Comments on: Lillian Gish: Dying for Her Audience

By: Jandy

Jandy — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:40:53 +0000

What a great story that is. I just saw The Scarlet Letter at the local rep cinema (only two weeks after TCM played it, but I held out for the big screen, heh), and was blown away again by how great she is. She can say more with her eyes or the tilt of her head or the shape of her mouth than most anyone I've ever seen. I really want to see La Boheme now.javascript:%20postComment(0);

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:42:18 +0000

That's OK. She's usually just playing around nearby while we watch a family movie anyway. Any movie that holds her full and undivided attention is deadly to the rest of us. I'll just let the Care Bear movies stand as my example. Shudder.

Thanks for the great suggestions! I'm making a list.

By: Cherie

Cherie — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:37:42 +0000

Thank you for writing this. Silent movies are really a separate art form from 'talkies' – you can see the remnants of stage and vaudeville acting in the early ones, but by the time the Gish sisters, Gloria Swanson and Janet Gaynor came in, the depth of emotion visible in their faces is stunning and deeply moving. I am lucky to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where we have theaters (the Castro and the Stanford) that present silent films as they were meant to be experienced – with piano accompaniment. What a difference that can make – even with a movie you've seen before!

By: Cherie

Cherie — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:32:40 +0000

Laura, try the old silent Westerns – especially those with William S. Hart. Really gives you the feel of the Old West – many movies then used 'real' cowboys (whose day was long past) for extras, and Hart was a stickler for realism. Might be a bit difficult for a 3-year-old though!

By: robertavrech

robertavrech — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:30:48 +0000

Lawhawk:

Okay, mission accomplished, this from my Silent Film expert at the website The Silent Treatment:

"If you are looking for a DVD of the best length and transfer quality of "Intolerance" the best one available is the Kino Release – you will find it listed under their "Griffith Masterworks" series."

By: Rick in Florida

Rick in Florida — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:19:50 +0000

Check out Douglas Fairbanks. "Mark of Zorro" – "Thief of Bagdad" – "Black Pirate" are all fun. He also did some earlier non-costume comedies.

By: Earl

Earl — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:58:41 +0000

Glass screens! I'd never heard of that – nor, until reading your description, of the special visual properties of nitrate film. The image must have been magical. Thanks Robert.

By: wankette

wankette — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 05:49:35 +0000

I was intrigued by your story — because I read of it, years ago, in Garson Kanin's "Moviola" — his fictionalized account of Hollywood's Golden Age. There are specific chapters devoted to the "Scarlett O'Hara Wars", Fatty Arbuckle's trial, Chaplin's incarnation of the Little Tramp, and the Greta Garbo/John Gilbert romance.

In that chapter, Garbo first lays eyes on Gilbert as they were shooting the scene you mention. Very cool to read about it again; thanks for that!

By: Brisco_County

Brisco_County — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 05:45:25 +0000

One day I hope to see a well-preserved nitrate film. It'd be a like a connection with history. Not many people today know what it's like.

This is a fascinating documentary about film preservation that I highly recommend. It gives you an idea of how fragile and valuable that early film is to the humanities:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=785170556...

By: Brisco_County

Brisco_County — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 05:33:56 +0000

Sigfried by Fritz Lang might be good for the kids. I'd screen it yourself first. I also recommend Metropolis, but not with the kids. Anything from UFA was usually good, whether silent or talkie.