 |
| Ita Rina reclines in Estonia |
So, let’s start at the very ending because that’s a very good place to start*, smuggling booze from Estonia to Finland with Slovenian Ita Rina (Tonka of the Gallows, Spring Awakening et al) as a bombshell blonde in Waves of Passion (Kire Lained) and Estonian/German co-production from 1930. This film is part of the Estonian films strand and epitomises the wonder of this festival – something I’d never heard of yet which sprang to life on screen in emphatically entertaining ways; accomplished cinema muto – German angles, Russian cuts… that felt like a cross between a Bogart/Bacall or sixties crime caper with an, admittedly not quite convincing, rom-com tension between Rina and her teasing co-star/director Vladimir Gaidarov.
Rina plays Betty, the daughter of Mart Martens (Raymondo van
Riel), a man being blackmailed by spirit king Jaan Kõlgis (Fritz Greiner – who bears
an uncanny resemblance to Wallace Beery both physically and in spirit) into
smuggling hooch up the coast to Finland. A writer Rex Ronney (Gaidarow) and his
journalist pal Raimondo (Ernst Falkenberg) are tracking the crooks and Rex goes
deep undercover in order to ingratiate himself with Kõlgis and bust the whole scam
wide open… He reckons without Betty though and in spite of himself, falls hard and
now needs to rescue her and her father from these drunken, dancing mobsters.
 |
| Ita and Vladimir |
There’s fighting and sea chases a-plenty and events move on
at some pace with Rina being the class act that anchors the reality whilst Gaidarow
is not so good, possibly distracted by his dual role (he stuck to acting only
in future). Austrian actor Fritz Greiner plays very nasty and brutish Beery well
indeed.
Things were lifted by spirited accompaniment from Gunter Buckweld
channelling his inner Gypsy/Grappelli on violin, Frank Bockius percussively
perfect, and Stephen Horne on accordion and piano. It felt like a late-night improv
in a Tallinn nightclub and the three improvised superbly with and around each
other’s lines which is, after all, how they work with the shadows on the
screen.
 |
| Sylvia Bremer & William S. Hart - The Narrow Trail (1917) |
Before this we’d had the first in the William S Hart strand,
The Narrow Trail (1917) which with its pacing, performance and glorious scenery
– including San Francisco Bay, showed how much of the classic Western was in
place by this time.
Hart is mesmeric in this film and, in spite of his 53 years,
his Ice Harding is a believable leading man effortlessly shifting from
heartless highwayman to a lovelorn loser in search of a perfect second chance,
he covers it all with actorly grace whilst sitting in the saddle with the true
conviction of a western soul.
He’s saved by the love of a good woman Betty Werdin
(Australian-born Sylvia Breamer – the spit of Helena Bonham-Carter!) who has
more in common with him than he knows. There’s an excellent fight sequence in
which Ice takes on half a dancehall in something approaching method-brawling;
it’s people like William and Lillian that brought authenticity to the early
screen.
 |
| One of The Great Faces! |
There was grand accompaniment from Philip Carli who brought
dynamic delicacy to this typical Hart film, reflecting the man’s own persona. Before
the film they screened a talkie introduction to his classic Tumbleweeds made
in 1939, in which the 75-year old could still eulogise the old West with
passion.
The day began with studio films promoting their stars and services
and which not only gave us a glimpse of the likes of the Talmadges it also
showed films being made on the huge lots. There was A Tour of the Thomas H Ince
Studios (1920) in which the man who played a major role in setting up “factories
of dreams” was shown to have an empowering fitness regime; all the better to
manage and control the production process. We also learned how Paramount’s kit
was the best at handling faults in spliced film… as if there was ever any doubt,
they were “paramount” after all.
We did a bruising two rounds with Reginald Denny in the
serial The Leather Pushers the story of a rich lad who resolves to win back his
father’s business fortune through boxing. It’s perhaps not the obvious choice
given his education and background but it was good fun – as will Hart and
Westerns, the Boxing rags to riches – even with a broken right hand – trope was
well in place by 1922.
 |
| I went down to the crossroads... RIP Ginger Baker |
The Devil’s in the details of course as, erm Emil Jannings
proved in Murnau’s Faust (1926) which I hadn’t seen since 2012 when it
was screened at London’s Royal Festival Hall accompanied by a score composed by
Aphrodite Raickopoulou. Donald Sosin performed the honours here and I think I
enjoyed the film more; it’s so over-the-top and yet so compelling; Murnau and
Jannings are surely brothers from another mother.
The local orchestre dell’Istituto Comprensivo di
Pordenone Centro (Scuola "Centro Storico")
and Rorai-Cappuccini di Pordenone (Scuola “Pier Paolo
Pasolini”) accompanied Hal Roche’s Little Rascals in Dogs of War (1923) and
Baby Peggy (yay!) in Carmen Jr. (1923). This was very effective and some of the
funniest films of the day were well supported musically showing that Pordenone
is “growing its own” future generations of expert accompanists.
Music alone cannot guarantee success in silent screening
and even maestro John Sweeney’s precision playing couldn’t keep me engaged with
Albert Capellani’s La Glu (1913). The film starred the impressive Mistinguett
as Fernande, a woman who marries a Doctor but just can’t stop saying no… her
constant affairs become confusing and more to the point, perfunctory. Capellani’s
good but even he struggles to digest the source motivations from the novel
which begat the film.
 |
| Baby Peggy: no bull |
The Pride of the Firm (1914) was directed by Carl
Wilhelm and featured Ernst Lubitsch as Siegmund Lachmann a young man with
retail ambition and healthy libido, who struggles to balance his “interests” in
a work context. Like other film of his early period this one referenced
Lubitsch’s own background as the son of a tailor who was less interested in
retail than cinema. It’s more a series of situations/sketches than a feature
narrative but it’s still fascinating to watch the director as an actor his eyes
always so alive with mischief!
And that was the Sunday that was. Now, show me the way to
the next coffee bar…
 |
| The dog remins Ernst of the films he may be missing... |
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment