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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2020 17:26:52 GMT
Watched this one last night...
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
First time seeing this one, I'm surprised now that I'd never heard of it before doing some research on these films. It starts off a bit slow, but once it ramps up its pretty captivating. The FX work is really impressive. Its so easy to appreciate the work and artistry that went into these old tymey special effects. Sometimes I take an effect for granted and then think- wait a second, how in the hell did they do that in 1924?! The sets are also grand and gigantic.
An epic of the 20s to be sure! .
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Aug 2, 2020 17:45:03 GMT
_-_film_poster.jpg) One of the great posters I love the silents. |
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Post by marshamae on Aug 2, 2020 18:14:58 GMT
This hung on my wall for years
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Post by Doghouse6 on Aug 2, 2020 19:35:36 GMT
Watched this one last night... The Thief of Bagdad (1924) Its so easy to appreciate the work and artistry that went into these old tymey special effects. Sometimes I take an effect for granted and then think- wait a second, how in the hell did they do that in 1924?! The sets are also grand and gigantic. An epic of the 20s to be sure! . Great works of visual imagination were once rendered by a single person with only canvas, pigment and brush; now, anything the imagination can conjure can be made visual at a desk with screen, mouse, keyboard and processor power. But there was a time when the impressive nature of mechanical, logistical and photographic ingenuity - and sometimes, sheer physical scale - requiring the hands of many brought to the finished product a "thrill factor" that the results of software acumen can't approach. Below, the Bagdad sets, some portions redressed from 1922's Robin Hood, loom over the southern part of the U.A. lot on Santa Monica Blvd.  |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 2, 2020 19:42:44 GMT
@forceghostackbar So glad you escaped that trap and looking forward to seeing more of your posts hereabouts ! |
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Post by phantomparticle on Aug 2, 2020 19:45:20 GMT
It is, indeed, a monumental production for its time, the biggest movie of Fairbanks's career. I recall reading that it wasn't a huge money maker. Clocking in at 2:28m, it must have exhausted audiences. The actor never attempted anything as grand again.
I hope you saw the version with the Carl Davis Rimsky-Korsakov score and not Gaylord Carters inferior "Movie Museum" organ.
From the IMDB trivia section:
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2020 1:43:59 GMT
Watched this one last night... The Thief of Bagdad (1924) Its so easy to appreciate the work and artistry that went into these old tymey special effects. Sometimes I take an effect for granted and then think- wait a second, how in the hell did they do that in 1924?! The sets are also grand and gigantic. An epic of the 20s to be sure! . Great works of visual imagination were once rendered by a single person with only canvas, pigment and brush; now, anything the imagination can conjure can be made visual at a desk with screen, mouse, keyboard and processor power. But there was a time when the impressive nature of mechanical, logistical and photographic ingenuity - and sometimes, sheer physical scale - requiring the hands of many brought to the finished product a "thrill factor" that the results of software acumen can't approach. Below, the Bagdad sets, some portions redressed from 1922's Robin Hood, loom over the southern part of the U.A. lot on Santa Monica Blvd. That is very well said. Practical effects from decades before I was born can still impress me more than modern digital ones. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2020 1:46:17 GMT
It is, indeed, a monumental production for its time, the biggest movie of Fairbanks's career. I recall reading that it wasn't a huge money maker. Clocking in at 2:28m, it must have exhausted audiences. The actor never attempted anything as grand again. I hope you saw the version with the Carl Davis Rimsky-Korsakov score and not Gaylord Carters inferior "Movie Museum" organ. From the IMDB trivia section: This may be a blasphemous statement, but I do think silent movies are better when they're kept under two hours. I did find this one to be a little too long. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2020 2:06:31 GMT
Metropolis
The best silent movie (that I've seen anyway) of all time. A masterful sci fi epic. Robots, expressionism, Art Deco, social commentary and surrealism. Ahead of its time in every way.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2020 6:30:41 GMT
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
Directed by Tim Burton’s grandfather. Not really, but it sure feels like it.
I just watched it for the first time tonight. Wow, what a unique experience this one is. The extreme expressionist visuals start off feeling darkly charming, then as the film progresses they start to feel more and more oppressive, claustrophobic and disturbing. It’s really unlike anything else I’ve seen on film.
The music was especially fantastic. Though I did not like the colored tints here. I actually turned the color down on my tv part way through. The B&W looks so much better here.
I have a feeling this one will stick in my mind for a long time. What a movie.
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Post by Doghouse6 on Aug 3, 2020 9:44:23 GMT
Great works of visual imagination were once rendered by a single person with only canvas, pigment and brush; now, anything the imagination can conjure can be made visual at a desk with screen, mouse, keyboard and processor power. But there was a time when the impressive nature of mechanical, logistical and photographic ingenuity - and sometimes, sheer physical scale - requiring the hands of many brought to the finished product a "thrill factor" that the results of software acumen can't approach. That is very well said. Practical effects from decades before I was born can still impress me more than modern digital ones. About a week ago, I sampled, oh, a half-hour or so of last year's Midway, and beyond the big action effects, so much tweaking had been done with tints, textures and other "enhancements," along with elaborate audio engineering, that even flesh-and-blood actors in the simplest dialogue exchanges took on the look and sound of CG video game figures. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 3, 2020 13:06:55 GMT
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari Directed by Tim Burton’s grandfather. Not really, but it sure feels like it. I just watched it for the first time tonight. Wow, what a unique experience this one is. The extreme expressionist visuals start off feeling darkly charming, then as the film progresses they start to feel more and more oppressive, claustrophobic and disturbing. It’s really unlike anything else I’ve seen on film. The music was especially fantastic. Though I did not like the colored tints here. I actually turned the color down on my tv part way through. The B&W looks so much better here. I have a feeling this one will stick in my mind for a long time. What a movie. I saw this ages ago on a BIG screen with live music ... whoa ! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2020 17:45:04 GMT
That is very well said. Practical effects from decades before I was born can still impress me more than modern digital ones. About a week ago, I sampled, oh, a half-hour or so of last year's Midway, and beyond the big action effects, so much tweaking had been done with tints, textures and other "enhancements," along with elaborate audio engineering, that even flesh-and-blood actors in the simplest dialogue exchanges took on the look and sound of CG video game figures. Don't even get me started on color grading. Digital color grading is one of the worst things to ever happen to cinema. The Orange and Teal look is particularly repulsive, as is the current trend of making things look flat and low contrast (the latter is used a lot in tv now). |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2020 17:46:10 GMT
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari Directed by Tim Burton’s grandfather. Not really, but it sure feels like it. I just watched it for the first time tonight. Wow, what a unique experience this one is. The extreme expressionist visuals start off feeling darkly charming, then as the film progresses they start to feel more and more oppressive, claustrophobic and disturbing. It’s really unlike anything else I’ve seen on film. The music was especially fantastic. Though I did not like the colored tints here. I actually turned the color down on my tv part way through. The B&W looks so much better here. I have a feeling this one will stick in my mind for a long time. What a movie. I saw this ages ago on a BIG screen with live music ... whoa ! That sounds amazing! |
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Post by Rufus-T on Aug 3, 2020 17:59:58 GMT
I thought this 1924 version was so much better than the more popular 1940 version. The 1940 version was a bit cartoonish. This version was more menacing, also featured the great Anna May Wong.
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Post by Doghouse6 on Aug 3, 2020 18:12:46 GMT
About a week ago, I sampled, oh, a half-hour or so of last year's Midway, and beyond the big action effects, so much tweaking had been done with tints, textures and other "enhancements," along with elaborate audio engineering, that even flesh-and-blood actors in the simplest dialogue exchanges took on the look and sound of CG video game figures. Don't even get me started on color grading. Digital color grading is one of the worst things to ever happen to cinema. The Orange and Teal look is particularly repulsive, as is the current trend of making things look flat and low contrast (the latter is used a lot in tv now). Yup. We're on the same page there, buddy. Bridge Of Spies was a particularly egregious offender in that regard. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2020 17:16:57 GMT
I thought this 1924 version was so much better than the more popular 1940 version. The 1940 version was a bit cartoonish. This version was more menacing, also featured the great Anna May Wong. Agreed. I hated the 40s version. |
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Aug 5, 2020 0:45:59 GMT
A suggestion, somewhat off the beaten path en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Roue1923, from Abel Gance, director of Napoleon. Tis a bit long, but it's a piece of art, captured on film. One of my top 5. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 5, 2020 2:42:01 GMT
@forceghostackbar
have you seen Keaton's The General yet ?
For a change of pace ... adventure, comedy, a little romance even.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2020 5:50:18 GMT
I appreciate the suggestions, BATouttaheck and TheGoodMan19 I have not seen those two. In fact, aside from those posted above, I haven't seen any others! |
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