Post by Lucy on Jun 20, 2016 5:08:21 GMT
(it's cool if you don't feel like reading this whole thing. i'm mostly just writing it for reference)
As I mentioned in the Shoutbox earlier, last night I went to an event relating to lost media. It was actually the final night of a 3-night event, but sadly, it was the only one I was able to attend. Here's some detailed info about if for those interested:
For those who don't know, the Library of Congress owns a building called the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation in Culpeper, VA (USA). On weekends, they frequently hold screenings of older movies (often original prints). I don't live close enough to go to it all the time, but my Dad lives near it, so sometimes when I'm at his house we go there and check out what's playing. Usually interesting stuff. Anyways, apparently they hold an event called the "Mostly Lost" Silent Film Workshop every summer (this is the 5th one, as indicated by the name). I've seen some conflicting info as to what it actually is, with some articles saying it's about showing clips from unidentified silent movies and having the audience work together to try to come up with whatever info on it they can, while the official Packard Campus website makes it seem as though it's just an event for screening rare silent films that have already been identified. I'm guessing the screenings and the workshops are two separate parts of the event (workshops during the day and screenings at night), and given that I didn't go to the workshop, I'll just give a recap of the screening that I went to.
Last night was the finale, and they showed two rare silent films that, as of right now, can't be seen anywhere else: "The Bride's Play" and "Bell Boy 13", from 1922 and 1923, respectively. Here's the official plot summary of The Bride's Play from the website:
If you want a more detailed plot summary, I've typed one up from my own memory and put it here: pastebin.com/qJ3JRe4P. Honestly, I thought the movie was pretty interesting, but not amazing. I can see why it's so unknown, as there wasn't anything particularly special about it, it was sort of predictable, and it did drag at some points, but as a sweet love story with some comedy thrown in, I definitely didn't regret seeing it. Also, maybe it's just me, but the locations they filmed at were gorgeous. There were times when you could see waves crashing in the background, and it just felt so good to look at. Aileen was pretty nice to look at as well.
Moving on, here's the official plot summary of Bell Boy 13, also from the website:
Again, I've written a more in-depth plot summary and put it here: pastebin.com/zzSTpGLK. Honestly, I, along with everybody else in the theatre, thought this one was pretty damn hysterical. Not even "funny for a silent movie", just flat out "funny". The execution of the jokes was so spot-on, and it's just the type of ridiculous plot that you'd never see nowadays. Also, all of the title-cards had really cool looking art on them, as opposed to just white text on a black screen. I looked this up on IMDb, and it only has an average rating of 4/10?
That right there is absolutely criminal, as this had the entire audience just losing it at every joke. Just brilliant. Also, it's the thirteenth installment in the popular Bell Boy franchise.
Something that I wasn't expecting was that they actually had a live piano player there to accompany the movies. This dude gave one of the best performances I've seen, as he played throughout the entirety of both films (a total of 2.5+ hours) without any sheet music. I don't know if he memorized it all, or if it was partly improvised, but it was fantastic. On top of that, the music fit perfectly with what was happening onscreen, and melded with it so well that after a few minutes, you forget he's even there. I forget his name, but he was one talented bastard. Great sense of humor too -- he didn't say much, but after the second movie ended, he gave his bows and began to walk offstage, only for the first film to start over (they were playing digital transfers for clarity reasons, and accidentally had it set to loop), so he quickly ran back over and began playing again for ~30 seconds until they turned it off. What a cool guy.
I was sad that I couldn't make it for the first two days (school had just ended for the summer and I needed a couple days to chill before I could sit through the car ride up to Virginia), but last night was a lot of fun. If anyone's wondering, the 3 films I DIDN'T see were "Whispering Shadows" (1921), "That Model From Paris" (1926), and "Husbands and Wives" (1920). I definitely hope to go again next year, and if by some chance anyone on here lives nearby the area, I'd recommend you check it out next year as well (or hell, just check out the regular weekend screenings as they're also pretty cool).
Also, I looked up both movies afterwards, and I found that The Bride's Play is actually getting a limited DVD release, funded via an independent Kickstarter. Which actually ended 2 days ago (my guess is the LOC people knew this, and intentionally screened it right now as it's the last time they can say "It's the only place you can see it!") Here's a link to that: is.gd/LeeoL1 I'm pretty sure these won't be for sale and will only be going out to the donors, but most likely a rip of it will pop up on the internet soon enough after they get sent out. Sadly, there's no such project for Bell Boy 13, which is a damn shame considering it was undoubtedly the better of the 2 movies.Maybe the LMW could try organizing similar projects for movies like Ingagi?
ANYWAYS. THIS POST HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH, SO, GOODNIGHT!!!
As I mentioned in the Shoutbox earlier, last night I went to an event relating to lost media. It was actually the final night of a 3-night event, but sadly, it was the only one I was able to attend. Here's some detailed info about if for those interested:
For those who don't know, the Library of Congress owns a building called the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation in Culpeper, VA (USA). On weekends, they frequently hold screenings of older movies (often original prints). I don't live close enough to go to it all the time, but my Dad lives near it, so sometimes when I'm at his house we go there and check out what's playing. Usually interesting stuff. Anyways, apparently they hold an event called the "Mostly Lost" Silent Film Workshop every summer (this is the 5th one, as indicated by the name). I've seen some conflicting info as to what it actually is, with some articles saying it's about showing clips from unidentified silent movies and having the audience work together to try to come up with whatever info on it they can, while the official Packard Campus website makes it seem as though it's just an event for screening rare silent films that have already been identified. I'm guessing the screenings and the workshops are two separate parts of the event (workshops during the day and screenings at night), and given that I didn't go to the workshop, I'll just give a recap of the screening that I went to.
Last night was the finale, and they showed two rare silent films that, as of right now, can't be seen anywhere else: "The Bride's Play" and "Bell Boy 13", from 1922 and 1923, respectively. Here's the official plot summary of The Bride's Play from the website:
THE BRIDE'S PLAY: Marion Davies stars as Aileen Barrett, an educated Irish lass of refinement, who is well versed in the folk-tales of her native land. Aileen is a sweet, kind-natured girl, helpful to the poor and instructive and gentle to the young. Her father, John Barrett, dies while Aileen is still at school, leaving her a comfortable fortune. Her loveliness attracts both an earnest, rich wooer as well as a young Dublin poet. When the ancient custom of “The Bride’s Play” is revived at her wedding, Aileen must choose between the two men. Directed by George Terwilliger, the romantic drama also features Wyndham Standing, Frank Shannon and Jack O’Brien in the cast.
Moving on, here's the official plot summary of Bell Boy 13, also from the website:
BELL BOY 13: Harry Elrod is a happy young man who looks forward to marrying his sweetheart and coming into his inheritance. His uncle Ellrey attempts to match him with other less appealing marriage prospects and then disinherits Harry when he is not interested. Harry takes a job at a hotel as a bell hop which causes much chaos to ensue. Directed by William Seiter, this comedy stars Douglas MacLean, Margaret Loomis, and John Steppling.
That right there is absolutely criminal, as this had the entire audience just losing it at every joke. Just brilliant. I was sad that I couldn't make it for the first two days (school had just ended for the summer and I needed a couple days to chill before I could sit through the car ride up to Virginia), but last night was a lot of fun. If anyone's wondering, the 3 films I DIDN'T see were "Whispering Shadows" (1921), "That Model From Paris" (1926), and "Husbands and Wives" (1920). I definitely hope to go again next year, and if by some chance anyone on here lives nearby the area, I'd recommend you check it out next year as well (or hell, just check out the regular weekend screenings as they're also pretty cool).
Also, I looked up both movies afterwards, and I found that The Bride's Play is actually getting a limited DVD release, funded via an independent Kickstarter. Which actually ended 2 days ago (my guess is the LOC people knew this, and intentionally screened it right now as it's the last time they can say "It's the only place you can see it!") Here's a link to that: is.gd/LeeoL1 I'm pretty sure these won't be for sale and will only be going out to the donors, but most likely a rip of it will pop up on the internet soon enough after they get sent out. Sadly, there's no such project for Bell Boy 13, which is a damn shame considering it was undoubtedly the better of the 2 movies.
ANYWAYS. THIS POST HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH, SO, GOODNIGHT!!!
