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Movie Profiles & Premiums Newsletter Vol.3 #13
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Cliff Aliperti
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Aug 01, 2005 15:46 PDT
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Movie Profiles & Premiums Volume 3, Number 13. July 31, 2005
Brought to you by http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com
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This is the plain text version of the newsletter. Read this online in
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FIRST REEL:
It's been a long hot month. Long Island recently had a nice stretch of
high 90's temperatures combined with ridiculous humidity. It was a
pretty nice weekend though, so I'm left with no complaints. Before we
get to this big issue I want to mention the "Books & Movies" Forum
hosted by our puzzler Carly Svamvour and her husband Jeff. Recent posts
include Angels With Dirty Faces, White Heat, and Orson Welles. Feel
free to check it out, post a review, reply to to one already written,
ask a question, or just read over what's been written.
Books & Movies Forum:
http://wildcity.proboards14.com/index.cgi?board=Books
I've created a sign-up box on the Auction Notes Sample page, so anybody
who's interested in receiving that weekly bulletin no longer needs to
email me direct, they can just fill out the brief form themselves to
sign-up.
Auction Notes:
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/auction%20notes.htm
For interested collectors, here are the key links to my items currently
for sale:
All eBay Auctions:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsascsZ1QQsassZthingsQ2dandQ2dotherQ2dstuff
eBay Store (5,000+ listings at this time!):
http://stores.ebay.com/things-and-other-stuff?refid=store
On to our show, in summary, here are the opening credits...
1. Mid-Summer Night's Screen, A Crossword Puzzle by Carly Svamvour
2. Solution to Silents and Other Flicks, A Crossword Puzzle by Carly
Svamvour
3. Photo ID Guide: 1920's Picturegoer Series 88 Postcards
4. Nosferatu: A Review by Diana Savage
5. Photo ID Guide: 1920's Strauch & Co. Soap Trading Cards from Uruguay
6. Photo ID Guide: 1916-17 Strand Theatre - Kline Poster Co. Color Ad
Cards
7. The Silent Collection featuring Mary Miles Minter by Tammy Stone
I want to apologize for there not being any images accompanying Diana's
review of Nosferatu. Diana will often supply images from her own
collection, but somehow between the two of us neither one had anything
appropriate for her article! There doesn't seem to be a wealth of
1920's German items out there, so sorry, no scary Max Schreck shots for
you here! There are plenty of images on Tammy's Silent Collection page
covering Mary Miles Minter (another request from me, thank you Tammy for
being so flexible!). Along with those two articles are a brand new
crossword puzzle from Carly Svamvour plus three new Photo ID Guides
filled with images of items I've recently acquired and placed for sale.
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At my request Spencer Shannon has picked out some of his favorite film
books from his library for this issue. I do the same below. Spence
covers the Golden Age while I stick with the early Silent stuff. I
thought this would be a great topic because maybe it will lead to
someone adding something to their library. By the same token I am
interested in your favorite film related books (especially the oldies).
If you'd like to share your own Top 5 in the next issue please write to
thi-@things-and-other-stuff.com and let me know your personal
favorites (with or without commentary).
By Spencer Shannon-(AFI member/Variety's "Oscar-Oracle!")
Top 5 Books About the Classics (mostly 1925-1960).
Part I
(* denotes Oscar winner)
1) "M-G-M: When the Lion Roars" by Peter May. Not to be confused with
"The MGM Story" This book is also my personal all-around runner-up
favorite to TCM Host Robert Osborne's "75yrs. of OSCAR." MGM: When the
Lion Roars was also made into a tremendous 1992 6 hour documentary which
first aired on PBS. TCM now airs it very-often (don't know if it's as
yet on dvd/video?). Both the book & the 6 hour companion-piece special
are must have items!)
2) "Movies We Love - 100 Collectible Classics" By "Sin-City" writer:
Frank Miller of all people! Forward by Robert Osborne. This is among few
items I was able to purchase from TCM's now defunct store. This book
covers mostly MGM/WB's & RKO films from the 1920's-40's with a few from
the 1950's as well. A superb book, that needs a sequel!
3) "The Great Movie Stars: The Golden Years" by David Shipman. A fellow
TCM-ite (Mongo) tipped me onto this and yes, it's another must have! I
cannot stress strongly enough as to just how much and how well this
covers of the glorious stars of that era (plus, the silent era as
well). To name a few heavyweights: *Gable, *Tracy, *Bogie, *Cooper,
*Kate, *Davis, *Crawford, W. Powell & Myrna Loy, W.C. Fields, Chaney,
Sr., J. Barrymore, Marx Bros., *Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, Fred & *Ginger &
of course, Garbo! Many more! P.S. I was able to get this online at only
about $11
4) "Hollywood Is A Four Letter Town" by legendary James Bacon (who's
still alive at the age of 91) in 1976. (This is another one that I
found online & at only about $7 bucks!) Most film historians know of
Jim Bacon. He does not gossip here. This amazingly lucky journalist,
got to hang-out with the likes of: *Brando, *Gary Cooper, William Claude
Dukenfield (W.C. Fields), McQueen, *"Duke" Wayne, Mitchum, Groucho Marx,
Marilyn-(a very personal story with MM!), *Bogie & Bacall, *Spencer
Tracy (plus, a famous incident involving him & *Kate Hepburn). Bacon
has also acted in lots of flix himself, including "Planet of the Apes" &
was as close as a columnist can get to Howard Hughes!
5) "The It's a Wonderful Life Book!" by Jeanine Basinger & Leonard
Maltin assisted, as did legendary *Frank Capra! This is a terrific book
including tons of pix, entire script, etc.
Honorable Mention:
"David O. Selznick's HOLLYWOOD" by Ronald Haver. Listing this due to
fact that this book is the single most massive (like his own *"GWTW") of
all my library. Arguably, the largest coffee table book I have even seen
too!)
Now what do others have?
Well, as for me there are some books that I'm quite passionate about.
I'm a bit of a bibliophile in general as boxes upon boxes of books in
the attic can attest for me, but I do try and keep a dozen or so film
related titles out on the shelf. I just finished reading a great
biography this week, "Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood" by Eileen
Whitefield (1997) does not only an incredible job covering Mary
Pickford, it gives a great history of early film, especially from about
1912-early 1930's. A similar type bio that is equally well-done would
be "Goldwyn: A Biography" by A. Scott Berg. Coincidentally enough I
just caught the two-hour documentary based on this book on PBS last
weekend. I have to mention the classic "The Parade's Gone By" by Kevin
Brownlow (1968), it's a book I'm willing to bet most of you have. For
those who don't it's an extraordinary peek at the behind the camera
workings during the silent era as well as a look at some of the biggest
stars of the time. 1994's "Seductive Cinema: The Art of Silent Film" by
James Card is a great history of early film with entire chapters
dedicated to DeMille, von Sternberg, King Vidor and Monta Bell. Finally
a fun book with many biographical entries is "Silent Players" by Anthony
Slide (2002). One hundred silent film actors and actresses are covered,
all with accompanying photos. Slide writes pretty gossipy stuff, but
it's all interesting.
There you go, and into the time tunnel we go:
#
Mid-Summer Night's Screen, A Crossword Puzzle
By Carly Svamvour
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/ENTERTAINMENT/ASTOS/puzzles/073105%20puzzle.htm
Access this issue's new crossword puzzle at the link above. Answers to
be revealed next issue.
For the solution to last issue's puzzle,
Silents and Other Flicks, click the following link:
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/ENTERTAINMENT/ASTOS/puzzles/063005%20solution.htm
Carly Svamvour is a writer who makes her home in the west end of
Toronto, Canada. She has published her poems, short prose pieces and
puzzles in many places throughout Canada and the U. S. A. She is
currently working on her photo-journals with an eye to success at being
a travel writer. See more of Carly at Wild City Times - click here
(http://wildcity.proboards14.com/index.cgi?action=logout) for the
magazine and online writing workshop.
#
Photo ID Guide:
1920's Picturegoer Series 88 Postcards
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/ENTERTAINMENT/prices%20realized%20ID%20folder/picturegoerpc.htm
Click the link above for images & details!
A 51-image slide-show accompanies information and a checklist on this
long-running issue from the UK.
#
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens
A Review By Diana Savage
AKA: Nosferatu
AKA: Nosferatu, a Symphony of Terror (Literal Translation)
AKA: F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu
Date: 1922
Country: Germany
Director: F.W. Murnau
Starring: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
Review based on Republic Pictures Home Video (1991), Kino on Video
(2002) and Alpha Video (2001) versions.
In some ways doing a review of “Nosferatu, eine Symphonie de
Grauens/Nosferatu” is a pointless exercise. Anyone who is truly
interested in vampire movies will have already watched it. Reviewing
“Nosferatu” is like reviewing “Birth of a Nation” for silent film fans
or “The Wizard of Oz” for the general public. The most direct way of
writing about these films is to say, “If you haven’t watched the film
yet, go watch it, not only because it is a great film, but because of
its immense historical importance.” For this reason I have given a
primary place to the history of “Nosferatu” and a secondary place to the
normal elements of a movie review.
“Nosferatu” is often incorrectly considered the first film to be based
on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Actually “Nosferatu” was beaten to this
honor by an obscure Hungarian film, “Drakula/Drakula halála” (Lafthay,
1920). “Drakula” appeared 23 years after Bram Stoker’s novel was
published. Dating on Drakula varies from 1920[i] & [ii], 1921[iii], and
1923[iv]. If the last date is valid then “Nosferatu” would have preceded
“Drakula.” Scholarly history however generally credits “Drukula” with
having appeared first.
“Drakula” is a Hungarian film in which Mary Land (Margit Lux) has
visions of visiting a sanitarium where she meets a man claiming to be
Drakula (Paul Askons). She is unsure if her visions are real or
nightmares. The communist regime of the time had banned horror films so
it is presumed the film was destroyed soon after production.
Whether “Drakula” or “Nosferatu” came first it was twenty three years
after the publication of Dracula that a wide audience got to see Dracula
on the screen. The version that earned this distinction was Murnau's
“Nosferatu, eine Symphonie de Grauens.” Twenty three years is a long
time for a popular and important book, like Dracula, to appear on
celluloid. Part of the delay in the arrival of a celluloid version can
be traced to the fact that Bram Stoker believed that films were a vulgar
form of entertainment and he would only grant licenses for versions of
the Dracula. Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau in 1922 was to break this barrier
in a major way, but not without a price.
Murnau was one of three great Weimar expressionist film directors along
with Fritz Lang, and G.W. Pabst. Prior to making “Nosferatu” Murnau
approached Bram Stoker for film rights to Dracula and was spurned. It
was not till Browning’s 1931 “Dracula” featuring Bela Lugosi that film
rights to the book were granted. To circumvent copyright issues Murnau
changed various elements of the film. The elements he changed included
the names of the characters and location. He also changed the ending,
the manner of the Count’s death, he made vampires vulnerable to
sunlight, demoted Nina to a more traditional female role, merged
Renfield and the solicitor, eliminated numerous characters, introduced a
vampire book and removed the adventure story aspects. All these changes
foreshadowed elements in later films.
And so in 1922 “Nosferatu, eine Symphonie de Grauens” was released with
a seriously altered plot and characterization. Count Dracula had become
Graf (Count) Orlok played by Max Schreck, a stage a film actor known for
taking unusual parts. Jonathan Harker had become Hutter played by Gustav
von Wangenhein, a now forgotten actor. Mina had become Ellen Hutter
played by Greta Schröder, an actress chiefly known for her portrayal in
Merhige’s “Shadow of the Vampire” (2000). Renfield become the mad
solicitor Knock played by Alexander Granach, a leading German actor who
had to flee Germany with the rise of Hitler. Van Helsing is a relatively
minor character, not Stoker’s wise dynamic character. Van Helsing is
called Professor Bulwer and is played by John Gottowt. London became
Wisborg/Bremen in Northern Germany. The date is not Stoker’s Europe but
the plague ridden Europe of the 1838[v]. The Count is not hunted down by
European adventures in the Carpathian Mountains but meets its destiny in
Wisborg, a victim of love and loneliness.
The Count Orlok is a far cry from the romantic vampire played by Bela
Lugosi or Christopher Lee. Count Orlok is a pale thin figure with bat
like ears, rat like teeth and long claw like nails. While Count Dracula
was chiefly associated with wolves, Orlok is associated with rats. Orlok
is a plague carrier and there are no doubts about Orlok’s demonic
nature. Like Dracula, Orlok decides to emigrate to fresher hunting
grounds. Orlok selects Wisborg and having obtained a house, through the
services of Knock and Hutter, emigrates. He brings with him the plague
in rat filled boxes of defiled earth. Like in the novel Dracula,
Nina/Ellen Hutter helps to defeat the Count. This is one of the last
times Nina will appear as a true heroine. Unlike in the novel she is
portrayed not as a modern resourceful woman, but as a “traditional”
woman whose chief weapons are love and self-sacrifice.
Despite the many changes Murnau made, Bram Stoker’s widow, Florance
Stoker, with the aid of the British Incorporated Society of Authors,
sued Murnau for copyright infringement. As a result of the suit,
virtually all copies of the film were destroyed. Fortunately, Florance
was not able to destroy every copy so many years later the film
resurfaced. The validity of Florance’s suit can not be denied, despite
the changes to the names, places and plot there is an unmistakable
resemblance to the novel. Still it is fortunate for posterity that this
great film was not lost.
“Nosferatu” is often credited as being one of the most horrific
portrayals of Dracula. Horrific not in the gore laden or scream filled
sense that modern horror films are judged but in its portrayal of true
evil, haunting atmosphere, and the stark desolation of endless longing
and hunger. Horrific as is the life of a heroin addict forever hungering
for the next fix, not horrific as a villain in a hockey mask or wielding
a chainsaw. The filming is haunting in a way that only Carl Theodor
Dreyer’s film “Vampyr” (1934) comes close too. “Nosferatu” is filled
with stark contrasts of light and dark, shadows, and Hutter’s happy
go-lucky manner with the desolation left in Orlok’s wake.
Again to repeat my short review, ““If you haven’t watched the film yet,
go watch it, not only because it is a great film, but because of its
immense historical importance to the genre.”
Versions Reviewed:
Kino on Video’s version is 93 minutes long as opposed to Republic’s 60
and Alpha’s 64 minutes. Most of the time difference, if not all, is
Kino’s inclusion of DVD extras. The extras are disappointing especially
if you buy Nosferatu as part of Kino’s Murnau boxed set. The vast
majority of the extra material is excerpted from other Murnau films,
most of which are in the boxed set. While Kino has included some
historical material on the disk, it is minimal. In this regard Kino
definitely missed the boat. The additional quality of a good DVD over a
cheap VHS or low budget DVD however makes the DVD the decidedly
preferred version.
The Alpha Video version is an inexpensive DVD version. The version of
Nosferatu provided is an older adaptation than Kino’s and has
intertitles that use Bram Stoker’s names such as Harker, Nina, Dracula,
and Renfield. This is of historical interest since during most of the
time that “Nosferatu” has been available Stoker’s names have been
substituted for Murnau’s. The quality of the disk I had was good. Alpha
Video’s quality control is generally poor so other copies may not be as
good. The soundtrack was a sparse electronic track, highly appropriate
for the stark ambience of the film. While the soundtrack may add to the
suspenseful moments and be theoretically appropriate it is so ineptly
handled that one can’t help laughing at unexpected startling and odd
noises that intrude. Alpha’s version is appropriate for those who are
very cost-conscious or completists who want a version of the film that
uses Bram Stoker’s names. Otherwise the superior print and trueness to
Murnau’s intentions weigh in favor of Kino’s version.
[i] Rod. 2004. Nosferatu on Screens Small and Large: Filmography.
Online at http://rod.customer.netspace.net.au/vamp/films.htm (currently
a broken link)
[ii] The Missing Link. (2000). Classic Horror Moves with the Missing
Link.
[iii] Roberts, L. (2003). Silent Vampire Movies. Online at
http://www.uncc.edu/ltrobert/vampslnt.htm (currently an error page)
[iv] Internet Movie Database Inc. (2004). Internet Movie Database.
[v] Kino International Corp. (2002) Nosferatu. Kino International Corp.
New York.
© 2005 Diana Savage
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Diana Savage is a silent film buff and collector of early film
collectibles.
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Photo ID Guide #2:
1920's Strauch & Co. Soap Trading Cards from Uruguay
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/ENTERTAINMENT/prices%20realized%20ID%20folder/1920s%20strauch.htm
Click the link above for images & details!
Thumbnail images are available for all of these tiny cards that I've
come across. A beautiful black-bordered issue with glossy surfaces.
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Photo ID Guide #3:
1916-1917 Strand Theatre/Kline Poster Co. Color Ad Cards
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/ENTERTAINMENT/prices%20realized%20ID%20folder/1916%20strand%20kline.htm
Click the link above for images & details!
Thumbnail images are available on this page for the fronts and backs of
nine different colorful cards.
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The Silent Collection by Tammy Stone
Mary Miles Minter
Many of her films, like those of most silent film stars, have not
survived the test of time. The few that do remain bear testament to the
skills and talent of an actress admired by the likes of Mary Pickford,
who was allegedly instrumental in getting Paramount to sign her. We’re
talking about Mary Miles Minter, who when remembered is most often
associated with the mysterious and scandalous murder of filmmaker
William Desmond Taylor. She is truly the stuff of Hollywood legend.
It all began with a child star full to the brim with verve and
potential. Mary was born April 1, 1902 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and her
mother, a frustrated actress, got her into showbiz at a very young age.
Mary was five years old when her parents split and the matriarch of the
family took her two daughters to New York. Little Mary began doing plays
(notable “The Littlest Rebel” with William Farnum), and did this
tirelessly for years – allegedly without vacation, according to the
lore. She may have been ahead of her time in both age and manner; it
seems she was referred to in a New York newspaper as “ … a ragged,
straight-haired, woman-faced little one.” Doesn’t sound quite like a
compliment – if it is it’s a veiled one – but it’s certainly an
intriguing comment. A little star is born.
By 1915, the time had come to venture into the new era of the
mass-produced moving image – or photoplay, as they were then called. She
had outgrown her more famous stage roles, but the timing was right
because her mom was ambitious and wanted Mary to move on. Her first
significant cinematic effort was The Fairy and the Waif, which earned
rave reviews … and a contract for Mary at Metro Pictures. This contract
was good for six films. The first five were released and did really
well. But then mother Charlotte pulled a diva stunt and did something to
get on Metro head Louis B. Mayer’s last nerve. This resulted in Mayer
pulling that last film. After making such films as Rose of the Alley and
Dimples (both 1916), Mary’s last film with Metro was the aptly-titled
Lovely Mary (1916). In virtually all of these films, she played the role
of innocent, sweet girl – the titles of these films alone speak to the
persona she adopted with ease.
Next for Mary was the American Film Company, for which she made many
films, including A Dream or Two Ago and Innocence of Lizette (1916), The
Gentle Intruder, Annie-for-Spite and Charity Castle (1917), Beauty and
the Rogue (1918) and A Bachelor’s Wife (1919). In 1919 she signed with
Realart/Paramount, run at that time by the would-be mogul Adolph Zukor.
This is where she met the soon-to-be notorious Desmond Taylor, to whom
she would refer as her favourite director. Here, she made films like the
famed Anne of Green Gables (1919, and the first film she was in that was
directed by Desmond Taylor), Judy of Rogues’ Harbor, Jenny Be Good and A
Cumberland Romance (1920), and Sweet Lavender and The Little Clown
(1921).
She was becoming very famous, as “as a sweet, pretty little girl with an
abundance of blonde curls, a picture actress slightly bigger than a
faint recollection, a little queen with delicate features and endearing
young charms,” according to the press of the day. Her pay went up from
$150 a week in 1915 to $2,250. William Desmond Taylor, who directed Mary
in four consecutive films starting with Green Gables, had become very
enamored of her. The details of their courtship remain unclear; in a
sense it might have been professional – with Taylor wanting to make sure
Mary was taken care of, since she was very much bread and butter for the
company at the time – or more intimate than that. For all we know, it
could have been nothing more than a schoolgirl crush for the little
blonde beauty.
And then it happened. February 1, 1922. William Desmond Taylor was found
dead, shot, in his Hollywood home. Investigations abounded, with no
definitive results. As discussed elsewhere in these pages, this was a
huge scandal; one of the first to rock Hollywood. Years and years before
McCarthyism, names all over Hollywood were being slandered and thrown
around amid vicious circles of gossip. Media frenzy was as of then
unprecedented.
It seems Mary was never really a suspect, but the fact that there was
some kind of involvement between the two of them tarnished her image for
good. She was much, much younger than Taylor, and he was known for his
shady encounters with women. There was a movement afoot to shut Mary
out, the media butchered her, and the public started boycotting her
films. Don’t forget that films were made and released a lot quicker
then, which means that careers could also be made or broken much more
quickly. And then, when investigators found some of Mary’s things in
Taylor’s home, including a love letter Mary wrote to Taylor, it was all
over. She was still reeling over all of this and had plunged into a dark
period of grief; she didn’t see anyone for a long time. The public was
not going to be able to swallow their innocent starlet embroiled in such
a dark affair.
She tried to stay in the game throughout all of this, but it was
becoming increasingly difficult. She made four films in 1922 – Tillie,
The Heart Specialist, South of Suva and The Cowboy and the Lady – as the
scandal was just beginning to unfold. After two films in 1923, she made
her final feature in 1924: A Sainted Devil, starring Rudolf Valentino –
Nita Naldi was the starlet on this picture, and Mary had a supporting
role (the film has not survived). She had lived in a lavish home with
her mother throughout her Hollywood career, but their relationship had
always been strained. Charlotte, who never succeeded as an actress, was
virtually the prototype stage mother. Eventually, there was dispute over
how Charlotte handled Mary’s money, which resulted in a lawsuit.
Years later, Charlotte passed away, and Mary married real estate
investor Brandon Hildebrandt, in 1957. But she became increasingly
reclusive, and also developed severe diabetes, which made it difficult
for her to protect herself from exploitive staff. She did, though, keep
up her correspondence with her fans from decades earlier, before dying
of heart failure on August 4, 1984. She might always be tied to the
Taylor scandal, but scant opportunities to see her at her best – as the
sweet, nubile beauty on the big screen – should be taken with relish.
#
Tammy Stone is a freelance writer and journalist based in Toronto. Watch
for her regular column on the greats of the Silent Screen in each issue
of ASTOS. Tammy invites you to write her at tammyst-@yahoo.ca with
any questions or comments on her column.
#
Visit the Mary Miles Minter Collectibles Slide Show:
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/photogallery/mintermarymiles.htm
#
End Credits:
Thank you for reading this far, hope you enjoyed it all! Next issue
will be delivered August 31 with weekly Auction Notes going out for
those who receive them in between.
#
As always feel free to e-mail any thoughts or ideas to us at
thi-@things-and-other-stuff.com, we're always willing to listen.
#
Unsubscribe simply by sending a blank e-mail to:
things-and-other--@topica.com
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