Tag Archives: Desmet collection

Silent cinema from the vaults to the world: an interview with film archival scholar Grazia Ingravalle

Posted on 22 April 2016 by silentsplease

Silent cinema is gaining more prominence and availability than ever before—but how does the work of archives and cinémathèques drive the way we perceive it? Grazia Ingravalle is a doctoral student at the University of St Andrews in Scotland whose … Continue reading →

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Oxilia, Menichelli, 1915: two short films

Posted on 2 May 2015 by silentsplease

    Via the excellent Sempre in Penombra blog; via FilmoTeca de Catalunya’s digitized collections Until his career was cut short by World War I, Nino Oxilia was one of the most promising Italian directors of the teens. Formerly a playwright, he entered … Continue reading →

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Mistress of disguise, pirate of the skies: Filibus (IT 1915)

Posted on 28 April 2015 by silentsplease

Have you ever wanted to watch a film about a masked female criminal mastermind who flies around in a zeppelin, perpetrating audacious schemes for the thrill of it as much as for the spoils of victory? Well, not only does this … Continue reading →

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Book review: Jean Desmet’s Dream Factory: The Adventurous Years of Film (1907-1916)

Posted on 4 April 2015 by silentsplease

The Desmet collection is a key jewel in the crown of EYE Filmmuseum: a huge and relatively intact corpus of films, posters, promotional materials, and company records deriving from the business activities of Jean Desmet, a key film distributor and theatre … Continue reading →

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L’Amazzone mascherata | The Masked Amazon [The Woman who Dared] (IT 1914)

Posted on 18 December 2014 by silentsplease

L’Amazzone mascherata sees Francesca Bertini in the role of Franca de Roberti, a woman who vows to clear the name of her husband after he is framed for treason. Here she is, appearing in the opening ‘credit sequence’ as both … Continue reading →

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Sangue Bleu | Blue Blood (IT 1914)

Posted on 15 December 2014 by silentsplease

With the release of Sangue Bleu in 1914, reviews were glowing: “This splendid masterpiece is transfused by all of Ms. Bertini’s soul as an incomparable artist.” Francesca Bertini was already launched as a film star, and as a major production, Sangue … Continue reading →

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Suffragettes on film: Emmeline Pankhurst, Les Femmes Députées (FR 1912), The Pickpocket (US 1913)

Posted on 28 November 2014 by silentsplease

On this day in 1893, the women of New Zealand voted in a general election for the first time. New Zealand was the first self-governing nation in the world to grant universal suffrage, following the tireless campaigning of activists such as … Continue reading →

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The Anarchist’s Wife (US 1912)

Posted on 23 October 2014 by silentsplease

In this Vitagraph short, anarchism threatens to ruin lives and families. Luigi and Rosa are a couple with an adorable child, but trouble is afoot – Luigi has become an anarchist! Rosa and her daughter had been out walking; the … Continue reading →

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Forgotten film stars: Ellen Jensen-Eck and Das Geheimschloss (Miss Clever versus the Black Hand; DE 1914)

Posted on 18 June 2014 by silentsplease

I loved Das Geheimschloß (The Secret Castle) aka Miss Clever contra de „Zwarte Hand” (Miss Clever versus the ‘Black Hand’) when I saw it at Le Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone a couple of years ago – a gem out of nowhere. A few months … Continue reading →

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