst Memorial Mining building at UC Berkeley. The school once had a working mine on campus for educational purposes. Now it's a traffic loop, but this refurbished building maintains the grandeur of an earlier education experience. It's one part of the inspiring atmosphere on campus - along with the Pacific Film Archive of course.

This is my version of a year-end wrap-up. Most of my time was taken up with classes and schoolwork, but I did attend some amazing film screenings which you can go read. Brian at Hell On Frisco Bay, fine film writer that he is, invites fellow locals to share their favorite rep theater screenings from 2011. Go check it out; I'll wait for you here.

I've been enjoying reading other people's end-of-year lists all over the internet film world, but I'm sad to notice the neglect of the passing of some important avant garde and experimental filmmakers:

George Kuchar, 1942-2011, whose I, An Actress was selected for preservation at the National Film Registry for 2011;

Robert Breer, 1926-2011, creator of the roto-scoped and beautiful Fuji which was added back in 2002;

Jordan Belson, 1926-2011, whose Allures was also selected for preservation this year.

Thanks, guys.

a little Gaudi in SF

Last week, when I was taking a look at the Ghiberti doors on Grace Cathedral, I noticed a vacancy sign at one of my favorite apartment buildings in San Francisco. Now, I can't find any listings and I'm not surprised.

It was designed by a self-taught architect, local James Francis Dunn, who clearly absorbed the influences of late-19th century Paris and not a little of Antonio Gaudi.

It's on the National Register of Historic Places, an official San Francisco Landmark and right across the street from Grace Cathedral, as you can see below:

Chambord Apartments (1921)

1298 Sacramento Street, San Francisco

architect James Francis Dunn

I saw stars

Such a visually striking film with an equally engaging plot.
This film is famous for very good reasons.
I was particularly struck by how architecture is used
both in fantasy:




and to set the tone for the actual lives of the characters:







Awaara (1951)
directed by Raj Kapoor
cinematography by Radhu Karmakar

adventures in early film design- repetition

a nous la liberte 1931

directed by rene clair

art direction by lazare meerson

I know this film is already well known, maybe even because of the Charlie Chaplin controversy (thought personally, I think the antics in this film are derivitive of Buster Keaton- i guess all's fair in film criticism.) What impresses me is the architecture that relentlessly reinforces Rene Clair's themes.

A major theme is repetition, evidenced by the arrangement of the actors as well as the costumes, decor and lighting. There's often an asymmetrical placement of these visual cues, so it feels as though everything continues into infinity. The situation seems hopeless and impossible to change.

Its a visual restriction of movements, pointing out the direction for characters to move.

Another theme is conformity; the straight lines and occasional curves provide the templates.

Also: why is Rene Clair so mean to his female characters? Still, this film is far more toned down than Under The Roofs of Paris where the poor female protagonist is under attack throughout the film, either directly or indirectly.

Sheesh.