Tag Archives: queer

Queer film history: Diana McLellan’s “The Girls: Sappho goes to Hollywood”

Posted on 14 August 2017 by silentsplease

At this point in time, it’s by no means a revelation that a number of Hollywood actresses in the 1920s and 1930s loved women, including major stars like Alla Nazimova, Greta Garbo, and Marlene Dietrich. The private lives of these … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tórtola Valencia in Pasionaria | Passionflower (ES 1915)

Posted on 28 January 2015 by silentsplease

   From the Spain of a century ago comes the extraordinary film Pasionaria. The film is a star vehicle for Carmen Tórtola Valencia, better known simply as Tórtola Valencia, a famous Spanish dancer of the era who specialized in exotic dances. Here she … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Asta Nielsen’s Hamlet (DE 1921)

Posted on 9 September 2014 by silentsplease

What if Hamlet was actually … a woman? That is the central premise of the 1921 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, starring Asta Nielsen in the role of Prince Hamlet. The concept is drawn from an 1881 publication, The Mystery … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Das Liebes-ABC | The ABC of Love (DE 1916)

Posted on 28 August 2014 by silentsplease

Asta Nielsen: great actress, or greatest actress? She’s by far one of my favourite things about the silent era. Much has been written about her vitality, her versatility, and her charisma, so I won’t belabour the point – but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments