r/silentfilm

About 20 years ago, I remember stumbling upon footage of Quasimodo removing a bunch of candles from a trunk and putting them in a sack. At the time, I didn’t know much about the difference between the 16 mm show-at-home version — now the only one that’s still extant — and the 35 mm premiere version, so I brushed it aside.

Having rediscovered an interest in the film again, I managed to find the same footage, still online after all these years: https://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/video/quasimodo-taking-objects-from-trunk-holding-stock-video-footage/562-1

Now, this is obviously not “lost.” But what print is this from, exactly? From what I can gather now, it’s part of a cut scene in which Quasimodo trades the candles for clothes for Esmeralda. Nothing remains of this scene in any other version I’ve seen. Why has this clip never been reintegrated into the film (this scene seems to be documented pretty extensively by stills), and are there perhaps any other trims like this to be found?

Hello all,

I found a cut film reel at an antique store recently and bought it on a whim as I've always been interested in the earlier days of film. However, I am not sure which film exactly this strip belongs to. I've attached a selection of the start of the strip along with two stills. The strip goes on for quite a while after this, but I do not own a reel scanner, only a flatbed, and I do not want to risk damage to the film.

I can tell it is acetate, it's marked "Agfa" and "Nonflam" around the perforations. It's certainly decaying, based on the smell, but it's still pretty intact. It seems to be 4-perf 35mm stock. I'll try and get in contact with my local historical society to try and donate it to them in the hopes they are equipped to handle and scan it properly.

As for the content of the film, it looks to me like it was produced in the ~1920s? There are some similarities to Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid" from 1921, but as far as I can tell this reel is not from the same film.

I'm very interested in knowing what it is! If you recognize it, please let me know!

[supprimé]

1.  www.findagrave.com/memorial/300363780/garry-armand-watson

I wanted the artwork in this adaptation to look greasy and dirty. I think that is appropriate for a story that takes place in a smithy.

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)

I just returned from watching The General at The Fargo Theatre. It was my first time seeing this movie, and what a ride it was. Let me also say that the theatre has a classic Wurlitzer organ and they had someone playing the score live. It was really cool.

Admittedly, this was my first Buster Keaton movie, as up until this point, I’ve only seen Chaplin films. This is something that I will course correct immediately.

I definitely recommend checking this out if your local arthouse/historic theatre does something simular.

What’s the next Keaton movie I should watch? I know Criterion has The Cameraman and I should probably just blind buy it.

I’ve always loved the artwork on silent-era movie posters, and Colleen Moore had some especially beautiful ones. The colors, typography, and flapper-era style make these feel like little pieces of 1920s history. It’s amazing how posters from nearly 100 years ago can still look this stylish. The silent film era really had its own visual magic.

On May 8th, 1926, Kodak made this early color test to record a dance choreographed by Martha Graham the only year she lived in Rochester.

This process, called Kodachrome, had been around since 1916 and like may other early color systems, only captured greens and reds. George Eastman suggested a color system would never be successful unless it could reproduce a full spectrum - specifically the color blue.

John Capstaff, inventor of the process took that challenge to heart. After WWI, he experimented for several years and by 1926, created these tests. By adjusting the filters in the process from red/green to cyan/magenta and using panchromatic film stock, he proved that the color blue could be reproduced and yielded a more natural look.

In 1929, the rights to the process were purchase by 20th Century Fox and rebranded it as "Fox Natural Color" but never capitalized on it before Technicolor perfected their system and became the standard color process in Hollywood.