Felix The Cat

Time to do something different. Today's review is based on the animated figure, Felix The Cat. This character was a staple throughout the silent era and one of the few (including the Disney characters) icons to not only survive but thrive in age of the sound.

A typical cartoon consists of Felix (whose very name mean's he's lucky) being involved in some sort of adventure by helping some one like he did in the cartoon: Felix Dopes it out (never mind the drug innuendo) where he helps a clown try to get rid of a gin blossom. In doing so, Felix travels to a tropical island where he has to evade the natives that are trying to eat him. He escapes and gets back to the clown where he just tells him to drink more (you couldn't get away with that today). The cartoon was standard when it came to animation and other things. Even though it is considered a silent film, it does contain sound effects such as people yawning and things flying through the air and laughs are substituted with "Ha's" written on the screen.

The creation of Felix The Cat has a history of its own. The cartoon started life as Master Tom in the 1919 Paramount short "Feline Follies' where it displays  his daily life in the town of Pussyville (don't laugh....well maybe you can laugh a little). In the cartoon he neglects his duties as a house cat and spends his time trying to win the heart of some girl cat. In the end he gets kicked out of his house and found out he fathered a large amount of children. So what does he do? He kills himself...of course. People's humor back in 1919 was way different than today.

Now there's seems to be some controversy on who actually created Felix. Pat Sullivan, who had his own animation company, said he created the character while others point to his head animator, Otto Messmer. Regardless on who created the character, Felix The Cat has stood the test time and remains popular to this day.

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Nosferatu 1922

They are many ways to create a horror movie. One way is to make a blood bath and try to make your audience throw up in every scene. Or another way is to go for the "in your face" approach where they try to shock the viewer. Many movies employ these tactics with a great deal of success. However, there's another way to give the audience chills, and that is to create a surreal nightmarish environment that envelops any one watching. And what better director to do this than F.W. Murnau. The movie is Nosferatu from 1922. This movie is the very first adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Even though it was the first adaptation, the film production company, Prana Film, did not receive permission from Stoker's widow to make the film and had to alter the story, mainly by changing the names to the characters, most notably Count Dracula to Count Orlok. But the main story was basically the same from the novel, so much so that Stoker's widow actually sued Prana Film. This lead to all the prints being destroyed. Or so we thought. Like any good vampire, this film came back to life many years later.

As stated before this film doesn't use traditional tactics usually associated with horror movies. People wont jump out of their seats but the film doesn't intend to do that. Instead it makes it a mission to put audiences in a terrible dream and give the constant feel of dread and despair through out the whole film. This film is terrifying because of the atmosphere, the performance of the actors, and the camera angles. For me, it is the only movie to give me nightmares. Nothing  else has even come close. And that's the main goal of any horror movie, to stay with you once the ending credits roll and you turn off the lights. Not knowing what's lurking in the shadows. And that's what's most terrifying. Any article about Nosferatu can not mention Max Shreck, the actor who brought to life an evil and horrifying character. The way he moves, the way he doesn't blink through out the whole picture as his own shadow creeps around the scenery. It was a performance for the ages. When people bring up great vampire roles they often mention Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. Only recently people have been bringing up Shreck's name as an all time great. I think that's understandable because Nosferatu was considered to be a lost film not to long ago so his name is barley picking up steam. Since it's suppossed destruction this film has made a mighty come back and is now in the public domain with many different versions out on sale. There's many to chose from, so if you have the time and the nerves check it out.

Also this film is important because today's generation of the vampire has dramatically shifted to something less threatening and more sympathetic. So this film makes a good contrast to see where the vampire came from, mostly an evil thing and spreader of disease.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

If any film could be described as a piece of art it would be F.W. Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans from 1927. It won several Oscars in the Academy's first year of existence in 1929.  Among being counted as one of the greatest movies ever made it holds a special place among silent film fans for being able to portray human emotion so clear and vibrant without much text or title cards. The film's director: F.W. Murnau is probably more famous for his horror films like Nosferatu and Faust but I believe Sunrise is slightly better and when that is said you know you have a brilliant director.

The story of Sunrise is basically about a love triangle but not in a way that's cliche or over the top. It starts when a woman from the city goes on vacation to the country side and starts to see a married man. At seeing the man for the first time the actor gives glimpses of regret and you can tell that he feels guilty about it but the temptation is just too much for him to overcome. The man leaves to meet the woman as his wife comes in the room with the dinner made. At seeing the empty room the wife just sits at the table. This is the perfect example of words not being necessary to describe a scene. Her saddened face and lifeless body just sits there waiting for her husband to return. But deep down she knows what he is doing and that pain transcends the screen and touches the viewers. We then get a little flash back when the two were happy. It's a great piece of contrast that adds to the layer of pain. The man starts to sell his things like his oxen probably to buy things for the other woman. The two meet up and the woman then tells the man to sell his farm and to move with her back to the city. The man is a little surprised. He asks of his wife and the woman has a simple solution. Just drown her. The man is taken back but the woman says it'll look like an accident if he over turns the boat. At first he refuses but yields to the woman's demands. The next day the man takes his wife on the boat trip and he tries to throw her off but he could not bring himself to do it. When they get back to the shore the wife runs for her life and the man chases after her. They end up in a trolley that takes them to the city where they end up in a church where the man begs for her forgiveness. And she does. And since they're in the city the two spend the rest of the day just having a great time, getting a picture, dancing and a dazzling set of fire works cap the end of the night. They go back home and decide to go on the boat again. Everything then takes a turn for the worse when the couple gets caught in a storm and this time the wife falls out. The husband gets a group together to look for her but they cannot find her and she is presumed dead. The other woman comes back thinking that the husband went through with her plan the two meet up and she notices that the man is an emotional wreck and he decides to kill her but then his wife was found alive and he races back to his home and sees his wife sleeping in her bed alive and well.

Films can be described in many ways. Ranging from cool to interesting to exciting but not too many films can be called beautiful and that's what this movie is......Beautiful.

The Scarecrow

Back to the vault of Keaton with the short film: "The Scarecrow" from 1920. As mentioned before, I believe Keaton had no equal. Of course that's my own opinion and there can be arguments til the end of time. But to me Keaton had a simple approach to things that made people awe in wonder and when he has full reign to do what he wants, he can be the most ingenious director out of all them. It's no secret that Buster loved gadgets and he loved to tinker. Almost all his films that he had control over had plenty of gadgets and plenty of tricks to match. Today almost everything with few exceptions is done with CGI. The "how did they do that" feeling that made movies special is missing from the modern acts of cinema. However, back then all they had was a camera and props and it took a creative team to make it work on a short budget. This is no different in the "Scarecrow," which makes it all the more special.

The film starts off with two friends: Buster Keaton and Joe Roberts having breakfast together in a small no bedroom house. What comes next is down right brilliant. Gadgets Galore! It's hard to describe and I don't want to spoil it, but a few things that come into play is that everything is attached to a string and I mean everything! Also they found a way to stick it to the man. The Gas man that is. Now with that masterpiece behind us we discover that they're in love with the same girl played by the beautiful Sybil Seely. But they don't care. As Busters puts it: "How don't care how she votes." They do all they can to impress her but their boss gets annoyed that no work is getting done and forces them back to work and the boss tells the girl who is his daugther to go back home. Later on it seems that Roberts has gained the upper hand as Buster's heart is broken as he sees him and the girl dancing. He walks off and comes across a dog named Luke (who in real life belong to Buster's friend and mentor Roscoe Arbuckle) which leads to a mad dog chase sequence.  At the end the two become allies as his clothes had been ruined which makes him have to wear clothes from a scarecrow. At the end the girl's father (Who's played by Buster's very own father: Joe Keaton) and Roberts team up against Buster as he takes the girl with him on the chase. At the end Buster accidentally asks the girl to marry him and she says yes and they come across a pastor in a way that only Buster can. This film has a certain feel to it. Like a small county fair that's in between seasons of summer and fall. I like that and hope you feel the same way.

Watching this film makes me think that there's nothing wrong with being old fashioned.

Trip to the Moon

Everyone in their life time has at least seen one or two scenes from "A trip to the Moon." Which is surprising since it's one of the oldest movies out there dating at 1902. The most iconic scenes of course involve the anthropomorphic moon. That scene along with others has been in so many montages through out my child hood, that it has been etched in my memory. It has been in documentaries, cartoons, parodies and most famous of all is the Smashing Pumpkins music video.

At around twelve minutes it's very short so if this is you're first time hearing about or if you want to re-live it again check it out. The amazing set pieces, painted backdrops, and special effects will make it worth your time.

Genuine

The German Expression movement was an unique art form that started after World War I. It helped launch the careers of F.W. Murnau, Robert Wiene and Fritz Lang; just to name a few. It focused more on artistic expression, concentrating on surreal or dream like atmospheres with painted, jagged, and un-even set designs opposed to trying to keep things realistic and down to earth. It's main purpose was to keep you in a fantasy world. This art form was one of the first things I was introduced to when I started to gain interest in silent films. Sadly though it died out with the decline of the silent movie era. Also with today's audience, everybody seems to be more interested in real world events and want their films to be like wise. People forget that film in it's self is an art form and people making them should have more freedom. Here's an example: If film makers during the depression made movies about the depression it would have been horrible. Audiences back then wanted to escape from reality and have a good time. It seems like today everybody is afraid to use their imagination and that is what made me appreciate German Expression even more.

The year is 1920 and after Robert  Wiene's "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" set the standard for expressionism he made a film entitled: "Genuine: A tale of a Vampire" (different restorations have a different sub-title). Just as surreal and nightmarish as Caligari, it starred Fern Andra as the title character Genuine. A woman who belonged to a tribe but do to a war she was captured and was turned into a slave. During this process she developed a savage and mean hearted persona. She is then sold to an old man who walks in a very Nosferatu like manner. The old man keeps her confined in an elaborate bedroom forbidding her to explore the rest of the house. It's uncertain why the old man keeps her. The film doesn't describe their relationship, so it's up to the viewer to make their own judgment. The town's people get suspicious about the house and order the old man's barber to testify before a judge about the going's on at the house. So the barber's nephew takes his place. Soon after the woman escapes from her room and confronts the nephew and tells him to kill the old man. He does and he soon finds himself falling in love with the woman. While in her room she tells him to commit suicide, saying that it would be a great expression of his love for her. To make sure she sends a servant to go with him. The movie gets more interesting when the old man's grandson comes and visits. Soon enough the same thing happens to the grandson. Through out the film the woman becomes more vile and crazy. An interesting movie with plenty of twists and great atmosphere to keep you involved.

To note: There's several versions of this film: The Full length version which I just described and also a shorter version around three minutes which can be found on the special features section on the "Caligari" DVD.

The Lost World

The literary universe that Sir Arther Conan Doyle created is timeless as it is masterful. Doyle's most famous creation was Sherlock Holmes and his loyal friend Dr. Watson, but it was in his novel: The Lost World from 1912 where we're introduced to Professor Challenger. One could say he thinks outside the box. Others would say that this man is a crazed homicidal lunatic! But that's up for debate.

The first film adaptation came in 1925 entitled The Lost World. Without reading the novel (that's going to change soon) it's hard to comment on how faithful this adaptation is towards the material. I can say that the film excels in transporting the viewer in a world filled with adventure and danger. It begins with a journalist trying to please his girlfriend (what else is new) about living a dangerous lifestyle. So he tries to get on Challenger's expedition to the Amazon where Challenger states that Dinosaurs are still alive. Of course he's laughed right out of the building. After trying to kill the journalist whose name is Malone, he agrees to bring the young man on for the money that Malone's paper promises to give Challenger and along with other members including a very lovely Bessie Love they head off to the Amazon. This is where the movie starts to get going. Awesome stop motion Dinosaurs by Willis O' Brien highlight the film. The plot ends where the crew brings back a rather grumpy Brontosaurus (Apatosaurus) to London where it escapes and wreaks havoc on the city. A theme that would appear again in the movie King Kong (1933). A film that O' Brien also worked on. The Brontosaurus makes its escape through a river leaving Professor Challenger crushed.

A land mark film from a brilliant mind. There's one part of the film that stood with me. Professor Challenger was ridiculed and laughed at, but he stuck to his beliefs and didn't back down. That's something that I think everyone should take note of. Always believe in your vision no matter what other people say.

The Lucky Dog

Everybody knows the famous comedy duo of Laurel and Hardy but not too much people realize (including my self at one point) that Stan Laurel was a stand alone comedian like Harold Lloyd or Charlie Chaplin. Even when the duo did team up during the thirties Stan was still calling the shots, even butting heads with their long time producer Hal Roach. It's always funny to see Stan get bossed around by Oliver not knowing that Stan planned it out that way.

Which brings up the film: "The Lucky Dog" from 1918. This is a very important part in cinema history. It marks the first time Stan and Oliver starred in the same film, albeit not the all star team that they would become later on. Stan plays the down on his luck hero that comes across a dog. However, this isn't any regular dog. This is a lucky dog! This dog gets Stan to meet the girl of his dreams and exposes her boyfriend to be a crook. After outsmarting a bandit who is played by Hardy, Stan goes on some misadventures with the dog which ultimately leads up at the girl's home where the boyfriend and Hardy try to kill Stan, but the lucky dog comes to the rescue with a stick of dynamite. This film is charming and funny. A must have for any Laurel and Hardy fan.

Conflicted Favorite: The Camera Man

Buster Keaton is not only my favorite silent film actor but he's my all time favorite actor. Just the way he can make people from different generations laugh out loud sets him apart from the others. Where today people try to shock to get laughs, Buster could make a whole theater laugh with just the movement of his eyes.

When it comes to picking a movie there's no wrong answer. They're all great. But the one I'm going to pick is "The Camera man" from 1928. To me it was a masterpiece. It balanced all of Buster's elements into one artistic stroke. However, this was the first movie made under M.G.M. Every Buster fan knows that this was the beginning of the end. So on first seeing it I was unaware that M.G.M was going to give Buster hell later on in his career. The film itself is still brilliant but I'm saddened by the fact that Buster's creativity would be caged and thrown away with. This movie tugs at my conscience. But maybe that's why I picked it as my favorite. Buster Keaton is the ultimate under-dog and he will prevail no-matter what kind of odds are against him. I think that this movie portrays that aspect of his life the best way.

Hello

This blog is for all the silent film fans out there. I'm going to talk about some of my favorites and some that I just recently discovered. There always seems to be a hidden gem that pops out just when I think I've seen them all. I'm going to start as soon as I can. So for now here's some pretty (at least I think so) pictures.