ALL THE NEWS FIT TO HEAR • VOLUME 06 • NUMBER 04 • JUL/AUG 2012

100 YEARS OF KEYSTONE COMEDY THURSDAY NIGHTS IN SEPTEMBER format. Titles, intertitles and miss- ing footage will be replaced, images cleaned and stabilized, original tint- ing and toning will be restored and newly created scores by some of the best musicians in the industry will ensure that these wonderful films will once again be seen as originally intended. Approximately 78 of these re- stored titles will be showcased on Thursday nights throughout the month of September on Turner The Classic Movies with host Robert Os- borne. The entire library, including This August marks the 100th an- which the remaining Sennett library 25 extras, will also be made available niversary of the founding of Mack can be accessed. Surviving prints and to the public for the very first time in Sennett’s , Amer- negatives are scattered around the DVD and Blu-Ray formats. Digital ica’s first studio dedicated to the pro- globe, held by various government masters will then be struck for long duction of motion picture comedies. archives, museums and private col- term storage and preservation. (www. Keystone Studios, under the guid- lectors. tcm.com for broadcast schedule) ance of pioneering producer/director In honor of Keystone’s 2012 cen- , was the birthplace of tenary, noted director/film historian FORBIDDEN WOMAN the classic American slapstick com- Paul E. Gierucki and producer Britta- Restoration Underway edy. This historic studio was at one ny Valente have teamed with Turner time home to early lumi- Entertainment Networks to digitally naries such as , Harry restore a large portion of the Mack . The Academy Langdon, , Roscoe Sennett film library—100 films for Film Archive at the Pickford Center “Fatty” Arbuckle, The Bathing Beau- the 100th anniversary. for Motion Picture Study has em- ties, , , The barked on restoration efforts towards Keystone Cops, and a long forgotten melodrama The countless others. Even Hollywood Forbidden Woman (1927) starring a icon , still the world’s largely understudied silent star, Jetta most recognized actor, introduced his Goudal. The Dutch born actress was beloved Tramp character under the likened to other contemporary wom- auspices of Keystone. en cast in exotic roles of the 1920’s Sadly, time has not been kind to such as Barbara La Marr and Nita the original films which have made- Naldi, and though her filmography is many generations laugh. In fact, of a near equivalent to the rise and fall the 1000 films produced by Sennett in popularity of these fellow vamps, throughout his career only several Goudal‘s contribution to the height hundred are known to survive—and These long neglected classic of the craze is not as thoroughly many exist only in fragmentary form. comedies will finally receive a des- documented in the canon of women Further, there is no single source from perately needed restoration in the HD featured in those tantalizing roles. Cast as Zita, a seductive spy for tive plans for the restoration to debut the Sultan of Morocco, Goudal car- at one of their theatrical venues be- ries the audience through her web of fore the close of 2012. (Info courtesy deception on orders from the Sultan A.M.P.A.S.) to meet and marry a Colonel of the French Foreign Legion and smuggle military secrets back to her country to VI Jornada Brasileira outsmart their combatants. Produced de Cinema Silencioso by the DeMille Picture Corporation under the direction of Paul L. Stein, SÃO PAULO. Prior to the in the intriguing drama co-stars Victor dustry of dreams that we know to- Varconi and Joseph Schildkraut who day, motion pictures were merely an are regularly assigned to pictures un- attraction at fairs and bazaars in the der the supervision of William and late 19th century. Part of the popu- Cecil B. DeMille. lar show (along with tricks, magic and circus) cinema satirized an in- novative look at the contradictions of a world that turned quickly toward modernity. To create this atmosphere of change, the VI Jornada Brasile- ira de Cinema Silencioso, running Backstairs August 11th–19th, presents a collec- tive experiment in different ways to Dovzhenko, and Lev Kuleshov; plus address the magic of cinema. a presentation of silent cinema pro- Curated by Adilson Mendes, the duced and released within the coun- VI Jornada brings to the public the try of Brazil itself. The program titled exposition of Lights and Shadows Brazil: 1922 Spectacle is a celebra- dedicated to German expressionist tion of Brazilian independence dur- cinema and their stylized use of light ing the period where filmmakers Jetta Goudal and scenarios, featuring pictures di- acknowledged their nationality and rected by Paul Leni, Arthur Robison, modernization through the record- and Robert Wiene; an overview of Preservation Officer Josef Lind- ing of actualities and documentaries 1920’s Soviet Cinema showcasing ner of the AFA has gathered what is covering events such as the Rio Car- numerous artistic responses to the known to be the best surviving ma- nival, the Arrival of Portuguese Air- Russian Revolution of 1917 with terial on this feature. A tinted nitrate men, and the coverage of festivities the presentation of avant-garde pro- print with French intertitles from the marking the centenary of Brazilian Lobster Film Collection will form ductions by Boris Barnet, Aleksandr Independence, all taking place within the basis of the restoration, with an that magical year. incomplete 16mm safety print from The festival has partnered with the UCLA Film & Television Archive several musicians to provide live ac- collection providing some additional companiment throughout the event scenes from the opening. Another with exhibitions taking place at Sala 35mm print with Dutch and French Cinemateca, the Ibirapuera Audito- titles from the collection of the Cin- rium, and the Cinemateca Petrobras. ematheque Royal in Belgium is also Admission is free to all scheduled ac- being consulted. tivities and the complete list of events The AFA hopes to restore the are available to review on the official picture back to its intended edit and festival website www.cinemateca. length, plus reconstruct and translate gov.br/jornada/. (Translation pro- French intertitles back to the original vided by Paula Maricato, silentbeau- English language. There are tenta- ties.blogspot.com.br/) Pass the Gravy (Fred Guiol and Leo Street and Forest Avenue. McCarey, 1928, with Max Davidson) Sometimes called “the cradle of THE DENVER SILENT and Easy Street (Charlie Chaplin, Hollywood animation,” Laugh-O- 1917) on Sunday, September 23rd. Gram turned out teams of talented FILM FESTIVAL (Complete program and ticket info at animators who followed Disney to www.denversilentfilmfest.org) Hollywood. Through their careers The University of Colorado they helped found the animation de- Denver’s College of Arts & Media partments of MGM and Warner Bros. presents its 2nd Annual Denver LAUGH-O-GRAM and launch the careers of a young Festival (DSFF) from STUDIO RESTORATION William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. September 21st – 23rd, 2012. The It is also said to be the place where a DSFF presents a broad spectrum of PROJECT tame rodent sitting on Disney’s desk silent film by programming a lively gave him the inspiration for Mickey and thought-provoking mix of educa- Mouse. tional and entertaining films, Ameri- Though it sits vacant, the build- can and foreign classics, as well as ing has been lovingly decorated lesser-known rare and restored films with drawings by students from the presented in 35mm. Kansas City Art Institute, including The Opening Night Gala will a large replica of Disney’s famous be held on Friday, September 21st business card, which shows the art- at Seawell Ballroom at the Denver ist drawing at his easel. The windows Center for the Performing Arts. Fol- are covered with drawings by famous lowing the Gala at the DCPA, Wings By James A. Fussell (excerpted ar- cartoonists from around the country (William Wellman, 1927) will open ticle, 5/27/12) —including Mort Walker (Beetle the festival at the King Center at KANSAS CITY. Amid cracked Bailey), Cathy Guisewite (Cathy) 8PM. There will be a post-film Q & sidewalks, a weedy lot and a “keep and Jim Davis (Garfield)—as a trib- A with William Wellman Jr., son of out” sign behind an old metal fence, a ute to Disney’s legacy. the director, and Howie Movshovitz, boarded-up brick building off Troost Artistic Director for the DSFF. Avenue awaits its rebirth. For 15 years, a Kansas City group has raised money to revitalize Laugh-O-Gram, Walt Disney’s first professional ani- mation studio, and turn it into an in- teractive historical site, educational museum and perhaps more. Now, 90 years after Disney began work there in May 1922, organizers are launch- Disney & Co. 1922 ing their final fund-raising push, hop- ing to complete the project by 2015. The building’s champions have “There is an important question made progress. “We’ve taken a people raise: Why is this taking so building on the city’s demolition list Mighty Like a Moose long?” said Butch Rigby, chairman and saved it,” Rigby said. “We’ve re- of the group Thank You Walt Dis- moved the collapsed rubble, replaced Weekend highlights include a ney Inc. “The answer: It’s just a slow a significant portion of the exterior presentation of The Cabinet of Dr. fund-raising process.” The group has masonry and brick, installed new Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1919) on raised and spent nearly $1 million concrete floors, new framing, a new Saturday, September 22nd with live and hopes to raise at least $2 mil- steel structure and a new roof.” accompaniment by Donald Sosin, lion more. If the group can raise even To help with fundraising efforts Joanna Seaton, and UCD music more money, it plans to put a work- please visit www.thankyouwaltdis- students; and four short comedies - ing animation and digital media stu- ney.org. (Full article www.kansas- Cops (Buster Keaton, 1922), Mighty dio on the second floor of the build- city.com/2012/05/27/3630308/an- Like a Moose (, 1926), ing, at the southwest corner of 31st animated-effort-to-revive-a.html) BOOK CORNER realistic fantasy but also pictorial art- become a symbol of unsafe working istry. (http://cup.columbia.edu/) conditions and capital's apparent dis- regard for labor. (www.kino.com) HOLLYWOOD LIGHTING ON DVD & BLU-RAY FROM THE SILENT ERA TO FILM NOIR THE DEVIL'S NEEDLE LONESOME By Patrick Keating AND OTHER TALES OF VICE & REDEMPTION Lighting performs essential func- The early Hollywood gem Lone- some is the creation of a little-known tions in Hollywood films, enhancing Presented in association with the the glamour, clarifying the action, but audacious and one-of-a-kind au- Library of Congress, The Devil's teur, Paul Fejos (a filmmaker, explor- and intensifying the mood. Examin- Needle and Other Tales of Vice and ing every facet of this understated art er, anthropologist, & doctor!), who Redemption is comprised of three bridged the gap between the silent form, from the glowing backlights of feature films that dared to address in- and sound eras. the silent period to the shaded alleys cendiary subject matter: drug abuse, of film noir, Patrick Keating affirms prostitution, and the exploitation of la- the role of Hollywood lighting as a bor. By folding these explosive issues distinct, compositional force. within layers of melodramatic story- telling, the filmmakers were able to dodge public criticism while making their political views even more com- pelling. These films were among the LonesomeLonesome first to demonstrate the cinema's po- tential as a persuasive cultural force. Fejos pulled out all the stops for this lovely symphony set in antic Coney Island during the Fourth of July weekend—employing Girl Shy color tinting, superimposition effects, experimental editing, and a roving Closely analyzing Girl Shy camera (plus three dialogue scenes, (1924), Anna Karenina (1935), added because of the craze for talk- Only Angels Have Wings (1939), ies). For years, Lonesome has been and T-Men (1947), along with other a rare treat for festival and cinema- brilliant classics, Keating describes theque audiences; it’s only now com- the unique problems posed by these ing to home video. Rarer still are the films and the innovative ways cine- two other Fejos films included in this matographers handled the challenge. release: The Last Performance (fea- Once dismissed as crank-turning la- turing a new score by Donald Sosin) borers, these early cinematographers and a reconstruction of the previously became skillful professional artists incomplete sound version of Broad- by carefully balancing the competing way, in its time the most expensive demands of story, studio, and star. The Devil's Needle (1916, dir: film ever produced at Universal. Enhanced by more than one hun- Chester Withey) stars silent superstar (www.criterion.com) dred illustrations, this volume coun- Norma Talmadge as Renee, a French ters the notion that style took a back- artist's model who uses morphine as TST EDITED & PUBLISHED BY: an escape from the dull reality of her seat to storytelling in Hollywood life. Inside of The White Slave Traf- Brandee B. Cox: film, proving that the lighting prac- fic (1913, dir: Frank Beal) deals with Content Manager tices of the studio era were anything forced prostitution; while Children of Steven K. Hill: but neutral, uniform, and invisible. Eve (1915; dir: John Collins) is most Layout & Graphic Design Cinematographers were masters of famous today for its detailed reenact- Contact us at: [email protected] multifunctionality and negotiation, ment of the tragic fire at the Triangle www.tstnews.net honing their craft to achieve not only Shirtwaist Factory in 1911, which had