Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on March 30, 2012

This post was originally published on the lonelybrand blog as part of an ongoing silent film series. Last week, I mentioned that Chicago played host to many large, well-known studios from the silent film era, including Essanay Studios which claimed Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson and Ben Turpin as   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on March 23, 2012

This post was originally published on the lonelybrand blog as part of an ongoing silent film series. Chicago has had its fair share of films. Of course, the John Hughes films rank at the top of the list, along with the likes of “The Dark Knight” and, as much as...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on January 16, 2012

In the words of Adolph Zukor, Edwin S. Porter was more of an artistic mechanic than a dramatic artist. This glimpse into the personality and mind of Porter tells us much about the man behind one of the most famous silent films of all time -- “The Great Train Robbery.”...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on January 9, 2012

When you think of Harold Lloyd, chances are the image that pops into your head is this iconic shot from “Safety Last!” -- Lloyd dangling perilously off the face of a clock above bustling traffic. It’s strange, but when people speak of Harold Lloyd, they tend to pigeonhole him as...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on December 28, 2011

Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914) "Tillie's Punctured Romance" is often cited by film critics and historians as the first American feature-length comedy. Unfortunately, this is often the only commentary they offer about it. Even Leonard Maltin has called the film "Not terribly funny, or cohere   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on December 27, 2011

The New York Hat (1912) We return, as we will often do in this blog, to D.W. Griffith. Rather than examine another epic work of cinema, like "The Birth of a Nation," we, instead, turn to Griffith's days at Biograph. "The New York Hat" was made and released in 1912,...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on December 21, 2011

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is the earliest surviving film adaptation of the L. Frank Baum series. At only 13 minutes long, it is a severely abridged version of Dorothy's journey through Oz. It is overshadowed by its successors, notably "The Wizard of Oz"   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on December 17, 2011

From the beginning, film has sought to capture that which no other medium could capture: motion. The early film pioneers experimented with capturing all kinds of motion, from train arrivals and departure, to traffic and parades. A common subject among all the filmmakers, however, was dance. Early si   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on December 11, 2011

December 8 marked what would have been the 150th birthday of Georges Melies -- one of the cinema's most prolific and visionary contributors. Although his work "A Trip to the Moon" remains one of the most iconic films of the silent era, with one of the most recognizable images from...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on December 8, 2011

If you want to really appreciate film, and how far it has come in just over 100 years, it’s important to go back to the beginning. Shot in 1888, “Roundhay Garden Scene” depicts just that — a scene in the Roundhay Garden. It is only two seconds long, but it...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on September 28, 2011

Greed (1924) The Holy Grail of lost film, the original cut of Erich von Stroheim’s “Greed” -- a film adaptation of the Frank Norris novel “McTeague” -- clocked in at 9.5 hours. Until recently, the only version that survived was the two-hour version which hardly did   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on September 19, 2011

The Birth of a Nation (1915) There is no question about the influence director D.W. Griffith has had on the art of filmmaking. He invented techniques that we take for granted today. And what he did not invent himself, he certainly perfected. Unfortunately, his genius was tarnished by the racist...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on September 14, 2011

It wasn't until just before his death in 1966 that Buster Keaton began to receive the attention and respect he deserved as the genius of silent film that he was. Unlike some of his contemporaries, time has been kind to Keaton and his work. Most of his films have survived...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on September 13, 2011

The Strong Man (1926) The Story Paul Bergot (Harry Langdon) met Mary Brown (Priscilla Bonner) while he was serving in World War I. The two became pen pals and quickly became enamored of each other. Paul in Belgium When the war ends and Bergot comes to the United States with...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on August 26, 2011

Baby Face (1933) Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck) has had a hard life. As a speakeasy server, she’s been used and abused by the roughnecks that show up every day to spend their pay on booze. She’s ashamed of what she’s become at the hands of her father, and longs for...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on August 11, 2011

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) The StoryThis masterpiece from 1919 has influenced filmmakers, film critics and film in general ever since its debut. It embodies German Expressionism and horror in a way that few other films do. The story opens on a scene of two men talking. The older...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on August 11, 2011

The Cat and the Canary (1927) The Story Cyrus West didn’t exactly have a happy life. His final years were spent trying to fend off his relatives, all of whom believed he was insane, but still wanted his mansion and inheritance. He found himself as the proverbial canary surrounded by...   read more

Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on August 8, 2011

Der Blaue Engel (1930) This German gem is perhaps best known as the project that launched Marlene Dietrich’s film career and began her friendship with Josef von Sternberg. The plot is deceptively simple, Emil Jannings is Professor Immanuel Rath, a man who has dedicated his life to academics   read more