World War I film screenings - Meramec/Kirkwood

St. Louis Community College - Meramec is involved in the One Book, One College program and, in honor of their selected book, All Quiet on the Western Front, is hosting numerous WWI films over the next few months. No idea if these are actual prints or DVDs (boo), but I'll try to find out. Unfortunately the Meramec showings are during the day. Way to encourage community involvement.

Lucky for us, the film is also being shown at Kirkwood Public Library at 6:00 pm the same day, making me highly suspicious of a DVD screening (CONFIRMED, the DVD will be screened).

This Thursday is 1981's Gallipoli. Come watch Mel Gibson run, presumably from the jews.

For info on upcoming films, including Paths of Glory, Sergeant York, and Grand Illusion, download this PDF.

UPDATE: DVDs will be screened and Grand Illusion will be the only film in the series not screened at Kirkwood Public Library the same evening due to rights issues.

4 Devils hoax

So it was fun while it lasted.

The 4 Devils Discovery thread over at Criterion makes for a terrific read, even though it is an all but verified hoax. It really is interesting to see how a discovery of this nature causes people to react. Cinephiles are definitely their own unique breed (of which I am not excluded). The idea of found film sends one's optimistic imagination reeling [pun] for days.

It helps one understand the preoccupation with religious relics in the middle ages. Stupid, but somehow it keeps you going.

Classic Halloween Horror Flicks

October is not only a great time to go see Buster Keaton films at Webster University, but it is also prime horror movie time. IFC and the venerable TCM are happy and willing to accommodate those seeking some freakish perennial favorites by offering a slew of cult films. IFC definitely leans toward the graphic/splatter variety, while TCM serves up Friday night horror programming, each featuring a classic horror director.

Among the TCM highlights are:

• Val Lewton day (already past but so good...)
• A reconstruction of the long-lost London After Midnight on Friday, October 19
• I Bury the Living (1958) Friday, October 19 (in the morning), the criminally overlooked b-flick starring the grandfathers of Clive Owen and Groundskeeper Willie.

In other incredible classic film news these days is this thread in the Criterion Forums. None of this has been verified, but it seems an unsuspecting citizen has uncovered a print of F.W. Murnau's long lost The Four Devils. That this has the potential to be a discovery on par with the greatest Lazarus cinema stories goes without saying. Now if God would just smile upon The Magnificent Ambersons...

All for now. Enjoy the remainder of Kompletely Keaton this weekend!

Weekend 2 Kompletely Keaton Recap

The series just continues to get better.

Friday Oct. 5:
The short, Daydreams, screened after the full-length since the band had to leave early. Daydreams is in bad shape. Not only is it missing pieces, but the frame rate is wrong/interpolated at times, making some scenes resemble the blurry, choppy caricature that some people still think all silent films look like. Those of us in the know are well aware that this is not only a lie, but a downright shame. If anyone thinks of a film like The Navigator as inferior to modern comedies…
The Navigator is non-stop funny and the print was in great shape. This film boasts some of the great Keaton routines, including the miniature canon that is tied to his foot and the submarine at the end of the film. The Carol Beth trio played some very nice backing piano jazz, with an unfortunate Disney or West Side Story song here and there.

Saturday Oct.6:
The Paleface DVD shown had a few elements taken from a much poorer source (looked like upsampled VHS), but the film is great. I’ve always found it interesting that while Native Americans were still common film villains for another 25 years, Keaton’s film, while not always politically correct, portrays them sympathetically as victims of a greedy oil conglomerate. Somehow the villain’s diabolic nature hasn’t diminished over time.
Go West was elevated to brand new heights with much owed to The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra. Information on them is fairly sparse, but I can say that this was the greatest live scoring I’ve ever experienced. They sounded like a slightly less modern version of The Dirty Three. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a good violin, but I would gladly pay for a recording of their performance. The film was good. The hilarity of Buster Keaton riding a cow through Los Angeles while wearing a skin-tight devil costume can never be underestimated. But, when paired with the Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra, it is a near-masterpiece.

Sunday Oct. 7:
Neighbors is a terrific short, nearly all of it consisting of gags set in the alley between two houses. Instead of Keaton’s usual running/chase gags, many of the gags are vertical, adding a fresh bit of creativity to his repertoire.
Seven Chances with Ron Bryant on piano was probably my favorite full-length so far. The Navigator was close, even winning, until the unbelievable thousand dumpy wife chase and those almost unfathomably long takes with the falling boulders. I pity anyone who has to see this on a small screen. The 35mm print proved that the last 15 minutes of the film do not only contain comic genius, but also a latent filmmaking virtuosity that often gets overlooked when discussing Keaton the director. If Keaton had been allowed to continue directing into the sound era, I firmly believe we would have seen him make some great strides in the formal precepts of filmmaking.

Next weekend are some more big ones…

In the meantime, feed your addiction over at alt.silent.movies.

Kompletely Keaton thus far

A short recap for those who missed it or are wondering what to expect for the rest of the series

Fri. Sept. 28:
The short, Cops, was terrific. Every time I see it I appreciate the horse's performance more.
The full length print of Three Ages, a light spoof on Griffith's Intolerance, isn't the funniest film, but some of the gags are terrific. The scene with the lion in ancient Rome took the cake for me. The music by The Steve Schenkel & Paul DeMarinis Trio was very good; jazzy with different motifs for each of the Three Ages. A good start.

Sat. Sept. 29:
The short, The High Sign, ends with an endlessly inventive chase involving a secret society hit squad which is after a man who Buster must both kill and protect. The use of the trap doors and visual illusions in the large set piece embody and embellish the creativity that sets Keaton's shorts apart from all others.
The full length, Our Hospitality, opens with a surprisingly dramatic scene that utilizes light and shadows so deftly that Fritz Lang would be proud. The train gag in the first third goes on too long, especially for those familiar with The General, in which Keaton perfects the more rudimentary gags seen here. The stunts in the climax over the waterfall are terrifying, leading one to wonder how much Keaton was insured for at the time. It is perhaps the most mesmerizing stunt work I've ever seen, if only because it can't be entirely faked. Accompaniment by Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris was probably better suited to another film. The music was wonderful, but did little to enhance the film itself as old Parisian standards do not always lend themselves to underscoring a story about a family feud set in the old south.

Sun. Sept. 30:
The short was the highlight of the night. Sherlock Jr. is Buster Keaton at absolute perfection. The audience was howling. The print looked great and the motorcycle ride near the end of the film is one of cinema's great action sequences. The Mont Alto Orchestra played for this film and it couldn't have been better. They accompany silent films with music that would have been played at the time. So far in the series this has been the musical highlight, not necessarily in uniqueness or style, but in sheer cohesion with the film that is playing. It only enhances the film, sometimes greatly, and never distracts.
The full length, The Saphead, was historically interesting as Keaton's first starring full-length. But it isn't really a Keaton film, and it is little more than a very pleasant silent film of the era. One would be remiss to ignore the "I'll take it" scene as a precursor of Keaton's physicality. This was shown from a video source and paled in comparison to the quality of Sherlock Jr.

Thurs. Oct. 4 (Keaton's birthday):
The Goat may have had the best audience reaction so far. It is a funny short from start to finish with an almost non-stop chase sequence.
Battling Butler, is a good film with a great premise. Keaton is good and goofy, but often finds himself in binds that do not require much physical comedy or environmental gags. The pairing of these two films is important in understanding the difference between the two types of Keaton film: the short and the full length. Watching a full length and expecting a 70 minute short is going to be a bit of a letdown. I don't want to snark any of the talented musicians who've dedicated much time to such a great series, but Webster professor Carol Schmidt's dischordant jazz accompaniment might have hurt the film a bit. Great music to be sure, but I find myself a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to silent music scores. I want the music to have contextual relevance to what I'm seeing, not just to augment the narrative, but to keep the era of filmmaking in context as well. Some jazz does that nicely, but last night's may have been a bit too fractured.

Up this weekend: The Navigator with Daydreams, Go West with The Paleface, and Seven Chances with Neighbors.