Sponsored by the Library of Congress, Mostly Lost is an annual film workshop in which unidentified or mis-titled silent films are screened to an audience of scholars and fans who try to figure out what they are. Sometimes they succeed.
One way to understand the form of Walther Ruttmann's Berlin, Symphony of a Great City, is to see it as producing states of flow that reinforce a flat ontology among humans, animals, machines, buildings, bodies of water, etc.
Widely considered the largest and most prestigious silent film festival in North America, 21 feature films from nine countries will be represented at the Fest, with more than 40 musicians from around the world accompanying the various programs.
The film is imbued with a painterly quality wherein the not-quite static framing of the human visage is its main concern, its aesthetic gambit, and the source of its affective impact.
As is his wont, Lewis Milestone's direction is lively, even flashy, indulging in gratuitously beautiful camera movements, lighting tricks, and clever editorial juxtapositions.
Annie is a servant who delights in telling tales of spooks and spirits, always ending with the refrain "An' the Gobble-uns'll git you ef you Don't Watch Out!"
Freshly released on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Classics are two hits, part of a series of Swanson vehicles directed by Allan Dwan at the height of her stardom.
Silent films The Dumb Girl of Portici and Shoes reveal two sides of the early Hollywood director: the filmmaker who wanted to tell epic stories on a grand scale, and the social activist who wanted her films to spark discussion and prompt change.
The big-eyed Louise Brooks makes a comeback on the big screen. Silent London critic Pamela Hutchinson talks about her new book on G.W. Pabst's cult classic.
You'll find more people watching silent films today than during any decade since the '20s, thanks to a busy restoration and preservation industry that thrives through festivals, revivals, the internet and home video.
