Abel Gance’s Napoleon Just as Awesome as We Thought

The interwebs are ablaze with eye-witness reports of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s presentation of Kevin Brownlow’s restorationof Abel Gance’s Napoleon. Who would have thought you could pack the house for a 5 plus hour silent epic. Well, silent films fans, that’s who! And all of the first hand accounts confirm – Napoleon is totally awesome!

Here’s a wee round up of what’s being said:

• Thomas Gladysz summarizes what the Twitterverse has to say about Napoleon
• The L.A. Times deems Napoleon a triumphant return
• Silverscreen Chimera reports from the front lines of Napoleon
• Old Films Flicker interviews Napoleon score composer Carl Davis
• Don’t miss Criterion’s gorgeous Napoleon slideshow

Film Friday | Weekly Roundup

Pretty Clever Film Gal’s fingers were flying all week to bring  you the Toronto Silent Film Festival preview this week, resulting in what may be the first ever silent film induced case of carpal tunnel syndrome. But don’t fret my pets, this did not slow me down from my self-appointed rounds of idly surfing the interwebs. Neither did the uncommonly sunny and warm March weather or the sudden reappearance of Speedo Guy in the courtyard. It continues to be a fine time to be a silent film and classic movies fan (thanks Mr. Hazanavicius!), so there’s a lot stuff to idly surf. Follow along and enjoy, and then get yourself on a disco nap schedule for the festival! Happy reading and happy viewing!

Film Friday | Weekly Roundup

Whew… it’s been a hilarious week at Pretty Clever Films. I hope everyone enjoyed Buster Keaton Week as much as I did. Of course I had the distinct please of watching Buster while everyone else had to read my rambling thoughts about him, so it may have been more fun for me. Though I was very busy with Buster, I did not neglect my obligation to fritter away time on the interwebs so you don’t have to. Here’s my round-up of the coolest, best, most interesting stuff I found this week. Have a great weekend and happy watching!

• “That’s the signpost up ahead – your next stop, the Twilight Zone!” FilmSchoolRejects and TwitchFilm have set themselves the mega-task of watching each and every episode of the incomparable Twilight Zone. Check out the series “Exploring the Twilight Zone” with this Week One Wrap-Up and then take a gander at the other posts.
• Ok, this link floated around the blogsphere and the twitterverse and facebookville (and the Twilight Zone?) all week, but if you missed the TCM Movie Morlocks feature on “The Many Noses of Orson Welles” go read it now. This is wonderful and creepy and fascinating and weird, all at the same time.
• Via Margutta 51 coins a brand new term – “Bio-compelled viewing: The movies you just need to [re]watch after reading or watching a biography of someone related to cinema.” I am totally guilty of this too (and so are you, admit it). But the first step is admitting you have a problem… or just reading the excellent post “7 Reasons why I loved Way of the Gaucho.” And then watching a bunch of Gene Tierney movies.
• In “Mr. DeMille, I’m Ready for My Wardrobe” the always interesting Distant Voices and Flickering Shadows blog celebrates the costume designer heroes of silent film.
• I toyed with the idea of doing an all Buster Keaton “Film Friday,” but decided to diversify in the end. But I can’t let the week pass without mentioning the BEST thing I found this week. Raquelle at Out of The Past posted a review of Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow ,  a 3 part British TV Mini-Series about the man himself. She was also kind enough to create a YouTube playlist of all the parts so we can all watch along.

Related Posts:

• Pretty Clever Films- Film Friday | Weekly Round Up – June 10, 2011
• Pretty Clever Films – Film Friday | Weekly Round Up – June 3, 2011
• Pretty Clever Films – Film Friday | Weekly Round Up – May 27, 2011
• Pretty Clever Films – Film Friday | Weekly Round Up – May 20, 2011

Film Friday | Weekly Roundup

Well it’s another week down, and it’s a warm sunny Friday. While I sip a Mai Tai out by the pool, take a read around the interwebs. Here’s a round up of fun and interesting things I found this week. It’s Anthony Weiner free, scout’s honor. And don’t forget to drop by next week… I’m on a Buster Keaton kick these days, and you’ll find a series of reviews of Buster’s comedy shorts!

• The Alfred Hitchcock Geek has an interesting piece comparing Hitchcock and Edward Hopper. I had never really thought of that, but it made sense as soon as I read it.
• The Silent Treatment is a bi-monthly newsletter of silent movie talk. The best part is that all past issues are archived online.
• The always entertaining Mythical Monkey imagines the ultimate fate of Sam in Casablanca.
• For those not familiar with Canada (it’s due north), the Canadian government dispenses a lot of grant money for artists of all sorts to do what they do. For example, quirky directors like Guy Maddin. Take a read, check out YouTube, and track down his features.
• YouTube user BentoJoaoAntonio  is slowly but surely posting each of the 13 episodes of the 1980 documentary series Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film, directed by Kevin Brownlow & David Gill for Thames Television. This is awesome beyond belief. So far he’s posted through episode nine. Check them out and stay tuned for the rest.

Related Posts:

• Pretty Clever Films – Film Friday | Weekly Round Up – June 3, 2011
• Pretty Clever Films – Film Friday | Weekly Round Up – May 27, 2011
• Pretty Clever Films – Film Friday | Weekly Round Up – May 20, 2011