a la Gropius' Werkbund Pavilion

A bleak look at Europe- refugees moving back and forth  -and always downward.
And this is only 1941.

So Ends Our Night (1941)

directed by John Cromwell

cinematography by William H. Daniels

art direction by William Cameron Menzies

and Jack Otterson

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

the view from the PFA

Many times I've sat outside the Pacific Film Archive, waiting for the doors to open for the film screening that evening. Each time I wait there on the grounds of the UC Berkeley campus, I contemplate this lovely urn with the slack-jawed lion staring back at me.

He and I will have many more face-offs, now that I will be attending the university in the fall.
I am going to be a film studies student at Berkeley!

I want to become a film archivist. I've been inspired by the preservationist presentations at the San Francisco Silent Film Festivals over the years, and more than inspired by all the great films I've watched. And now, after years of working my way through college, I'm finally on my way.

Whee!

deluge

Seven Sinners (1940)
directed by Tay Garnett
cinematography by Rudolph Mate

snow forecast - for real

Could these be the hills of San Francisco this weekend?

It's a good thing I had a leftover picture from Ski Party (1965). I never thought I would ever get to do a post like this but snowfall has been predicted for San Francisco this Friday. If so, it would be the first time snow has landed here since 1976.

Originally forecasted to hit Saturday, it's moving in much faster now. It has already left its mark in Oregon. Fingers crossed it will grant my wish for snow too!

post-heist

Le Douxieme Souffle (1966)
directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
cinematography Marcel Combes

those insurmountable stairs

It's a sad love story for St. Valentine's Day, but a love story all the same.







Letyat zhuravli (1957)
aka Cranes Are Flying
directed by Mikhail Kalatozov
cinematography by Sergei Urusevsky

Is time really passing that quickly?

Yes, apparently January is already half over. I should keep a better watch on all those clocks I've been collecting.

I wanted to extend a great big thank you to all my visitors throughout the years. I deeply appreciate your comments (and gifts of films!) and words of recognition. I truly do even if it takes me a while to respond.

I'm sure it's blog-world-wide, but I've been having a persistent case of spam that I'm having trouble eradicating. I have finally caved and enacted the wiggly-word gate for comments from now on. I harrumph and snort when I see those floating letters once I type my comment elsewhere but I need to do something. I'm starting to lose legitimate comments in amongst the spam notices. I want to keep comments open to hear from as many people as possible, so let's give this a try.

living in this crazy climate...

...of San Francisco, is it any wonder I am drawn to images of women and the elements?









The original of an often remade Mexican film:
La Mujer del Puerto (1934)
aka Woman of the Port
directed by Arcady Boytler and Rafael J. Sevilla
cinematography by Alex Phillips

Mexico City in the 1930s must have been an incredibly inspiring place to work, judging by the modern themes and the general output of the multinational artists gathered there. One director is from Russia, the cinematographer is Canadian-born - not to mention other artists such as Frida Kahlo, Tina Modotti....

at least it isn't monsoon season

I like the dramatic shift from left to right, just the way one is battered by the wind in a storm.





This was recommended to me
but as beautiful as it was, I just couldn't finish it.
You?

Yi jiang chun shui xiang dong liu (1947)
aka The Spring River Flows East
directed by Chusheng Cai
and Junli Zheng

sfsff 2010 revisited

In the recovery period required from watching and digesting so many films, many local bloggers have posted their experiences. I love to read others' accounts - sometimes it even reads as though we've attended different events. They always remind me of moments I've forgotten or fill me in on the events I couldn't attend.

The festival's own blog;


Hell On Frisco Bay's detailed musings;


The Evening Class has typed up the on-stage introductions (including the great story of how Metropolis was recaptured);


Strictly Vintage Hollywood (who I just found out was there signing copies of her book on Rudolph Valentino) had a great experience;


Jason Watches Movies (who I met on Sunday) wrote a daily account;


and if you are wondering about the often-mentioned program articles that are written about each film, The Silent Film Festival has made them available on line.

sfsff 2010 sunday

Up early today because I didn't want to miss the second installment of Amazing Tales From the Archives. I love this not only because of the recognition of these dedicated souls who gallantly save these disintegrating pieces of art and history because it is essentially a sneak preview of what may be available in fully watchable form in the near future. This episode included:
The Way of All Flesh (1927, d. Victor Fleming)
Highlights of Emil Jannings taken from this film that were included in a retrospective of silent masterpieces done later in that century. Likely all that remains.
The rest were sourced from an archive in New Zealand:
Upstream (1927, d. John Ford) Backstage comedy made during a period of strong German Expressionist influences on John Ford. I believe this is complete enough for release.
Maytime (1923) A period costume piece featuring Clara Bow. Not complete.
Girl Stage Coach Driver (1914)
The Active Life of Dolly of the Dailies (1914) Episode five of the 12 episode series.
Won in a Closet (1914, d. Mabel Normand) Both directed by and starring Mabel Normand.
Birth of a Hat (1920) A promotional film commissioned by the Stetson Hat Company.

The films shown at this presentation were The Better Man (1912), a social problem short notable for the inclusion of a multi-ethnic cast; and Mutt and Jeff Go on Strike, an early animation film.
[I heard afterward that the AToA presentation on Friday morning included a color film featuring some gorgeous Art Deco fashions. Sad that I missed it, I tracked down the person who restored it and I'll report back what I find.]

The Shakedown (1929, d. William Wyler)
James Murray was great in this boxing match story directed by William Wyler, one of his first non-Westerns. Three of the directors daughters were interviewed by Leonard Maltin before the screening and mostly had tales of growing up next door to Charlie Chaplin and his daughter Geraldine. Most horrifying was Maltin's story about Universal burning up most of their archive of films to reduce the risk of fire. This print was sourced from a found 16mm copy.

Man With a Movie Camera (1929. d. Dziga Vertov)
This was such a beautiful print, accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra, whose rhythmic style blended perfectly yet was a little too reminiscent of the score they performed for Metropolis. I guess that is the risk with a percussion-based ensemble. Program notes written by local sensation Brian Darr.

The Woman Disputed (1928, d. Henry King)
There are few greater sights than one wall of a beautiful movie theater filled with the flickering and silver-tinted close-ups of John Gilbert and Norma Talmadge. The most ridiculous ending (sorry, no spoilers!) but such a gorgeous experience up until then.

L'Heureuse Mort (1924, d. Serge Nadjedine)
If Rotaie was my favorite drama, this is my favorite comedy in the festival. Made in France by Russian emigres who bypassed the revolution, it is sadly unknown. I didn't hear during the introduction where this print was sourced and it doesn't appear to be released in any form and that is a real shame. It's astonishing to realize that it was produced in 1924. The film feels modern in the camera set-ups and in the naturalistic acting styles. The plot of mistaken identity is well balanced and well paced and so funny. It was such a treat to unexpectedy see something so wonderful and impressive, especially for the last film of a festival full of amazing films.

For more details on these films and programs, see the Full line-up here:
(There seem to be a few problems at the site - hopefully they will be fixed soon)