Beggars of Life, starring Louise Brooks, in the news

The Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge, Massachusetts has just announced it will be hosting a major retrospective of the films of director William Wellman. The retrospective, "The Legends of William Wellman," runs October 27th through November 26th. The series will include all of the acclaimed director's greatest films, from Wings (1927) to The Public Enemy (1931), A Star is Born (1937), and The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), as well as lesser known gems like Night Nurse (1931) and Wild Boys of the Road (1933). More information about the series, including a complete line-up of films, can be found HERE.

The first film to be shown in the series is Beggars of Life (1928), starring Louise Brooks. The silent classic will be shown on Friday October 27 at 7pm, with live musical accompaniment. The Harvard Film Archive description follows.

Beggars of Life

Directed by William Wellman. With Wallace Beery, Louise Brooks, Richard Arlen
US 1928, 35mm, b/w, silent, 91 min

A gruesome discovery followed by a sordid tale of sexual abuse—recounted through an ingenious double-exposed montage sequence—introduces Richard Arlen’s hungry tramp to Louise Brooks’ fugitive disguised as a boy. From that dramatic opener, the couple steals off into a blue-tinted night and reluctantly joins a band of vagabonds. Immediately, the presence of a woman in the midst of a group of desperate men adds an unsettling disturbance to the film and to their tenuous coalition. Wellman steadily maintains this air of horror and humor as the motley, volatile crew travels from land to train with the lord of the hoboes, Wallace Beery’s unpredictable Oklahoma Red, who revels in intimidation as a means of entertainment—even holding an absurdly elaborate “kangaroo court” to decide the fate of the interlopers. In this hardscrabble atmosphere, the appearance of love is so unusual that it acts as a kind of deus ex machina, stunning the plot and sending it off and away down Wellman’s mysterious, dark tracks.

And that's not all the news.... Beggars of Life was the focus of a radio program hosted by Hollywood personality Dick Dinman. Follow THIS LINK to Turner Classic Movies "TCM Movie News" to listen, or tune in to WMPG in Portland, Maine.

Dick Dinman & William Wellman Jr. Salute the BEGGARS OF LIFE!

DICK DINMAN & WILLIAM WELLMAN JR. SALUTE THE "BEGGARS OF LIFE": Popular author, actor, producer and raconteur William Wellman Jr. and producer/host Dick Dinman rave about Kino Lorber's marvelous Blu-ray release of legendary director William Wellman's favorite of his silent films BEGGARS OF LIFE in which the notorious Louise Brooks plays a train-hopping hobo who dresses like a boy to escape the law and discourage the lecherous advances of Wallace Beery and his rambunctious band of hoboes.

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

A sneak peak at Charlotte Siller's Documentary of a Lost Girl

A six minute sneak peak at Charlotte Siller's forthcoming Documentary of a Lost Girl will be shown at the 15th annual Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita, Kansas. The six minute excerpt will be shown at 11:30 and 12:30 each day of the Festival, which runs October 18 - 22. More information about the festival and its many screenings can be found HERE.

I have seen the six minute piece, and I can state that is it OUTSTANDING! Charlotte Siller has made something truly fine: as someone interested in film history, I have watched a lot of documentaries--I expect this will rank among the best. I can't wait to see more. Documentary of a Lost Girl is scheduled for release in 2018. More information about the documentary can be found HERE.

Documentary of a Lost Girl is a film that uses archival materials and interviews from various witnesses to uncover the life of Louise Brooks away from the cameras.  While many know Miss Brooks as being a silent film star and siren, not many know of her incredibly intellectual abilities and her extensive research into her era of cinematic pursuits.  She stands out as a shining example of a woman ahead of her era who dared to shirk the usual demands made of women of that time and live her life the way she wanted to. Although the historical truth is always unclear from our point of view, we will provide the audience with opinions from all sides; from friends, to researchers, to relatives.  Everyone has a different story to tell, and we are collecting all that we can muster. It is important for us to collect every scrap of archival material for, if they are not documented, then they may fade out of the picture as quickly as unpreserved film.

 

Louise Brooks and Hugh Hefner

The silent film and Louise Brooks communities have lost a friend in the passing of Hugh Hefner. Best known as the founder of Playboy magazine, Hefner was also an ally of film preservation and film history.

I met him once, briefly, at a bookseller's convention. He was there to sign copies of his latest book. I got in line in order to introduce myself, and we chatted for a few minutes about Louise Brooks. It was loud inside the convention hall, but we both understood each's devotion to the silent film star.

Hefner was a devotee of a number of early films stars, among them Louise Brooks. He served as executive producer of the exceptional 1998 documentary, Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu, as well as for documentaries about Clara Bow, Marion Davies, Theda Bara, Olive Thomas and others. Both of us appeared on the E! Entertainment show, Mysteries and Scandals, in the episode devoted to Brooks.

Hefner also helped underwrite a major restoration of Pandora's Box. To learn more about that project and his involvement in the film world, check out "The Preservationist and the Playboy: Restoring Pandora's Box."

Now We're in the Air set to show in Pordenone, Italy

Now We're in the Air (1927) will be shown in Italy at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival. In what is being billed as its international premiere, the fragmentary, 23 minute, once-lost film will be shown on Monday, October 2 as part of the series "Rediscoveries and Restorations."

Learn more about the film and its rediscovery HERE.

8:30 pm - Rediscoveries and Restorations
NOW WE’RE IN THE AIR (US 1927; fragment 23’) | International Premiere
by Frank R. Strayer with Louise Brooks, Wallace Beery, Raymond Hatton
Pianoforte: John Sweeney

Thanks to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and to the Prague Cinematheque, where the film fragment was rediscovered by Robert Byrne in 2016, Louise Brooks comes back to us in all her stunning beauty. Even though for a few minutes only, we shall see her move in that same black tutu in which she was captured, gorgeous yet still, in the famous portraits by Eugene Robert Richee.

 
Earlier, the festival posted this: 

The 36th Pordenone Silent Film Festival will host the international premiere of the recently rediscovered 22 minutes of the long missing comedy Now We’re in the Air (US 1927), featuring Louise Brooks.

In the film, set in World War I, Brooks plays twins, one raised in France, the other one in Germany. The surviving footage includes only scenes with the actress in the role of the French twin, wearing the same black tutu she wears in the famous portraits by Eugene Robert Richee.

The fragment was rediscovered in 2016 at the Národní filmový archiv, Prague, by Rob Byrne, film historian and president of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. The restoration was completed in 2017 as a partnership between San Francisco SFF and the Czech archive.

Until now, all four films Brooks made in 1927 have been considered lost.

More reviews of the new Beggars of Life DVD

Here are a few more reviews of the new Beggars of Life DVD / Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. I've highlighted what each reviewer or publication said about the film in general, as well as any comments (forgive me, please) about my audio commentary. Clicking on the hyperlinks will bring you to the full review, so those interested can read more.

An earlier round-up of reviews can be found at this earlier entry, "First reviews of the new Beggars of Life DVD from Kino Lorber (starring Louise Brooks)" from September 7th. Otherwise, here are some of the latest....

On WAMC (Northeast Public Radio out of Albany, NY), Rob Edelman (9/11/2017) broadcast "Its title is BEGGARS OF LIFE, and it joins such late-silent-era American classics as THE CROWD and SUNRISE as genuine works of cinematic art.... Kino Lorber has just released the film to home entertainment.... BEGGARS OF LIFE is a poignant, simple-- but never simplistic-- film.... is crammed with stunning, heartrending visuals.... is a pleasure to see, and to savor."

Roy Frumkes wrote on Films in Review (8/9/2017), "Strong to the point of being offensive in its day, such criticism no longer sticks, but this allows for us to enjoy the aesthetic beauty of the film, and the remarkably subtle performances of the entire cast.... It’s also a wonderful opportunity to enjoy Louise Brooks, the cult maverick of nitrate.... The recently recorded score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra is often lovely and rarely distracting, and there are two commentaries, one favoring Ms. Brooks (by the founding director of the Louise Brooks Society) and another by William Wellman Jr. for balance."

On Stream on Demand at Home, the noted critic Sean Axmaker (9/10/2017) noted, "... featuring a rare integrated cast, its portrait of the armies of hobos is part homeless underworld and part romanticized escape, but it looks ahead to Wellman’s great depression-era dramas Wild Boys of the Road and Heroes For Sale, which presented a much more harrowing and desperate portrait of hobo life.... On Blu-ray and DVD with two new commentary tracks (one by William Wellman, Jr., and the other by film historian and Louise Brooks Society founder Thomas Gladysz) and a booklet with an essay by film historian Nick Pinkerton."

Mike Gebert on Nitrateville.com (8/21/2017) wrote, "This is an adventure film, fast-paced and able to sweep you along as easily as any silent made, and certainly belongs in that group of end-of-the-era silents that seem to have complete mastery of the form like Sunrise, Seventh Heaven, The Last Command, Lonesome, and a few others.... There are two commentary tracks—one by William Wellman Jr., which based on a spot listen seems to be mostly historical about the production (with some personal reminiscences thrown in), and one by Thomas Gladysz (who I interviewed for NitrateVille Radio), which has more of a focus on Brooks but also covers hobo author Jim Tully and the history of turning his book into this movie."

On It Came from the Bottom Shelf, William T. Garver, aka Garv (9/6/2017) wrote "One of the best examples of the art of late silent visual storytelling is William A. Wellman’s Beggars of Life (1928).... Fans of the silent beauty Louise Brooks, or of the mush-faced character actor Wallace Beery, should consider Beggars of Life required viewing, as it features performances on-par with their best-loved work.... Consult the book Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film by Thomas Gladysz (who is one of the commentators on the Blu-ray)."

Michael Giltz wrote on Huffington Post (9/8/2017), "I was lucky to see Beggars Of Life in a theater. This early hit by director William Wellman has a great turn by Wallace Beery and a magnetic performance by Louise Brooks... It’s got verve."

Author James Neibur (9/21/17) wrote, "Beggars of Life is a film in which everything works at such an impressive level, it truly earns the reputation of screen classic.... Extras include commentary by William Wellman jr. and by Thomas Gladysz.  In fact, there is an affordable and highly recommended book that goes perfectly with the blu ray.  Gladysz, director of the Louise Brooks Society, has written a companion book to the movie that features a wealth of information, insight, and photos.  It really puts this film into historical perspective and helps to further understand and more deeply appreciate its status as a  screen classic."

Bruce Eder of All Movie Guide wrote "Wings (1927) may be William A. Wellman's most renowned silent film -- having won the first Best Picture Oscar -- but Beggars Of Life deserves just about as much recognition within its more modest boundaries..... And beyond Brooks' work, Beggars Of Life has a massive amount going for it, not least of which the visual poetry of Wellman's direction and Henry W. Gerrard's cinematography"

The new Kino Lorber release was also reviewed by a small handful of customers on amazon.com. And among the reviews were these recent comments:

The Movie Man wrote, "Though the subject matter of the film is very dark, director William Wellman (Wings, The Ox-Bow Incident) gives it a good deal of flair.... The 1928 black & white silent film has been digitally restored from 35-mm film elements preserved by the George Eastman Museum. Bonus materials on the unrated Blu-ray release include audio commentary by actor William Wellman, Jr.; audio commentary by the founding director of the Louise Brooks Society; booklet containing a critical essay; and musical score compiled and performed by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, employing selections from the original 1928 Paramount cue sheet."

M. Britton wrote: "A lost masterpiece! Glad to see Kino get this one for a blu ray release. This silent classic has never looked as good as it does here. Love Louise Brooks and everything she is in. Was beginning to wonder if this film was "lost" like many of her films. Great film and a great blu ray! It even has a few wonderful commentaries that are worthy of a listen." 

An earlier round-up of reviews can be found at this earlier entry, "First reviews of the new Beggars of Life DVD from Kino Lorber (starring Louise Brooks)" from September 7th.

Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, screens thrice in England

Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks as the immortal Lulu, will be shown in England in the coming months on a few occasions. Details can be found HERE on the Silent London site, and below. Additional dates in England and Scotland are to be announced. Stay tuned.

First up, the film will be shown in London on November 19 at the British Film Institute. This special event at National Film Theater 1 (located at BFI Southbank) features live piano accompaniment and an introduction by Pamela Hutchinson, author of a forthcoming BFI Film Classics book on Pandora’s Box. More information and time and ticket availability may be found HERE. 

According to the BFI website, "Lulu (the wonderful Louise Brooks) breaks hearts and causes chaos in this 1928 silent classic: Pandora’s Box is a film ‘that bears repeated viewing and obsessive scrutiny’ (Bryony Dixon, ‘100 Silent Films’). Here is a good moment to re-view Pabst’s classic tale of the ammoral Lulu – played beautifully, in every sense, by Louise Brooks – on the occasion of Pamela Hutchinson’s new BFI Classic which challenges assumptions made about the film and its star by previous generations."

Pandora's Box will also be shown in Bristol on November 24. This special event, hosted by South West Silents, will take place at the Cube Microplex (BS2 8 Bristol, United Kingdom). Time and ticket availability may be found HERE. The film will show from a 35mm film print from the National Film and Television Archive with live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney, and will feature an introduction by Pamela Hutchinson.


According to the South West Silents website, "G.W. Pabst’s 1929 silent masterpiece Pandora’s Box stars Louise Brooks in the role that secured her place as one of the immortal goddesses of the silver screen. This controversial, and in its day heavily censored, film is regularly ranked in the Top 100 films of all time (including Cahiers du Cinema and Sight & Sound). Brooks is unforgettable as Lulu (Louise Brooks), a sexy, amoral dancer who creates a trail of devastation as she blazes through Weimar-era Berlin, breaking hearts and destroying lives. From Germany, she flies to France, and finally to London, where tragedy strikes. This stunning photographed film is loosely based on the controversial Lulu plays by Frank Wedekind, and also features one of the cinema’s earliest lesbian characters." 

Hardly a week later, Pandora's Box will be shown again in London on December 3 at Phoenix Cinema (52 High Rd, East Finchley, London N2 9PJ). Time and ticket availability may be found HERE. The film will feature a live piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne, as well as an introduction by Pamela Hutchinson..  

According to the Phoenix Cinema website, "A free-loving, status-climbing dancer takes up with a succession of lovers, gradually descending to the life of a streetwalker, and thus, her own doom. Lulu (Louise Brooks) lives beyond the constraints of time - she is a radiant, outrageous icon of modernity. In challenging moral conventions with depth and complexity, she has become a screen seductress like no other. Directed by G.W. Pabst in 1929, Pandora's Box is an acknowledged masterpiece of sensual imagery and remains an astonishingly modern work of art.

The Phoenix is very pleased to be welcoming film historian and author Pamela Hutchinson, who has recently written a book on Pandora’s Box for the BFI Film Classics series: Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora’s Box, 1929), starring Hollywood icon Louise Brooks, is an established classic of the silent era. Pamela Hutchinson revisits and challenges many assumptions made about the film, its lead character and its star. Putting the film in historical and contemporary contexts, Hutchinson investigates how the film speaks to new audiences. She will be with us to introduce the film and will remain after the screening for an exclusive book signing."

More about the book, which is pictured below.

Painting of Louise Brooks on display in UK

A painting of Louise Brooks is on display in a gallery in Leeds, England. The work, by UK artist Bay Backner, is on display at the Cafe 164, The Gallery at 164 (on Duke Street).

The artist explained the inspiration behind her recent work to the Bradford Telegraph and Argus,

"I'd had a brilliant chat with Janine Sykes, course leader in MA Curation Practices at Leeds College of Art. We'd talked about the faces we see as beautiful, and this is being changed by digital media and globalised industry. So the idea came together of a show to explore female beauty and its iconic images," says Bay, who works in oil paint on stretched canvas, then creates limited-edition prints in archival ink.

Another article, in the Yorkshire Evening Post, noting that Backner's new work focuses on the notion of beauty, stating "She spent six months examining what we see as beauty, how it affects how we see ourselves and what it means around the world for the exhibition, which features brightly coloured, large portraits of the women, painted in a style that harks back to the Golden Age of Hollywood."

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, "The portraits are not based on a single photograph of the women, but the artists’ personal perspective of their image, based on a composite of pictures of them." Iconic beauties such as Hedy Lamarr and Audrey Hepburn, as well as supermodels Kate Moss and Bella Hadid, and artist Frida Kahlo are included among the portraits. As is Louise Brooks.

The artist looked around online, exploring the idea of beauty. "There were women there that I didn’t even realise had become part of my beauty mix," Backner is quoted as saying. "I really responded to Louise Brooks, who was the original 1920s ‘It girl’ and made it cool to have a boy-like figure and short hair. She changed the way women wanted to look."

In the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, Backner reiterated her point, "Of course my paintings are a very personal selection of faces. They're the women who have shaped my western ideal of beauty, and whose images hold in my mind as I look in the mirror every day. Interestingly, some are women unknown to me before I started research for the show - but I realised just how much their image changed how I, and many women today, see themselves. For example, Louise Brooks was the original 1920s 'It Girl'. She made short hair and a boy-like figure desirable after three centuries of corseted curves and waist-length hair. We'd look very different without her!"

In a statement sent to the Louise Brooks Society, the artists noted, "I first came across Louise Brooks in stills from Pandora's Box. I saw them while designing the set for another Wedekind play, Spring Awakening. My impression was of a strikingly beautiful, magnetic women with presence and energy. I reencountered her images while researching the 'How to Be Beautiful' exhibition - and was haunted by her expressions."

This portrait of Louise Brooks, "Louise in Pink" (oil on canvas, 24"x34"), is displayed at the gallery and on Backner's website.

“There were women there that I didn’t even realise had become part of my beauty mix,” Backner said. “I really responded to Louise Brooks, who was the original 1920s ‘It girl’ and made it cool to have a boy-like figure and short hair. She changed the way women wanted to look.”

Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/painting-picture-of-beauty-at-leeds-art-exhibition-1-8761140

Bay studied at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University, and Central Saint Martins, London. She works in oil paint on stretched canvas, then creates limited-edition prints in archival ink. Bay’s paintings are informed by fine-art’s ‘old masters’ as well as today’s street artists and fashion photographers. Her work was recently featured by Grazia Magazine.

‘How To Be Beautiful’ is at Cafe 164, The Gallery at 164, until Saturday October 7, 2017.