The Roaring 20s and the end of the silent film era. This set features a film on race, a twisted New Year's Eve Christmas Carol, and Hitchcock's first talkie and last silent picture.
1920.) 
Title: Within Our Gates
Runtime: 79 Minutes
Director: Oscar Micheaux
Plot: An educated black woman heads south after her fiance leaves her. There she works for a poor school that takes in impoverished black youth. Her horrific past is revealed.
What I Thought: An important piece of work historically as Oscar Micheaux is one of America's first black directors and storytellers. It's a bit choppy and unbalanced at times. The flashback sequence is a bit unsettling.
Rating: 2.5/5
1921.) 
Title: The Phantom Carriage
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Director: Victor Sjostrom
Plot: A man finds out the truth about who has to drive death's carriage when he becomes the first person to die on New Year's. The old driver, an old friend, shows him the errors of life, and he is forced to face his misdeeds.
What I Thought: This was a cool and creepy venture that's pretty much A Christmas Carol, but darker. There's a scene that very likely could have served as the inspiration for the axe in the door scene in The Shining. The ending is also very suspenseful. A very different feel from the other movies I've watched on this list.
Rating: 3.5/5
1922.)
Title: Haxan
Runtime: 91 Minutes
Director: Benjamin Christensen
Plot: A semi-biographical look at the history of witchcraft.
What I Thought: I was a little disappointed in this one. It never got as weird as I thought it would, but there were some crazy parts to it.
Rating: 2.5/5
1923.) 
Title: Our Hospitality
Runtime: 65 Minutes
Director: John G. Blystone/Buster Keaton
Plot: A man returns home and falls in love with a girl who happens to be from the family that is the archenemy of his family. Antics ensue.
What I Thought: This took a little while to get going, but Buster Keaton is a master of slapstick. The train scene as well as the waterfall sequence are breathtakingly dangerous and hilarious.
Rating: 3.5/5
1924.) 
Title: Greed
Runtime: 140 Minutes
Director: Erich von Stroheim
Plot: A woman wins $5,000, but refuses to spend it. The winnings also create tension between friends and lovers.
What I Thought: A two-hour-plus silent movie seemed like a bad match for me, but this movie really delivers in the final act. Mayhem and bad luck come to a head, especially in the desert scene pictured.
Rating: 3.5/5
1925.)
Title: The Freshman
Runtime: 77 Minutes
Directors: Fred C. Newmeyer/Sam Taylor
Plot: A freshman in college tries anything to become popular on campus.
What I Thought: Harold Lloyd gets third billing behind Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, but if you haven't watched one of his movies, please do so. All the football sequences are gold, and I identify with a nerdy dude trying to gain approval.
Rating: 3.5/5
1926.)
Title: The Black Pirate
Runtime: 88 Minutes
Director: Albert Parker
Plot: Seeking revenge, a young man joins the pirate band that killed his father.
What I Thought: I had never watched a Douglas Fairbanks movie before, but he certainly has the ability to capture attention with his stunt work. If it were not a silent movie, I would say that it would do pretty well to hold its own against any modern-day adventure story.
Rating: 3/5
1927.)
Title: The Kid Brother
Runtime: 82 Minutes
Directors: Ted Wilde/Harold Lloyd/Lewis Milestone/J.A. Howe
Plot: A sheriff's loser son has to save the day against con artists that come to town.
What I Thought: Maybe there were too many cooks in the kitchen as far as director visions, but I felt like this was easily the weakest Harold Lloyd picture I've watched. I might be in the minority as it did make the 1,001 movies you should watch before you die list.
Rating: 2.5/5
1928.)
Title: The Farmer's Wife
Runtime: 128 Minutes
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Plot: A widower finds it hard to find a replacement wife to help with his farm.
What I Thought: This is Hitchcock's last silent film and thank goodness. Long, unfunny, and boring.
Rating: 1/5
1929.)
Title: Blackmail
Runtime: 85 Minutes
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Plot: After killing a man that tries to rape her, she is blackmailed by a man who witnessed the crime.
What I Thought: Hitchcock's first talkie is a bit uninspired, but it certainly beats his previous movie. Anny Ondra does an excellent job as one of Hitchcock's early heroines.
Rating: 3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment