Now Online: Treasures From American Film Archives

The National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) has made freely available for online viewing 47 films from its first DVD set, Treasures from American Film Archives. Originally released in 2000 and hailed by Roger Ebert as “a treasure trove of old, obscure, forgotten, rediscovered, and fascinating footage from the first century of film,” Treasures marked the first time that America’s archives had joined forces to share their films with home video audiences and showcase the amazing range of American films. It received an award from the National Society of Film Critics and was called the “best set of the year” by The New York Times.  

Treasures eventually sold out, as did an Encore edition made possible through the support of the Cecil B. De Mille Foundation. We are committed to keeping the Treasures films accessible to the public and now present them on our website.

Mastered from the finest archival sources, the 47 films include the first feature-length Snow White (1916), Western star William S. Hart in Hell’s Hinges (1916), The Toll of the Sea (1922) in two-strip Technicolor, The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) by James Sibley Watson Jr. and Melville Webber, John Huston’s searing antiwar documentary The Battle of San Pietro (1945), and footage of Orson Welles's 1936 “Voodoo” Macbeth. Together they represent 10 stunning hours, including the first publicly exhibited movie, cutting-edge avant-garde works, silent-era features, pioneering special effects films, landmark independent productions, documentaries, newsreels, animation, political ads, and home movies made from coast to coast. One not to miss is Three American Beauties (1906).

All films are accompanied by program notes by the set’s curator Scott Simmon (University of California, Davis) and feature either their original soundtracks or commissioned scores supervised by music curator Martin Marks (MIT).

Since its release Treasures from American Film Archives has been valued by cinephiles and educators—this online release ensures that a wide audience can continue enjoying these films, either as entertainment, a teaching resource, or, best of all, both.

I have each of the NFPF box sets. You should too.

Louise Brooks: A Classic of the Silver Screen

Louise Brooks: A Classic of the Silver Screen . . . .

Louise Brooks in Our News Reel in Rhyme

A poem mentioning Brooks from Photoplay magazine. And Brooks' co-stars W.C. Fields, Adolphe Menjou too....

Silent film stars celebrating the Holidays #2

Here are a couple of images of silent film stars celebrating the Holidays.... First Louise Brooks' one-time co-star Esther Ralston, and second the It Girl, Clara Bow.

Happy Holidays from the Louise Brooks Society #2

A vintage Japanese holiday greeting from Paramount. How many stars can you name? One at least!

Happy Holidays from the Louise Brooks Society #1

A vintage Japanese holiday greeting from Paramount. How many stars can you name? Check back tomorrow for another!

The shocking edition of Diary of a Lost Girl

Yesterday, I received something very, very special in the mail - my recent order of a scarce edition of Tagebuch einer Verlorenen / Diary of a Lost Girl. Wow, what a score! It came from Germany, and is in beautiful condition, near fine. I have been hunting for this edition for some time now, ever since I worked on the Louise Brooks edition of Diary of a Lost Girl, which was published in 2010.

This illustrated edition of Margarete Bohme's book contains dozens of illustrations, some of them strangle, and some surprisingly risque.

If I am decoding his bookplate correctly, the owner bought the book in 1917. Also laid in were 4 scarce postcards from the 1918 film version of Tagebuch einer Verlorenen. Each of the postcards depict Erna Morena, who played Thymain (the role played by Louise Brooks in 1929); two postcards also depict Conrad Veidt, who starred in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Casablanca.

I had read that the book in its original German was far more suggestive than the English language translation. The owner, a close reader, discretely penciled in notes, like the cost of prostitutes (notice the amounts penciled next to each portrait below).

He also penciled a comment to the right of the last image: "Morbus gallicus," which translates as "The French disease," or syphilis.  No wonder Walter Benjamin described this book as something like “a complete inventory of the sexual trade.”

Silent film stars celebrating the Holidays #1

Here are a couple of images of silent film stars celebrating the Holidays.... First Louise Brooks' one-time co-star Mary Brian, and second, the other bobbed wonder, Colleen Moore.

Announcing a Louise Brooks Documentary on Kickstarter

Documentary of a Lost Girl is a new, in-the-works documentary about Louise Brooks which has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help it reach completion. According to its campaign page, "This film will uncover the life of Louise Brooks through interviews, traveling, archival resources and Brooks-style immersive research." It's the brainchild of Charlotte Siller, a dedicated Louise Brooks researcher and devotee. I had the chance to meet Charlotte last year when I visited Rochester, New York and was impressed by her enthusiasm.

I encourage everyone to find out more and to make a donation to this worthwhile cause. I already have . . . . Find out more HERE.