Welcome to BlogHub: the Best in Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Blogs
You can rate and share your favorite classic movie posts here.
You can rate and share your favorite classic movie posts here.
Chaplin in Chicago
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Mar 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 read more
Chicago's Silent Film Past
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Mar 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 I hate to acknowledge it read more
Edwin S. Porter and “The Great Train Robbery”
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Jan 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.”
Edwin S. Porte read more
The Kid Brother
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Jan 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 a read more
Tillie's Punctured Romance
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Dec 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
The New York Hat
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Dec 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, four years into Griffith's read more
There's No Place Like Home Part 1
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Dec 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
Silent Butterflies and Serpentines
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Dec 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
The Magic of Georges Melies
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Dec 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 that era, Melies d read more
Louis Le Prince
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Dec 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 remains the oldes read more
Greed
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Sep 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
The Birth of a Nation
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Sep 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 to read more
Review: Kino Classics' "Go West" & "Battling Butler"
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Sep 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 the nitrate-fueled fires tha read more
The Strong Man
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Sep 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 his captor/vau read more
Baby Face
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Aug 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 something mo read more
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1)
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Aug 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 of the t read more
The Cat and the Canary
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Aug 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 cats. read more
Der Blaue Engel
Curtains Posted by Janelle Vreeland on Aug 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