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Charles Chaplin directed one film in which he did not appear (other than briefly as a station porter) and is a serious film rather than a comedy. It starred Edna Purviance who was in quite a lot of his comedies at that time. The film was made in 1923 and is called "A Woman of Paris". Chaplin later composed a soundtrack to that film.
The film is on Youtube. I'll post a link to it rather than embed it as it's not a particularly good film other than as a curiousity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvHHQb-_TU4
The added Chaplin soundtrack was conducted by Eric Rogers, a familiar name to those who have watched Carry On films as he composed the music for many of them.

El Loro
@El Loro posted:

Charles Chaplin directed one film in which he did not appear (other than briefly as a station porter) and is a serious film rather than a comedy. It starred Edna Purviance who was in quite a lot of his comedies at that time. The film was made in 1923 and is called "A Woman of Paris". Chaplin later composed a soundtrack to that film.
The film is on Youtube. I'll post a link to it rather than embed it as it's not a particularly good film other than as a curiousity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvHHQb-_TU4
The added Chaplin soundtrack was conducted by Eric Rogers, a familiar name to those who have watched Carry On films as he composed the music for many of them.

A little sad towards the end El, but I rather enjoyed watching that.
Longer than the usual silent films you post...

slimfern
@slimfern posted:

A little sad towards the end El, but I rather enjoyed watching that.
Longer than the usual silent films you post...


I think Chaplin's intention was to help make Edna Purviance a serious actress rather than one in comedies. The film wasn't a success either with critics or the public. She made only a few films after that before she retired from acting in 1927. Chaplin did keep her on his production company's payroll paying her a small salary until she married, and those resumed after her husband died.
Chaplin did produce another film with her which was directed by Josef von Sternberg, That was called "A Woman of the Sea". That was never released and Chaplin destroyed the negative as a tax write-off, Sternberg is best known for his early Marlene Dietrich films in particulat "The Blue Angel" (1930) which was her breakthrough film. He's also known for the most famous film never to have been completed "I, Claudius" (Charles Laughton).

El Loro
@Moonie posted:

That’s good El?

It's good rather than bad
May get some client documentation arriving tomorrow, though strike action at Royal Mail could well affect that (striking tomorrow and Saturday). I told client to use Tracked24 as that (and Special Delivery) are the only items where there's any chance of delivery happening.

El Loro
@El Loro posted:

It's good rather than bad
May get some client documentation arriving tomorrow, though strike action at Royal Mail could well affect that (striking tomorrow and Saturday). I told client to use Tracked24 as that (and Special Delivery) are the only items where there's any chance of delivery happening.

Deffo good and glad to hear it       



You certainly merit it     

VD

Deffo good and glad to hear it       



You certainly merit it     

Thanks Velvet

Client rang to say he'd posted the package but was required to sign a waiver re them not guaranteeing it will be delivered within 24 hours. I asked him to email me the tracking number - he's going abroad for several weeks on Monday, hence the need for him to send it today.

El Loro
@El Loro posted:


I think Chaplin's intention was to help make Edna Purviance a serious actress rather than one in comedies. The film wasn't a success either with critics or the public. She made only a few films after that before she retired from acting in 1927. Chaplin did keep her on his production company's payroll paying her a small salary until she married, and those resumed after her husband died.
Chaplin did produce another film with her which was directed by Josef von Sternberg, That was called "A Woman of the Sea". That was never released and Chaplin destroyed the negative as a tax write-off,

A book was published about this lost Chaplin film in 2008. This 4 minute Youtube clip is about the book but gives a sense as to what the film was about, posting a link to it as the clip cannot be embedded here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak3Zn0bqa1k

El Loro

A Youtube clip lasting almost 30 minutes called "Celluoid Ghosts: Top Ten Films". The poster mentions his top 10 lost films but refers to many other films such as the early films of Michael Powell (he started off by making quota quickies in the early 30s), he mentions Alfred Hitchcock, he mentions that "A Woman of the Sea" I posted about today. It's a fascinating 30 minutes.

His number one is one which a lot of film historians would agree

El Loro
@El Loro posted:


I think Chaplin's intention was to help make Edna Purviance a serious actress rather than one in comedies. The film wasn't a success either with critics or the public. She made only a few films after that before she retired from acting in 1927. Chaplin did keep her on his production company's payroll paying her a small salary until she married, and those resumed after her husband died.
Chaplin did produce another film with her which was directed by Josef von Sternberg, That was called "A Woman of the Sea". That was never released and Chaplin destroyed the negative as a tax write-off, Sternberg is best known for his early Marlene Dietrich films in particulat "The Blue Angel" (1930) which was her breakthrough film. He's also known for the most famous film never to have been completed "I, Claudius" (Charles Laughton).

Very kind of him to do that 

slimfern
@El Loro posted:

A Youtube clip lasting almost 30 minutes called "Celluoid Ghosts: Top Ten Films". The poster mentions his top 10 lost films but refers to many other films such as the early films of Michael Powell (he started off by making quota quickies in the early 30s), he mentions Alfred Hitchcock, he mentions that "A Woman of the Sea" I posted about today. It's a fascinating 30 minutes.

His number one is one which a lot of film historians would agree

Fascinating as you say El
There's not a lot of comedy in his list though is there...I'm not sure I'd want to watch any of them if they were found

slimfern
@slimfern posted:

Fascinating as you say El
There's not a lot of comedy in his list though is there...I'm not sure I'd want to watch any of them if they were found

I think the poster of the clip is a fan of the horror genre in particular from the silent era. So he's not so interested in comedies and there are a lot of ssilent comedies which have survived

The only one of his ten I would want to see if it was found was his number 1, F W Murnau's "4 devils" (1928). It was a drama about 4 ophans who form a high wire act which they call "the four devils" so it's not a horror film. One of the orphans (and the lead) was played by Janet Gaynor.
Although a very different storyline, it was Murnau's next film after his "Sunrise" which also starred Janet Gaynor. "Sunrise" is regarded as the best silent film ever made and is the only film ever to be awarded, justly, the Oscar for best unique and artistic picture.
The producers, Fox, pulled it out of distribution and decided, against Murnau's wishes, to try to add a soundtrack (music, dialogue & sound effects).
It is possible that there is a copy of the film somewhere in the world (it was distibuted around Europe).

Murnau died in a car crash in 1931 only 42

El Loro
@El Loro posted:

I think the poster of the clip is a fan of the horror genre in particular from the silent era. So he's not so interested in comedies and there are a lot of ssilent comedies which have survived

The only one of his ten I would want to see if it was found was his number 1, F W Murnau's "4 devils" (1928). It was a drama about 4 ophans who form a high wire act which they call "the four devils" so it's not a horror film. One of the orphans (and the lead) was played by Janet Gaynor.
Although a very different storyline, it was Murnau's next film after his "Sunrise" which also starred Janet Gaynor. "Sunrise" is regarded as the best silent film ever made and is the only film ever to be awarded, justly, the Oscar for best unique and artistic picture.
The producers, Fox, pulled it out of distribution and decided, against Murnau's wishes, to try to add a soundtrack (music, dialogue & sound effects).
It is possible that there is a copy of the film somewhere in the world (it was distibuted around Europe).

Murnau died in a car crash in 1931 only 42

Sad to die so young

slimfern
@slimfern posted:

Yikes! what a dreadful thought

I mentioned Hitchcock who would be regarded along with Murnau as one of the all time top directors and someone whose films you are a lot more familiar with. Both had started making films in their home country where they had created a number of notable films before moving to the States to start making films there. Murnau had moved there at the age of 38, Hitchcock at the age of 40/41 so some similarities in their careers.

El Loro

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