r/MidnightGrain

One of the last travel adventure films shot with the three camera setup meant for specialized theaters with a curved screen. This was an internet find. Didn't know it was narrated by Orson Welles till I watch the trailer the other day. I recently realized that watching films as a kid like Disneys 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and tv shows like Gilligan's Island, would somehow influence My love of adventure, both in cinema and in life. All that leading to fascination with Tiki and Polynesian Pop.

What are some of your favorite Tiki adjacent films and television?

EDIT: I believe Don the Beachcomber makes an appearance in this film. It could also mean his restaurant makes an and appearance in the movie

The Black Pirate (1926) is one of the most significant films in cinema history. Shot in two-strip Technicolor, Douglas Fairbanks deliberately avoided saturated tones, choosing instead a restricted palette inspired by Flemish painters and the American illustrators who had popularized pirate themes, giving the whole film this gorgeous, painterly look. Photoplay said nothing had ever been done in color on screen that came close to its beauty and uniformity.

The stunts alone make this a must-watch — including that iconic moment where Fairbanks slides down the length of a sail with a knife, slicing it in half. Fairbanks was a co-founder of United Artists alongside Chaplin and Pickford, and this was him at his absolute best — pure physical joy on screen, with a flair no other swashbuckler of the era would have dared attempt. His own son called it the greatest film his father ever made. Every pirate movie that came after — from Captain Blood to Pirates of the Caribbean — owes this one a debt.

• Release Date: March 8, 1926
• Director: Albert Parker
• Studio: United Artists
• Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Donald Crisp, Anders Randolf, Sam De Grasse
• Cinematography: Henry Sharp
• Color Process: Two-strip Technicolor (Process II)
• Runtime: 88 minutes
• Genre: Silent Adventure / Swashbuckler
• Story by: Douglas Fairbanks (under the pseudonym Elton Thomas)

This weekend we're screening two Spaghetti Westerns: Day of Anger (1967) + Death Rides a Horse (1967)!

Tune in anytime this weekend starting midnight EST May 9th: https://midnightgrain.framer.website

Shout out u/escapism_only_please for the recommendation!