Welcome to August!

 August here, and we welcome it with another old ad that is similar to what I would commision if I have trying to sell booze to old-school D&D/fantasy gamers!

Meremay is gone and June is here!

Mermaids and the gnomes are planning to party all month long with their special guest, the Frog King!

We open the month with a drawing that originally appeared as an ad, in the pages of legendary German arts and culture magazine Jugend. It's the sort of illustration that we would use today if we were trying to sell booze to players of old-school fantasy roleplaying games!

Welcome to February!

 If I was going to sell booze to old-school fantasy roleplaying game players, I'd use art like this ad that originally appeared in Jugend (1908).

It's January!

 Santa Claus is almost done working for the year, and he's stocking up for a month-long bender with Mrs. Claus. 

It will be a season of merriment not just for the Clauses, but for everyone who live near the world-famous Santa's Workshop. The whole community will be getting blitzed high-quality booze, thanks to the Jolly One's inadvertent generosity!

Triumph and Tragedy with Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allen Poe (aka "Edgar Allan Poe") (1909)
Starring: Herbert Yost, Linda Arvidson, Arthur V. Johnson, David Miles, and Anita Hendrie
Director: D.W. Griffith
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Writer Edgar Allan Poe (Yost) is struggling to make enough money to purchase the food and medicine needed by his ailing wife (Arvidson). Can he find a publisher for his latest peom before it is too late?

 "Edgar Allen Poe" is a fictionalized version of the circumstances surrounding the creation and publication of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous work, "The Raven". It condenses several key events in Poe's life to make them occur simultaneously, but what it lacks in historical accuracy it makes up for with heightened drama and tragedy.

One mildly amusing fact about the film is that Poe's name is misspelled in the title--no, for once I did not make a typo in the heading, the film is actually titled "Edgar Allen Poe". This error is typically explained by the fact that the film was rushed to market in order to capitalize on the centennial anniversary of Poe's birth (he was born in Feburary 8, 1809, and the film began playing in theatres on Feburary 8, 1909), having been filmed over two days in January of 1909. By the time the error was noticed, copies of the film had already been made and were shipping out to movie theaters.

This film is far superior to what it's rushed production schedule might seem to infer. It is another innovative entry in Griffith's unfolding invention of much of what remains technical standards in filmmaking today--in this specific case, it was how Griffith lit the scenes.

Whether you have an interested in Edgar Allan Poe, silent movies, or just well-made dramas, I think you might find the few minutes it takes to watch this film. Click below and sit back.

Artful magic... or is it magical art?

The Drawing Lesson (aka "The Living Statue") (1903)
Starring: Jehanne d'Alcy and Georges Méliès

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A sorcerer (Melies) causes chaos during a life-drawing class.

"The Drawing Lesson" is a fun visual romp from Georges Melies, a stage magician turned filmmaker who pioneered a whole host of special effects and film editing mainstays. We are treated to a mixture of two of the most common elements in his film--sorcery and/or stage magic performed via the wonders of in-camera editing and doube-exposure, and a setting that feels like a fairy tale come to life.

If this is the first Georges Melies film you have seen, it's an excellent introduction to his work. Take a couple minutes to check it out. If you like quirky, comedic short films, I am certain you will enjoy it.

Magicians and Mermaids and Babes--Oh My!

The Mermaid (1904)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A magician (Méliès) uses water from an empty fish tank to summon fish, a mermaid, and sirines. Along the way, he performs a variety of other summonings, as well as transformations of both himself and the mermaid.

This is one of the more impressive performance videos that Méliès produced. The transitions that create the in-camera effects are generally so smooth that they rival effects you see made today, 120 years and technology that Méliès couldn't have dreamed of later.

The only weakness of this film arises because of circumstances beyond Méliès' control, such as the wind blowing the hammock and the positions of the fish swimming around in the aquarium. Most viewers--especially back in 1904 when this film premiered--will have their attention focused on the main action, though, so the weird little disruptions in motion and teleporting fish escapes notice... just like they would during a live magic show where keeping the audience focused on a specific thing is important to maintaining an illusion. Since I, as a reviewer, am looking for flaws, I pointing out some very nitpicky weaknesses in this otherwise excellent effort from a trailblazing special effects artist.

But you shouldn't take my word for it. Take a minute out of your busy day to watch a little old-time movie magic by clicking below!

The Cave Clown is here, there, and everywhere!

The Disconnected Clown (aka "Mysterious Displacements") (1901)
Starring: Andre Deeds
Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A clown (Melies) joyously violates the laws of nature and reality in creepy ways.

This is another instance of stage-magician-turned-pioneering-filmmaker Georges Melies using special effects to bring magic tricks to the screen in a way that would be neigh impossible in a live performance. Generally, I favor his films that feature a bit more plot than this one, but the visual effects are so impressive in this one that I can't help but love it. (Plus, the rambunctious joy with which the clown performs his creepy show makes the film all the more fascinating and surreal.)

But don't just take my word for it. Click below and enjoy a couple minutes of pure weirdness and special effects that are pretty convincing even more than 120 years after this film was made.

A 120+ year-old movie that's still fresh

The Brahmin and the Butterfly (aka "The Butterfly's Chrysalis") (1901)
Starring: Georges Melies and an anonymous dancer
Director: Georges Melies
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A sorerer (Melies) uses magic to create a beautiful winged woman by enchanting a giant caterpillar... but things don't go quite as he planned.

 "The Brahmin and the Butterfly" is one of my favorite shorts from early special effects wizard Georges Melies. It's a little goofy, a little creepy, the effects are pretty good even by modern standards, and it's got a story with a twist. All in about two minutes!

What's more, I think the story will resonate with modern audiences. Take a look and let me know if you agree! (The version I'm providing below features a modern score done specifically for this film, which makes watching it even more enjoyable.)

Movie Magic ala Georges Melies!

The Tiny Dancer (aka 'The Dancing Midget') (1902)
Starring: George Melies, an Anonymous Actor, and an Anonymous Ballerina
Director: Georges Melies
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A magician (Melies) conjures an assistant, eggs, and ultimately a miniature ballerina. But he's saved his greatest trick for last!

 "The Tiny Dancer" is one of the many films by stage-magician-turned-pioneering-special-effects-artist Georges Melies performs cinema-enhanced magic tricks that culminate either in a magical mishap or a visual joke of some sort. I'll not say how this one turns out, because I don't want to spoil anything.

I've said before that this type of film are among my least favorite of Melies output. That said, this one is lively and amusing enough that it kept my attention throughout. The ending also make me snicker, and I always appreciate the short films that leave me smiling (for the comedies) or squirming (for the horror films).

But why don't you check it out? It's only a couple minutes long. Let me know in the comments whether you liked it or not!

Also, if you see Elton John, recommend that he check it out, too. I think he'll love it, for obvious reasons.

'A Trap for Santa Claus' is a cute little drama

A Trap for Santa Claus (1909)
Starring: Marion Leonard, Gladys Egan, Henry B. Walthall, John Tansey, William J. Butler, and Mack Sennett
Director: D.W. Griffith
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

After a deadbeat husband and father (Wathall) abandons his wife (Leonard) and children (Egan and Tansey), the woman inherits a mansion and a fortune from her aunt. They are all unexpectedly reunited on Christmas Eve when the man tries to burglarize the home that, unbeknownst to him, his family is now living in.

"A Trap for Santa Claus" is a fast-moving short film from a filmmaker who helped create the visual language of cinema. Although less innovative than works that would follow later, this cute little Christmas film is full of scenes that are framed and performed by actors who are more effectively blocked and directed for film than was typical in films of this vintage. 

As should be expected, there are aspects that have not aged well. Among these are some pantomiming by adult stars Marion Leonard and Henry B. Wathall, as they successfully convey plot points and emotions with gestures. This aspect of their performances will not seem as annoying as it might in some films, because it's balanced out by the effective blocking and more natural gestures and subdued character interactions than was common during this period. The two child actors featured also give performances that feel less overblown than one might expect -- and they even server as effective comic relief as the story moves into its climactic sequence. (John Tansey even does a pratfall with a style that one wouldn't think an 8-year-old would possess!)

I was torn between assigning this film a Six or Seven Star rating. I eventually decided to go with the lower of the two, because, although I appreciate the quick pacing of the film and the universally good performances by the entire cast, the pat happy ending that arises from a Christmas Miracle of coincidences was just a bit much for me. I know this is a Christmas story, so I expected there to be redemption and forgiveness for the deadbeat dad before the film was over, but it felt unearned and too easy. The ending isn't terrible, but I think the century that's passed since this film was released, and the many Christmas movies that have followed, have upped expectations from fare like this. (Of course, with its running time of 15 minutes, there also wasn't a whole lot of time to fit in a proper redemption arc.)

In the final analysis, though, this is a film that's still worth watching, and we've embedded it below for your convenience. Pour yourself a glass of eggnog, sit back, and enjoy!

What's more fun than a barrel full of monkeys?

Le Tonneau des Danaïdes (aka "A Barrel of Danaides" and "Eight Girls in a Barrel) (1900)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

What's more fun than a barrel of monkeys? A barrel full of women!

I've said previously that the films from pioneering special effects artist and fantasy filmmaker Georges Méliès that are just stage illusions performed and enhanced with in-camera editing. This one falls into that category, but I find it amusing for its reference to relatively obscure characters from Greek myths.

This is also worth watching, because, like pretty much all of Melies' short films, it's better in some ways than modern SFX-driven films. Check it out--it'll only take a couple minutes of your time!

A silent movie that Stan Lee would approve of!

Excelsior (aka "The Magician and the Human Pump" and "The Prince of Magicians") (1901)
Starring: Georges Méliès

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A noble wizard (Méliès) turns his manservant into the main prop in a magic act.

"Excelsior" is one of stage magician-turned-filmmaker many pioneering special effects films that are basically a magic show on film. This is one of the better ones, not only because of the impressive effects, but also because of the impish sense of humor of display throughout. 

Click below and enjoy. It's will only take you a couple of minutes to watch this little film, and I think you'll find that the sense of fun and joy that permeates this film will brighten your spirits for the rest of your day.

An excellent drama with confused intertitles?

The Country Doctor (1909)
Starring: Frank Powell, Florence Lawrence, Kate Bruce, Gladys Egan, Rose King, Mary Pickford, and Adele DeGarde
Director: D.W. Griffith
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A country doctor (Powell) makes a fateful choice when his daughter (Egan) and another girl (DeGarde) are both struck with the same deadly illness at the same time.

"The Country Doctor" is another early and excellent short film from D.W. Griffith. Once again, he delivers a swiftly moving flick with not a second wasted and where we are treated to all actors giving their best performances. With many dramatic films of this vintage, the difference in film acting styles from what was common in 1909 (which were stagey and overly emotive) and the more natural-seeming approaches today can make them difficult to watch at times. Not so with films from Griffith... yes, there's big gestures and a certain degree of posing and posturing, but it doesn't seem quite as over-the-top as it does elsewhere, and it's almost always balanced with genuine-seeming facial expressions and more subtle body language. I might even go so far to say that if you're among those who avoid silent films because of the acting, you might still want to check this one out. Because it's clear from this film why Florence Lawrence, Frank Powell, and Mary Pickford were big stars in their day.

 

As is often the case, I am giving everyone the opportunity to watch the film I'm reviewing, but I'm dropping it here, in the middle of the review rather than at the end. This is because, while I liked almost everything about this film--from it's bright, airy opening scenes, to the cross-cutting between two locations as the story unfolds, to the excellent performances by the actors--the issues I do have relate to elements that can be considered spoilers.

So... please watch "The Country Doctor". Then, you can continue to read my comments below. (By the way, the version I've embedded has no soundtrack music. I found that the 2010 remaster of Mike Oldfield's "Hergest Ridge Pt. 1" works amazingly well for most of this film, except at the very end where the music becomes a little too upbeat. (Well, maybe. See below. And you can click here to open "Hergest Ridge Pt. 1" in a different window to play while watching the film.)

 

As much as I enjoyed this film, there was one thing I found it to be a head-scratcher that the film announces itself to carry a spiritual message--do the moral thing and you'll be rewarded in the afterlife--but then doesn't quite ever deliver on that promise. While the titular Country Doctor is very much self-sacrificing and obviously the sort of man who puts community above himself and even his family (given he prioritizes treating another patient over own sick daughter), there's no sense that he will be rewarded in the end. In fact, the final intertitle of the film seems to imply the opposite, both for the doctor, his family, and perhaps the entire community. (This strange disconnect between the film's opening and closing moments made a difference between me giving it a rating of Seven instead of Eight.)

With said that... what do you think? Am I putting too much weight on an element that isn't even really part of the film itself? Did I steer you wrong when I praised the pacing and acting of this great little drama? Leave a comment below!

Mary and Jim are gonna marry! Nothing will stop them! Except...

They Would Elope (1909)
Starring: Mary Pickford, Billy Quirk, and James Kirkwood
Director: D.W. Griffith
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A young couple (Pickford and Quirk), convinced their families are opposed to their desire to get married, decide to elope. But Fate keeps trying to stop them.

I almost gave up on "They Would Elope" roughly one minute in, because it felt stagey even for an early silent movie. Not only that, it felt stagey in a bad way, with the actors performing on a stage that was far too small for the scene they were attempting. (Her parents walk in on the young lovers canoodling, but they don't notice them initially, despite standing right next to them and talking. And the young lovers don't notice the parents intially, despite the fact they are standing right next to them, talking. The scene is so badly done that I found it hard to believe that it was in a D.W. Griffith film.)  

I'm glad I kept watching, though, because moments later, an amusing twist was introduced into the story... and from that point forward the film went down a very deliberate, very silly path. Even as it grew more silly, it grew more charming. I went from almost turning the film off to eagerly wanting to see what would happen when the young lovers inevitably reunited with their families.

I think "They Would Elope" is the first comedy from D.W. Griffith I've seen. While it has its flaws, it's just as fast-paced as his dramatic short films, and I think modern audiences will be as entertained by it as they were in 1909. One thing I personally realized (or perhaps rediscovered after forgetting, because I feel like I should have known this already) is that filmmakers were making full-on satires of melodramas as far back as the early days of cinema. 

I am embedding "They Would Elope" via YouTube to make it easy for you to enjoy this fun movie. Feel free to leave a comment on this post if you think my estimation of it is off.

'To Save Her Soul' turns terrible at the end

To Save Her Soul (1909)
Starring: Mary Pickford, Arthur V. Johnson, George Nichols, and William Beaudine

Director: D.W. Griffith

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A beautiful young woman with an equally beautiful voice (Pickford) is put onto the path of a successful showbusiness career after a chance encounter with a theatrical producer (Nichols). A young pastor in her hometown (Johnson) is in love (or maybe just in lust) with her, and he follows her to the big city, in hopes of convincing her to return with him.

I generally don't have the patience for silent dramas, because the pacing combined with the overwrought performance styles and melodramatic pantomiming used by the actors to communicate emotions either bore me or make me laugh. 

A notable exception are short films from D.W. Griffith. Every one of them I've seen so far has moved along at a breakneck pace and has been augmented by staging and framing of scenes that are at the same time reminiscent of renaissance paintings and modern-feeling. Griffith was one of the early masters of the cinematic medium, and that's what makes his short films entertaining to this day.

"To Save Her Soul" is no exception. It clips along at a quick pace. While there's plenty of overly dramatic emoting and even some overacting, the two leads--Pickford and Johnson--have enough presence and charisma that their screen presence shines through that. Pickford is, as always, excellent in her part. 

With that said, I'm going to break format and present "To Save Her Soul" for your viewing pleasure here in the middle of this post instead of at the end. This is because the rest of this review reveals the film's ending and thus may spoil it for you.

The story of "To Save Her Soul" is fairly engaging... and it becomes even more so when the handsome lead makes a transition from a concerned would-be suitor to the young singer to a crazed stalker and religious fanatic who is going to murder her, ostensibly to save her soul (as the title implies) but more basically because if he can't possess her completely and wholly, she cannot be allowed to live.

But, ultimately, that character transition is what undoes this movie. Instead of treating the pastor like the vicious monster that he is, the film sets him up as a literal savior: After he literally points a gun at Pickford's character's face and threatens to murder her if she doesn't surrender to his whims and desires (and his whims and desires alone), the young woman surrenders to him completely, leaving behind the life of sinful showbusiness to be his sex slave before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Okay, I probably put a far darker spin on the film's final moments than Griffith intended, but the ending of "To Save Her Soul" is seriously messed up. Even when allowing for more than a century of shifting social standards, the "hero" of this film should have been a villain that one of the show biz folk wrestled with, and ultimately shot with his own gun. That is how this film should have ended, and I would have given it Eight or Nine Stars.

The Electric Boogaloo of the Gods

Jupiter's Thunderballs (1903)
Starring: Anonymous Actors and Dancers

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Zeus's thunderbolts begin to fizzle, so he summons Hephaestus to repair them. While the upgraded bolts intially are able to call all nine Muses into Zeus' presence, it soon becomes clear that they work a too well!

Although not a very good example of how fantastic Georges Méliès' special effects could be--what we have here is rather clumsy and badly executed when compared to the perfection in some of his other films--this is one of my all-time favorite modern usages of the Greek gods. I don't think I will ever not feel like this is among the most fun three-and-a-half minutes of film that was ever made. Likewise, I don't think I'll ever have to supress the urge to make a Beavis and Buttlike like snicker and say, "He said balls" whenever I see its title. (I also think I'll never understand why both the French and English title reference Jupiter when the sets and costumes all reference the Greek names and versions of the featured gods rather than the Roman ones. Maybe it's a fourth-wall joke that's going over my head?)

Click below and watch "Jupiter's Thunderballs". If you end up not considering it among the best moments you had today, you may take me to task in the comments!)

How do you cage the devil? Apparently, you don't....

Satan in Prison (1907)
Starring: Georges Méliès and Jehanne d'Alcy
Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

After being imprisoned in an empty room for his many evils, Satan (Méliès) uses magic to improve his conditions of confinement.

 

I have a new favorite Georges Méliès film. This one has a story, is energetic and lots of fun... and, given the techniques that Georges Méliès was working with, the effects are amazing. (For those may not know,  Méliès was a stage magician turned filmmaker. He was one of the very first to make extensive use of special effects in his films--in fact, building them pretty much to show off cinematic trickery and illusions. Without his work, the big-budget superhero extravaganzas everyone loves so much, would not exist.)

In addition to being a fun romp, almost every trick photography and illusion-created-via-editing is pretty much seamless and better and more believable than a lot of new-fangled digital effects that you'll see in contemporary films made with less care and enthusiasm for both the creative process and entertaining the audience. 

But don't just take my word for it. Take five minutes and watch this fun flick right now by clicking below. I looked at several different versions available on YouTube for embedding in this post and I went with the one that was most complete and with the sharpest visual quality. It does not have a music soundtrack, however, so if you prefer your silent movies without complete silence, you should watch this version.

Use the Melies Method to never again be lonely!

Over 120 years ago, French filmmaker and showman Georges Méliès discovered the perfect way to stave off loneliness and to make sure you could have companionship any time and anywhere. He used the emerging technology of film to record his methods and share them with the world for all time.

Study Méliès methods as he demonstrates them in this short video. If you master them, you will never be lonely again, no matter what! Méliès demonstrates not just one, not just two, but three methods by which you can create company from thin air, in the comfort of your own home/prison during the next Covid lockdown!

The Duplicate Illusionist and the Living Head (aka "The Triple Conjurer") (1900)
Starring: Georges Méliès and Jehanne d'Alcy
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

(In all seriousness, "The Duplicate Illusionist and the Living Head" is one of Georges Méliès best "performance" shorts. I always prefer those of his films that have a bit more plot to them instead of ones that are little more than showcases for his at-the-time cutting edge and dazzling special effects. This one, though, has effects that are so smoothly done and so alive with Méliès's creativity and exuberance that it's impossible not to love it. (I am sure you fell in love with it, too, if you spent the minute or so it lasts. Let me know! (Also, if you DO master the technique of conjuring companions from thin air by watching this film, let me know that, too.)

 

Silent Movie Magic Fun

The Living Playing Cards (aka "Card Tricks") (1905)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A stage magician (Méliès) performs some extreme card tricks.

A number of the short films by special effects pioneer Georges Méliès simply take a stage illusionist and transfer him and his stage performance onto the screeen, with the illusions augmented and taken up a notch through trick photography. Typically, they fall among my least favorites of Méliès's efforts--some I've felt so indifferent toward that I didn't even feel motivated to write a post.

"The Living Playing Cards" is one of the exceptions to that general rule. It stars out like it's going to be just another "illusionist performs" film--even to the point where the magician is shown engages the audience in chatter while setting up his trick--but it then goes in a spectacularly over-the-top direction. What's more, it's very technically accomplished, with Méliès' in-camera effects and double-exposures being pulled off in such a smooth fashion that they're hardly noticeable. 

This is one of those films that demonstrate what a shame it was that Méliès became so imbittered at the film industry he walked away and turned to toymaking... but not before burning the original prints and negatives of his films. (We should could ourselves fortunate to have even the fraction of his work that has survived to the present day.)

Take a couple minutes (literally) to check out a fun bit of foundation for the movies we know and love today by clicking below.