Wings (1927)

Wings (1927)

Paramount

May 19, 1927

War Drama, Romance

DVD
C-

I'm not into silents or war movies, but Clara Bow is a cutie.  William A. Wellman and Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast co-directed.

Way Down East

Way Down East

United Artists

September 3, 1920

Drama

DVD
C

This must've felt hokily old-fashioned even at the time, but I did like the fashions, live animals, and of course the "eccentric" aunt (who's probably a benign lesbian).  Director D.W. Griffith co-adapted the play based on Lottie Blair Parker's novel.

Shadows (1922)

Shadows (1922)

Preferred Pictures

November 10, 1922

Drama

DVD
D+

Chaney plays the most sympathetic character, but yes, it's a stereotypical "Chinaman."  Note that a completely different actor named Harrison Ford shows up close to the quarter hour.  Tom Forman directed.

The Unknown (1927)

The Unknown (1927)

MGM

June 4, 1927

Horror?

DVD
D

Tod Browning + Lon Chaney + circus - arms = creepy.

Laugh, Clown, Laugh

Laugh, Clown, Laugh

MGM

April 14, 1928

Drama?

DVD
C-

With 15-year-old Loretta Young as the object of love for a count and her adoptive father, although I didn't get that far into the story.  Herbert Brenon directed.

The Ace of Hearts (1921)

The Ace of Hearts (1921)

Goldwyn Pictures Corporation

September 17, 1921

Crime Drama

DVD
C

This is on a Lon Chaney collection.  I'm not into silents, but I was mildly intrigued by the assassination committee and the love triangle.  This is now easily the oldest movie so far on this project, since previously that was a couple movies from 1925.  This one is based on Gouverneur Morris's novel The Purple Mask and directed by Wallace Worsley.

The Ring (1927)

The Ring

British International Pictures

1 October 1927

Sports Drama

DVD
D

Gratuitous racism in this silent about boxing at a fair.

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog

Gainsborough Pictures

14 February 1927

Crime Drama

DVD
D+

Everyone is talking about a murderer, but it's a silent, so we can't hear them.  I thought the policeman was going to turn out to be the killer, especially after his creepy (title-card) line about liking blondes as much as "the Avenger" does, but apparently not according to the Wikipedia synopsis.  I tuned out before Ivor Novello showed up as the lodger.  This is based on the novel (and play) by Marie Belloc Lowndes.

Blackmail

Blackmail

British International Pictures

28 July 1929

Crime Drama

DVD
D+

The first quarter hour of this early semi-talkie (which it looks like gets more violent and dramatic later) is mostly the dullest start to any Hitchcock movie I've ever seen, although I went up from a D because of, one, the cute Hitchcock cameo, and two, the joke about a movie-within-the-movie being directed by a criminal for authenticity.

Champagne

Champagne

British International Pictures

20 August 1928

Comedy

DVD
D+

A frivolous heiress, a then topical reference to Charles Lindbergh, and a sinister man in this silent.  I liked the fashions but not much else.

The Manxman

The Manxman

British International Pictures

21 January 1929

Romance?

DVD
D+

Despite the date, still a silent.  Neither of the male leads is appealing, although their love interest is.  This is based on the novel by Hall Caine.

The Farmer's Wife

The Farmer's Wife

British International Pictures

2 March 1928

Comedy
DVD
C-

A housekeeper is in love with her employer, I think.  Also there's a comical drunk.

The Lost World (1925)

The Lost World (1925)
First National Pictures
February 2, 1925
Sci-Fi
DVD
C

Although I'm not a silent-movie fan, I ended up watching two-thirds of the 68 minutes (in this edition), because I liked the sense of humor and was somewhat invested in the human characters, especially Bessie Love as Paula White.  But the too-long dinosaur battles, although very well done for their time, and the gratuitous blackface character (with "dialect" title cards), made me tune out.  This is based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle and directed by Harry O. Hoyt.

The Iron Mask

The Iron Mask
United Artists
February 21, 1929 (this version from 1952)
Historical Drama, Action
DVD
C-

Reissuing of the semi-silent movie, with narration by Junior.  The one-hundredth historical drama on this blog, it's a spin-off of the Musketeers novels by Dumas, and directed by Allan Dwan.  This is on a "Family Classics" DVD (which is why it's popping up in the F's), although I don't see what's particularly "family" about the four movies in the collection.

The General (1926)

The General (1926)
United Artists
January 2, 1927
Historical Comedy
DVD
C

While this started out promisingly, with a sly, whimsical sense of humor, about a poor schnook whose girlfriend pressures him to enlist in the Civil War, my attention wandered by the half-hour mark, when he was trying to keep the train going.  Keaton stars, co-directed (with Clyde Bruckman), and co-wrote, based on the William Pittenger book The Great Locomotive Chase.  

The Gold Rush

The Gold Rush
United Artists
June 26, 1925
Comedy
DVD
C-

Chaplin wrote, directed, and stars as the Little Tramp, well, "The Lone Prospector" here.  This is from a "Classic Comedy" collection, which seems to go chronologically, and I'm not big on silents.  Hopefully, I'll like some of the talkies.

Battleship Potemkin

Battleship Potemkin
Goskino
24 December 1925
Historical Drama
DVD
C-

Eisenstein directed and co-wrote this look back at a 1905 mutiny.  This film is of course critically acclaimed, but it's a silent about the military, so C- is about as high as I can go.  It is, for the moment, the oldest movie on this project, replacing Hitchcock's Easy Virtue (1928).

Easy Virtue (1928)

Easy Virtue (1928)

Gainsborough Pictures

5 March 1928

Drama

DVD
C-

I'm not big on silent films, mostly because my favorite thing about movies is spoken dialogue.  Still, this very early Hitchcock drama about a scandalous divorce wasn't bad in its first quarter hour.  This is based on a Noël Coward play (not technically a book, but certainly "literature").