What should I do with my sweetheart on Valentine's Day, you might be asking. Here's the perfect answer - go to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival tomorrow night. The featured films will be -
Our Hospitality (1923) a parody of Romeo and Juliet set in the Old South in 1830. Buster Keaton dodges his sweetheart's family's bullets. His daredevil rescue attempt above a waterfall is still one of the all-time great movie stunts. With live piano accompaniment
A Kiss from Mary Pickford (1927) starring Mary Pickford and her husband in real life, Douglas Fairbanks
Sunrise (1927), a compelling tale of love, desire, guilt and redemption. It received the first Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Picture.
The Cat and the Canary (1927) one of the first thriller comedies. It's a tale of a dark house, it involves reading a will, and an escaped lunatic running around. Live accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer.
The art form of movie-making is barely 100 years old. In that time it has made an incredible impression on billions of people. It's been used to educate, to indoctrinate and to entertain. It reflects and maybe even defines a culture and the times we live in. A great movie portrays love and devotion, betrayal and greed, giving us a chance to observe and maybe to understand ourselves a little better. Bravo to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival for bringing us these classics.
Happy Valentine's Day!
No comments:
Post a Comment