I've seen documentaries of other stars - Mary Pickford, most notably, Greta Garbo, Theda Bara, and even a lesser-known name to modern audiences, Olive Thomas.
Why haven't I seen a John Gilbert documentary?
If there is one, I haven't heard of it. John Gilbert certainly deserves one; I'd be willing to bet that his daughter, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain (author of the Gilbert biography Dark Star - would help with it.
As I mentioned in my post about John Gilbert, he was one of THE stars of the silent era, especially in his teamings with Garbo; I don't think I've ever seen her heat up the screen except when paired with her one-time fiance. He become the leading Hollywood heartthrob after Valentino's death, made film after film in the '20s, and then fell into a decline that ended with his sudden, tragic death.
Let's see this man get the tribute he so richly deserves.
Showing posts with label theda bara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theda bara. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Lost
One of the saddest things about the silent era; so many films from that time no longer exist. I read somewhere that the guesstimate is 80 - 90%.
That is one GRIM statistic. For all of the great films that still exist, how many more are gone? No wonder we get excited at the news that the missing footage of Metropolis has been found. I wouldn't mind taking a tour of screening rooms, old movie theaters, and the houses of theater owners, in the hope of finding even one reel of a missing film. I'm that intent.
I know that the AFI has a list of "Most Wanted" of the lost films, but I couldn't find it online; I found many mentions of it, but not the list itself.
Here are some of mine:
The Miracle Man
The Greatest Thing in Life
London After Midnight (I've seen this referred to as perhaps the most famous lost film of them all)
Remodeling Her Husband (starring Dorothy Gish and directed by none other than her sister, Lillian; her only film behind the camera)
Cleopatra
The entire epic of Greed
The Boy in Blue
Number 13
Chaney! Gish! Murnau! Hitchcock!
That is one GRIM statistic. For all of the great films that still exist, how many more are gone? No wonder we get excited at the news that the missing footage of Metropolis has been found. I wouldn't mind taking a tour of screening rooms, old movie theaters, and the houses of theater owners, in the hope of finding even one reel of a missing film. I'm that intent.
I know that the AFI has a list of "Most Wanted" of the lost films, but I couldn't find it online; I found many mentions of it, but not the list itself.
Here are some of mine:
The Miracle Man
The Greatest Thing in Life
London After Midnight (I've seen this referred to as perhaps the most famous lost film of them all)
Remodeling Her Husband (starring Dorothy Gish and directed by none other than her sister, Lillian; her only film behind the camera)
Cleopatra
The entire epic of Greed
The Boy in Blue
Number 13
Chaney! Gish! Murnau! Hitchcock!
Labels:
afi,
alfred hitchcock,
dorothy gish,
f.w. murnau,
lillian gish,
lon chaney,
lost film,
silent film,
theda bara
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