This sensualist's dream follows Louise Brooks look-alike Rodney O'Neal Austin on his search for the Beloved. From the cabaret to opium dens and dancing graces this homage to early sound film explores a world teeming with the mysteries of longing and death. Winner of Best Black-and-White Cinematography in a Short Film (Cork International Film Festival 1996). Here is a brief excerpt. If it doesn't show, follow the link below to watch on Vimeo.
A cinephilac blog about an actress, silent film, and the Jazz Age, with occasional posts
about related books, music, art, and history written by Thomas Gladysz. Visit the
Louise Brooks Society™ at www.pandorasbox.com
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Not for Nothin' (1996) [excerpt] by Cathy Lee Crane
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Saturday, July 20, 2013
New song: Bob Your Head (Like Louise Brooks) by Javolenus
I recently came across a terrific remix of a new song called "Bob Your Head (Like Louise Brooks)." Check it out on the ccMixter website: "Bob Your Head (Like Louise Brooks)" remixed by unreal_dm, 2013 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)
The song was composed by an artist who goes under the handle of Javolenus. His original stripped down version from April of this year can be found at http://ccmixter.org/files/Javolenus/41997 or on Soundcloud. Their player widget is embedded below. The ccMixter version linked to above was remixed by unreal_dm and posted only a few days ago.
Javolenus, who's real name is Christopher Summerville, is a singer / songwriter based in England. According to his profile, he is interested in song-writing, guitar impro, film/video music, and promoting Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque music.
Also on ccMixter is a song called "April Is In My Mistress' Face." It is an adaption, as the artist explained. "Thought I’d update this Renaissance madgrigal by Thomas Morley (c. 1600)
by adding some of my own lyrics and giving it a punky/fuzztone
treatment." Those added lyrics once again reference Louise Brooks! Give it a listen.
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Friday, July 19, 2013
Prix de Beauté at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
The house was packed at yesterday's historic screening of Prix de Beauté at the Castro Theater in San Francisco. The
Festival screened the rarely shown silent version of the 1930 Louise Brooks film, which was restored in 2012 by the
Cineteca di Bologna in Italy. My guess is that at least 1200 people were in the attendance. Acclaimed British
musician Stephen Horne accompanied the film on piano (mostly), as well as flute, accordion, and guitar.
The film was very well received. During the beauty pageant in San Sebastian, the audience in the Castro starting clapping along with the audience in the film (to ensure Brooks' victory). Another memoriable moment occurred at the end of the film, when Stephen Horne's live accompaniment gave way to the the recorded song heard in the sound version of Prix de Beauté, before Horne resumed playing the close the film.
Here are a few snapshots from inside the theater during the pre-film slideshow.
After the screening, I had the honor of being part of a three-person signing along with fellow Louise Brooks fans
Hugh Munro Neely, the Emmy nominated filmmaker whose documentary Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu is
widely acclaimed, and comix artist amd early film enthuisiast Kim Deitch. As a teenager in 1957, Deitch said, he was in the audience along with his father, Gene Deitch, of a screening of Diary of a Lost Girl at the Eastman House in Rochester, New York. Also in the audience was Louise Brooks! Kim never met her, though his father did. Gene Deitch also had his picture taken with her. Below is a snapshot of myself (right) and Kim Deitch (left).
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Highlights of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Silent films can transport us back in time. Movies from the early
years of the 20th century are filled with details which reveals the way
people used to live, work, think, fall in love, solve problems, act
silly, and get by on a daily basis. The way people lived then and the
way people live now is different, and that's interesting.
Silent films, as well, are filled with all manner of objects from the
past, like hand-crank telephones, automobiles with rumble seats, and
acoustic record players known as Victrolas. And too, there are fashions
and hairstyles, especially in films from the Twenties, which depicted
the glamorous Gatsby side of the Jazz Age. City skylines and city
streets have also changed over the years. How many buildings in a scene
shot on the streets of Los Angeles or San Francisco or New York or Paris
in the 1920s are still extant? At this year's San Francisco Silent Film Festival, you'll have a chance to see for yourself.
courtesy San Francisco Silent Film Festival |
There is a lot of detail to watch for at this year's Silent Film
Festival, which takes place July 18 - 21 at the Castro Theater in San
Francisco. For example, two of the most anticipated films at this year's
event, Prix de Beauté and The Last Edition, feature
extended scenes shot inside the composing and press rooms of newspapers
from the time--back when metal type was set by hand and newspapers were
printed on broadsheet. Imagine that.
There is also a quasi-documentary filmed entirely on location in Bali in 1935 by the ex-husband of Gloria Swanson. The film, Legong: Dance of the Virgins,
is a late silent and one of the last features shot in two-strip
Technicolor. It's gorgeous. And what's more, this special screening will
feature live musical accompaniment by a Balinese gamelan ensemble. All
the films at the Festival feature live musical accompaniment of one kind
or another.
Don't miss The Weavers, a German film with striking
intertitles designed by the radical artist George Grosz. Another
not-to-be-missed presentation, a late addition to the Festival, is a
newly discovered two-minute trailer for Dziga Vertov's The Eleventh Year
(1928). It's believed to be animated and directed by Aleksander
Rodchenko, one of the founders of the Constructivist art movement in the
Soviet Union.
For Downton Abbey fans, there's The First Born, a
rarely scene British drama set among the upper class. It was co-scripted
by Alfred Hitchcock's future wife and production partner, Alma Reville.
There's also a delicately composed Japanese silent, Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Chorus,
whose themes of parental love and middle-class dreams are set against a
backdrop of urban realities. As well, there are comedy shorts starring
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Felix the Cat, and a Russian film
described as the "Best Soviet Silent Comedy ever." Hmmm.... here's what
else shouldn't be missed.
courtesy San Francisco Silent Film Festival |
1) Prix de Beauté is the masterpiece that almost was. Based on a story idea by G.W. Pabst and Rene Clair, Prix de Beauté
is screen legend Louise Brooks' last starring role. It was also
intended to be Clair's first sound film. The financing fell apart, and
the legendary French director withdrew. The Italian Augusto Genina (Cyrano de Bergerac)
stepped in and shot it more-or-less as a silent but with dubbed
dialogue and sound effects. The result is a awkward hybrid effort, at
times effective, at times clumsy. The San Francisco Silent Film Festival
will screen the rarely seen, recently restored silent version which is
not only longer, but in most regards, superior--an almost masterpiece.
The film's climax, familiar to those who have seen the sound version on
DVD, has sent critics into rapture. It may be one of the great endings
of all time. Musician Stephen Horne, who will be accompanying the film on piano, is promising something special.
courtesy San Francisco Silent Film Festival |
2) Along with Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau, Pabst (Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl) ranks among the great directors of the German silent cinema. One of his early works is The Joyless Street.
Today, it is considered one of the most important films of the
Weimar-era, and not just because it was Greta Garbo's second feature. The Joyless Street
is a masterpiece of cinematic storytelling, and one of the first films
of the "New Objectivity" movement. Its realism and juxtaposition of the
haves and have nots--as well as its frank sexuality, proved provocative
for censors of the time. The Joyless Street was cut wherever
it was shown, and sometimes banned outright. This painstaking new
restoration has reconstructed the film as close as possible to Pabst's
intention. [For decades there's been speculation that Marlene Dietrich
played a minor role in The Joyless Street. Dietrich is thought
by some to be the dark-haired woman waiting in line (with Garbo and Asta
Nielsen) in a scene at the butcher shop. In fact, it's the German
actress Hertha von Walther, one of the actresses featured in The Weavers.]
3) As Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animator Chuck Jones put it,
"The two most important people in animation are Winsor McCay and Walt
Disney." Today, everyone knows about Disney. Few know of McCay, a once
celebrated newspaper cartoonist who almost single-handedly pioneered
animated motion pictures. Academy Award winning filmmaker and McCay
biographer John Canemaker (Winsor McCay: His Life and Art)
screens four of McCay's short films and celebrates the many achievements
of this early-Twentieth-century genius who gave the world Little Nemo in Slumberland
and other works. [If McCay's style seem familiar, it may be because he
influenced a wide array of today's leading cartoonists, graphic
novelists, and illustrators--notably Art Spiegelman, Maurice Sendak,
William Joyce, Chris Ware, Bill Watterson, and Kim Deitch, whose The Boulevard of Broken Dreams
revolves around a character named Winsor. Deitch, a legendary
underground cartoonist and silent film enthusiast, will be on hand
signing copies of just released The Amazing, Enlightening and Absolutely True Adventures of Katherine Whaley (Fantagraphics), a full-length graphic novel with a silent film sub-plot created in a striking "widescreen" format.]
courtesy San Francisco Silent Film Festival |
4) The received wisdom is that Marion Davies wasn't much of an
actress. And, hadn't media tycoon William Randolph Hearst made her a
star, Davies' career would not have amounted to much. The Patsy proves the received wisdom wrong. Don't miss this film. It's perfect in every way.
5) It is an iconic image. A bespectacled man hanging off the hands of
a clock on the side of a skyscraper high above a city street. This
scene from Safety Last! is all the more thrilling because star
Harold Lloyd didn't employ special effects to make it happen. But why he
is up there in the first place? Safety Last! takes the
familiar story of boy meets girl and turns it into high-art. This
brilliant 1923 film, the Festival closer, inspired Pulitzer
Prize-winning author James Agee to later write of Lloyd's climb: "Each
new floor is like a stanza in a poem."
courtesy San Francisco Silent Film Festival |
More than 10,000 people are expected to attend this year's San
Francisco Silent Film Festival, which is now in its 18th year. It's
grown to become the largest silent film festival in North America--and
one of the largest in the world. The Silent Film Festival takes place
July 18 through July 21 at the historic Castro Theater. Additional information, including the complete schedule of films, can be found at www.silentfilm.org
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Louise Brooks song "St. Louise Is Listening!" by Mike Doughty Live / acoustic / video'd
Check this out. The old Soul Coughing song "St. Louise Is Listening!" performed anew by its composer, Mike Doughty - performed Live / acoustic / video'd at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/mikedoughty/updates/24002
And be sure not to miss the portrait of Louise Brooks (taken when she was in Pairs, making Prix de Beauté) on the back wall of Doughty's studio. (It's partly obscured by the microphone stand.)
Mike Doughty, as readers of this blog will recall, is a fan of the actress and wrote this song as a kind of homage to her. He also sports a Brooks tattoo!
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
More on Prix de Beauté
On Thursday, July 18th the San Francisco Silent Film Festival will screen the rarely shown silent version of the 1930 Louise Brooks' film, Prix de Beauté. The
Festival will screen the silent version restored in 2012 by the
Cineteca di Bologna in Italy. The film's running time is given as
approximately 108 minutes. (By comparison, the running time found on the
KINO DVD released a few years back is 93 minutes.) Accompanying the July 18th screening is acclaimed British
musician Stephen Horne.
Pictured here are two vintage promotional pages. Come to the Festival!
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Monday, July 15, 2013
Louise Brooks booksigning at San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Thomas Gladysz, the director of the Louise Brooks Society, will be signing copies of his "Louise Brooks edition" of The Diary of a Lost Girl (PandorasBox Press) at the historic Castro Theater in San Francisco on Thursday, July 18th. Gladysz is one of three taking part in this special Louise Brooks themed book signing, which is set to start around 9:00 pm, following the screening of the recently restored 1930 Louise
Brooks' film, Prix de Beaute, the opening film of the 18th annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Admission to this book signing is by Festival ticket.
The Festival will screen the silent version of Prix de Beaute, which was restored in 2012 by the
Cineteca di Bologna in Italy. The film's running time is given as
approximately 108 minutes. Accompanying the July 18th screening is British
musician Stephen Horne.
Also signing is the celebrated legendary cartoonist and comix artist Kim Deitch, whose new
book, The Amazing, Enlightening And Absolutely True Adventures of Katherine Whale (Fantagraphics) includes a silent film storyline. Little known is the fact that Deitch's father, the Academy Award winning
animator Gene Deitch, once met Louise Brooks. Kim himself almost did! Attend this special event to find out the story.
Also signing on this Louise Brooks themed triple bill is the Emmy nominated filmmaker
Hugh Munro Neely, whose documentary Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu is
widely acclaimed and much loved by silent film fans far and wide. Produced in 1998 for Turner Classic Movies, this documentary is nearly as exceptional as its subject and just as fascinating.The narration for this must see film was scripted by Barry Paris.
Additional information about this upcoming event can be found on the San Francisco Chronicle / SFGate website at http://events.sfgate.com/san_francisco_ca/events/show/337239983-louise-brooks-booksigning-at-silent-film-festival.
Excitement is building, and word has been getting around. Here are listings for this signing on SF Station and SanFrancisco.com, as well as on the Lodi News Sentinel and the Riverside Press Democrat (in Southern California).
UPDATE: Listings have also shown up in the Vacaville Reporter and Sacramento Bee and even in the Akron Beacon-Journal (Ohio) and Charlotte Observer (North Carolina).
Excitement is building, and word has been getting around. Here are listings for this signing on SF Station and SanFrancisco.com, as well as on the Lodi News Sentinel and the Riverside Press Democrat (in Southern California).
UPDATE: Listings have also shown up in the Vacaville Reporter and Sacramento Bee and even in the Akron Beacon-Journal (Ohio) and Charlotte Observer (North Carolina).
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Get social with the Louise Brooks Society
We hope you like all the new refinements to the Louise Brooks Society blog, including the Disqus commenting system embedded in every post. Ask a question, post a link, or leave a comment.
If you enjoy this blog, don't forget to join with Google friend connect. Already, 190 individuals have done so! It would be great to have more than 200 friends following this blog. Google friend connect is located in the right hand column ----------->
And don't forget to follow the Louise Brooks Society on twitter @LB_Society. More than 1,773 individuals are already following our tweets!
If you enjoy this blog, don't forget to join with Google friend connect. Already, 190 individuals have done so! It would be great to have more than 200 friends following this blog. Google friend connect is located in the right hand column ----------->
And don't forget to follow the Louise Brooks Society on twitter @LB_Society. More than 1,773 individuals are already following our tweets!
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Don't miss Prix de Beauté
On Thursday, July 18th the San Francisco Silent Film Festival will screen the rarely shown silent version of the 1930 Louise Brooks' film, Prix de Beauté. Made as the European cinema was converting to sound, the film marks Louise Brooks' last starring role in a feature film.
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival will screen the silent version recently restored by the Cineteca di Bologna in Italy. The film's running time is given as approximately 108 minutes. (By comparison, the running time found on the KINO DVD is 93 minutes.) Accompanying the July 18th screening is British musician Stephen Horne. The LBS interview with Horne ran earlier on this blog.
In the July 11th New York Times there was a fantastic article about musician John Zorn. He is best known to fans of Louise Brooks for his mid-1990's collaborative CDs News for Lulu and More News for Lulu, each with musicians Bill Frisell and George Lewis. Just recently, I noticed this video clip from the end of Prix de Beauté which features music-sound by Zorn. It is kinda-out there, but it also works. Spoiler alert if you haven't seen the film.
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
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