Silent Shorts

[Kitty]

Here is the Bluebeard (1901) short by Melies that we were talking about in the Who's On the Banner thread! I can imagine it would have been pretty scary for the time!

Though all the key (see what I did there? ) elements are there, there are a few embellishments that Melies adds that are not really part of the story.

Do you know the story of Bluebeard? If not, I think it's important to read the story before watching the film. It's not long, go ahead!

This story was written by Charles Perrault in 1697, and this version of the story appeared in Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book (1889). The Blue Fairy Book was the first in a series of 12 books of fairy tales, the series originally being called The Coloured Fairy Books, now called Andrew Lang's Fairy Books of Many Colors.

Read it here:
https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/perrault03.html

https://youtu.be/7c7pcxnakzE

[donnie]

Most interesting! No, I was unfamiliar with the story of Bluebeard. I liked the rather wry second moral, by the way. : And on a completely different note, the curiosity of the wife reminds me of the episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show in which Laura's curiosity about the packages gets her into trouble.

As for the film, it was most interesting to watch, as well, though I had some trouble piecing together the first part with the events in the Perrault version. And of course, much of the business with the keys was simplified, which is understandable and to be expected. And the addition of the imp and "fairy godmother" characters was interesting. (I'm sure there are many differing versions.)

This one had a much more

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upbeat ending with the murdered women being resurrected. Even Bluebeard hung around for long enough to make a pest of himself. There's always that distinct variety of whimsical humor in the Méliès films.

I enjoyed listening to the Bach background music as well, especially the first part, which was the Prelude in A Minor from Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. The mood of that is so strange and indefinable. My favorite rendition of it is by Angela Hewitt. She plays it a little faster than here, if you want to hear it again. (Once was probably enough for you. ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPSCHZnjw2k

[donnie]

I just watched a Griffith Biograph I'd never heard of. The plot is the standard race-to-the-rescue one à la An Unseen Enemy and others. What's remarkable about this is the stunning print—I don't think I've ever seen a Biograph this sharp and beautiful. The interiors, clothing, and exterior shots are nice to see in such clear detail.

The Lonely Villa (1909)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaLZ6sRPk2M

[Kitty]

The Lonely Villa (1909)

I loved this film for many reasons!

First, there's an early, beautiful print with Mary Pickford as the oldest daughter. I definitely recognized Adele De Garde as the middle child, and I wonder if the littlest, Glady Egan, knew that Mary Pickford's real name was also Gladys? If so, I'm sure you can imagine how tickled she must have been.

The second thing was the music, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

But the most important thing that was so exciting for me is all the "hidden" Biograph logos attached to the walls. Can you find them all?

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At :56 in the hallway, there is a logo to the right of the door,

And at

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5:25, they added another that wasn't there before in their little sitting room to the left of the curtain.

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At 7:43, there's another to the left of the cubbies.

By the way, check out that guy in the way back with the white shirt, big mustache and dark glasses.
You get a good view of the logo at

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8:19 when the father leaves the phone,

but not before we notice

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in another shot in the sitting room, the logo is moved to a higher spot above the paneling at 8:11.

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When the girls finally go into the next room

(why didn't they do that before?)

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there is another logo next to the window at 10:59.

And the adorableness at around 2:26 when the middle daughter goes to stand by the littlest one and they hold hands and jump and smile at each other? Well, that's joy in and of itself.

[donnie]

I loved this film for many reasons!

I'm glad you liked it.

First, there's an early, beautiful print with Mary Pickford as the oldest daughter. I definitely recognized Adele De Garde as the middle child, and I wonder if the littlest, Glady Egan, knew that Mary Pickford's real name was also Gladys? If so, I'm sure you can imagine how tickled she must have been.

I was trying to decide if that was Mary. At first, I was sure it was, but later, it didn't look like her. However, it is indeed.

The actress playing the wife/mother, Marion Leonard, is one of my favorites of Griffith's Biograph troupe. She had such expressive eyes. I was trying to identify which actor played the first criminal,

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the one who came in and unloaded the pistol, but because of the makeup I cannot tell. But he often plays Biograph villains, in that same makeup.

And IMDb gives Bobby Harron as "child," but I didn't notice him anywhere.

The second thing was the music, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Yes, it was good.

But the most important thing that was so exciting for me is all the "hidden" Biograph logos attached to the walls. Can you find them all?

I saw a couple of the ones you reference, but missed some of the later ones. And did you notice the "Long Distance Telephone" sign at 7:29. (Actually, it said "Local and Long Distance Telephone," but with "Long Distance" in bigger print.) So I'm gathering that, at least in that time and in that locality, long distance calling wasn't available in residences.

Yes, I also wondered

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why they took so long to go into the other room; and why the criminal was so slow with that pry bar. Also, it might have been smart to cut that phone wire before breaking in.

[BettyLouSpence]

The actress playing the wife/mother, Marion Leonard, is one of my favorites of Griffith's Biograph troupe. She had such expressive eyes. I was trying to identify which actor played the first criminal,

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the one who came in and unloaded the pistol, but because of the makeup I cannot tell. But he often plays Biograph villains, in that same makeup.

And IMDb gives Bobby Harron as "child," but I didn't notice him anywhere.

As an aside, Wikipedia lists Mack Sennett as one of the actors, but I'm not sure which one he was.

I second the favorable opinions on the score. I thought it suited the action well and kept the film engaging (though I did find it a bit intense for some of the domestic scenes).

Yes, I also wondered

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why they took so long to go into the other room; and why the criminal was so slow with that pry bar. Also, it might have been smart to cut that phone wire before breaking in.

Gotta keep up that dramatic tension!

[dachshundonstilts]

Here's a Méliès short from 1898 that I saw recently and enjoyed a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKQRV4XKZt4

[donnie]

Yes, indeed, that's a classic. One of his best.

Thanks for posting. I enjoyed seeing it again.

[Kitty]

I know that for some, this should be in Halloween shorts. But look! It's in color! And we can see more details now that it's colorized. The animatronics for the day are fascinating. I mean, what an elaborate costume for a very weird vaudeville skit! Really, though, just look at those glorious details. 1907, guys! 115 years ago!

https://youtu.be/BU4W858uiGY

[donnie]

WOW!

Can you believe the stunning quality of this print? I don't know that I've ever seen a silent this sharp and clear, certainly not from anywhere around 1909!

The characters and plot are interestingly bizarre, as well.

The Gibson Goddess, Biograph, 1909 (No score)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NXf4InbtRs