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Post by nutsberryfarm 🏜 on Mar 3, 2021 4:05:50 GMT
Will have to check some of these out...🎥
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Post by manfromplanetx on Mar 5, 2021 21:15:50 GMT
There is much to enjoy in two restored 1921 German Films starring Polish born Pola Negri.
Glamourous Negri was a stage and film actress and singer who achieved worldwide fame during the early silent years of European & Hollywood film. She had moved to Germany in 1917 where her career kicked off after meeting director Ernst Lubitsch, following their collaborative successes both were brought to Hollywood, Lubitsch arriving in Dec. 1921 for his first fact finding mission.... Die Bergkatze, The Wildcat Dir. Ernst Lubitsch, Pola Negri stars with a compelling performance playing Rischka, the wildcat of the title. The daughter to the leader of a gang of bandits, it is she who really commands the gang. Their latest victim is handsome Alexis, a caddish military officer on his way to a new post.... Director Ernst Lubitsch creates onscreen havoc that he has rarely equaled since, madder, louder and wilder than his other films, parody, romance, cartoon characters, excellent entertainment in this 100 year old Classic Film. Rischka the "Wildcat"...  Sappho, aka Mad Love Dir. Dimitri Buchowetzki Am excellent dark drama, Andreas, has been driven insane by an alluring notorious vamp and socialite named Sappho, say no more !...  |
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Post by manfromplanetx on Mar 5, 2021 23:52:29 GMT
One of the most sought after films of 1921 is the Hungarian Horror film Drakula halála, Drakula's Death, Directed by Károly Lajthay. This film brought to the big screen the first appearance of the vampire Count Dracula. The story tells of a woman who experiences frightening visions after being admitted to an insane asylum. One of the inmates claims to be Count Dracula, she has trouble determining whether the inmate's visions are real or merely nightmares, escaping the asylum she later marries, but vivid dreams continue to haunt her... Considered a lost film, only a few tantalizing stills are currently available, however rumour has it that a print does still exist in the Hungarian Film Archives., watch this space !...   |
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Post by manfromplanetx on Mar 6, 2021 8:06:07 GMT
Two favorite excellent Czechoslovakian Classics from 1921 were directed by Jan S. Kolár and Karel Lamač , both starred Anna Sophie Ondráková.
The Czech film actress began her career in 1920 and appeared in Czech, German, Austrian, French and English films, famous in English film for her 1929 work with Alfred Hitchcock (Blackmail). Otrávené světlo, The Poisoned Light... Mystery and action an exciting classic crime drama with a science fiction theme. Dr. Oskar Grant (Karel Fiala) has created a way to extend the duration of solar lighting throughout the day. His invention is considered very dangerous, so the Association of Industrialists sends Dr. Selín to buy out his invention and secure it. But someone else has already gotten their hands on Grant's invention, Illusionist Durk and his right hand man !...Unfortunately following restoration in recent years, the modern electronic soundtrack is not at all suited...   |
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Post by teleadm on Mar 6, 2021 22:44:01 GMT
 D.W. Griffith's Orphans of the Storm 1921, set in late-18th-century France, before and during the French Revolution. The last Griffith film to feature both Lillian and Dorothy Gish, it was a commercial failure at the time, but must have been re-evaluated over time since it popped in "1001 movies before you die"-books. Maybe not so much for the story but more for the innovative visuals.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Mar 29, 2021 0:44:17 GMT
One of very few features that survive from early Norwegian cinema is Markens Grode , Growth of the Soil, (1921) directed by Danish actor, director Gunnar Sommerfeldt It is the compelling saga of a brave pioneer who conquers the wilderness, builds a home & family, eventually seeing the area develop into a thriving community... Based on a monumental work written by Norwegian writer Herr Knut Hamsun in 1917, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1920 for this novel. An interesting work of silent film archaeology, stunning imagery captures reindeer herds, primitive lifestyles, the beauty & hostility of the natural environment. Interwoven are fantastic & supernatural Nordic elements connected with nature and the endurance of human beings against the odds. Thought lost for many years, the Norwegian Film Institute restored the film in 2009, thanks to two copies that had surfaced in different parts of the world. Interesting to note here also in 1921, it was to be the last feature film of Danish Director Gunnar Sommerfeldt. In 1919 he had directed Saga Borgarættarinnar, The History of the Borg family aka Sons of the Soil, an epic tale which was not released in Iceland or Norway until late 1920-21. Significantly his film was the first ever feature film shot in Iceland. Sommerfeldt also acted & wrote the script which was based on Gunnar Gunnarsson's novel of the same name.  Gunnar Sommerfeldt
 Gunnar Sommerfeldt as Ketill in Saga Borgarættarinnar, Sons of the Soil.  |
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Post by manfromplanetx on Apr 13, 2021 22:00:57 GMT
Jan S. Kolár (11 May 1896 – 30 October 1973) was a Czech film director, screenwriter, actor and film historian. Kolár was a Czechoslovakian film pioneer who approached his filmmaking with serious ambition, and creative flair, believing there was more to the art than mere momentary entertainments. Kolár aspired for quality work, striving to raise the level and profile of Czech cinema, for both domestic and international audiences. In modest conditions and aided with the help of equally ambitious colleagues, he created several remarkably vivid, historically significant works of Czech cinematic art. One of the first Czechoslovakian films to be shown abroad was directed and written by Kolár. Released under the title name Redivivus in Germany, Austria, France and the United Kingdom, his extraordinary silent fantasy horror film Příchozí z temnot , The Arrival from the Darkness was released in October 1921. Landowner Drazicky, is gifted an old book from his neighbour, a jilted rival who has ulterior motives. Inside the book Drazicky finds a cryptic message written long ago relating to the Mystery of the Black Tower, the nearby castle ruins. Curiosity leads him into the tower where he finds a secret wall panel opening, behind, a medieval alchemist's laboratory. Here long-ago potions were brewed, spells were cast seeking the elixir for an eternal life. Drazicky strikes a match and is startled to find……. Say no more, with so many surprises ahead, the drama captivates from the opening moments and continues right up until the final thrilling twist. The extravagant early film production has a wonderful cast, its moody story built upon a complex narrative structure. Maintaining suspense, interest and intrigue the plot has a multitude of motives and uses memory flashbacks. Striking artfully inspired cinematography employs innovative angles and expressionist shadows, creating an entrancing atmospheric tone. A standout feature is the location filming at three amazing Gothic Castles, Okoř (the Black Tower) and highlighting incredible exteriors, stairways of the castle Český Šternberk and castle Karlštejn. Restored by the Czech National Film Archive in (2005-7), the modern accompaniment blends well and ultimately, a perfect compliment. 100 years on exceptional entertainment. Highly Recommended !!   Anny Ondra
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