Silent Movie History

THE LITTLE DARLING”” (1909), directed by D.W. GRIFFITH.”

A clip from the classic 1920 German Expressionist silent horror film “The Golem” gets a new soundtrack by Hollywood composer Carvin Knowles”

“For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by Der Golem, the great Jewish monster of clay who only comes to life when Truth is in his breast”.

The Crowd (1928) is a genuine, immortal, timeless American silent film masterpiece from director King Vidor, whose earlier big WWI epic The Big Parade (1925) had been a major box-office hit for MGM studios.

To capture the authenticity of the city, the director sometimes used a ‘hidden camera’ in his on-location shoots in New York. Stylistically, the film, in various places, resembles the German expressionist films of F. W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, although it also uses fluid and natural camera movements. King Vidor received an Academy Award nomination as Best Director, and the film itself was nominated as Best Unique and Artistic Picture in a short-lived award category.

Those who have seen ‘Benny and Joon’ may know that Johnny Depp was imitating various gags made famous by silent comics Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin. Towards the end of the movie, he climbs up the side of a building, definitely a Harold Lloyd thing. This is a scene from Lloyd’s most famous ledge-walking film, ‘Safety Last,’ in 1923. It is set to ‘Swinging’ by Rachel Portman, and it is the soundtrack from Depp’s Lloydesque scene in ‘Benny and Joon.’Harold’s lady here is Mildred Davis. She had replaced Bebe Daniels to be Harold’s second leading lady. But this was Mildred’s last movie, because she married Harold that year and retired to become a mom. She was replaced by Harold’s third leading lady, Jobyna Ralston.

A short 2:00 clip from this once-lost silent film, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.

Incredible scenes from METROPOLIS, the movie which was made in 1925 to 1926 by German Ufa and directed by Fritz Lang. The music added is from the Shostakovich Symphony No.11.

Tough slum girl (Mary Pickford) faces a crisis of the heart when the boy she loves (William Haines) is accused of shooting her cop father. Her brother stalks the accused slayer and finally shoots him down in the street. Mary rushes to the hospital and offers her blood for a life-saving transfusion, even though she thinks she’ll die.

THE BIRTH OF A NATION”” (1915) PART 6: KU KLUX KLAN SAVES THE SOUTH”

Hosted by Ralph Edwards in 1957, this clip from the T.V. show “This is Your Life” featured guests Bessie Lasky, William Lasky, Richard Arlen, Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Jesse Lasky Jr. Cecil B. DeMille and Adolph Zukor.

Please enjoy this terrific clip fom Harold Lloyd’s 1917 comedy, “The Flirt”.

This Buster Keaton two reel comedy includes the “lost” final scene that was recently discovered in a French archive. It is low quality, but still reads.The final scene in this film was said to get the biggest laughs of any silent film. This closing scene was the brain child of the film’s director, E. Francis Cline.

Blind Husbands”” was produced by Carl Laemmle in 1919. It was directed by Erich von Stroheim and the man played the lead as well. It is yet one more movie in which von Stroheim looks fabulous in an Austrian officer’s uniform. Silent film with titles in English and French.”

Buster Keaton Performing Stunts in The General with commentary from Buster Keaton Rides Again.

Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln’s assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.

Tribute is paid to the original vamp in this selection of images of the silent film star Theda Bara set to some pleasing, non-descript music.

In this short film released on April 6, 1919 Harold plays a U.S. soldier in Russia.

The silent film actress Theda Bara in her 1915 film, “A Fool There Was”.

Watch this ten minute clip from, “The Mysterious Lady” starring Greta Garbo and Conrad Nagel (1928).