Pordenone '09

Some of the films to be shown are already on the Giornate's site. The opening event will be Erich von Stroheim's The Merry Widow, starring John Gilbert and Mae Murray.

An article about the making of the film, written by Kevin Brownlow, accompanies the listing. It seems that the movie encountered enormous problems almost every step of the way, with Stroheim disappointed in the leading man who was foisted upon him (according to Gilbert, they eventually became friends after a little drinking session), and wonder boy Irving Thalberg calling the shots.

You can see a short clip of the waltz scene on YouTube, with the lovely melody "Love Unspoken" on the soundtrack. The video is scratchy, and I hope that the print they show at Pordenone will be better; the good people at the Giornate have a real genius for finding the best existing prints of the films they present.

That's the main news from the Giornate. Not much else to report.