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“In my young days gentlemen did not smoke while conversing with ladies and they removed their hats!”

The Blot (1921) screens Sunday, Nov. 12th at 7:30pm at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The silent film will be accompanied by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra. Also shown will be the 6-minute short Yours Sincerely, Lois Weber by Svetlana Cvetko. Ticket information can be found Here

The pioneering Lois Weber was one of the first women to direct films, and Sliff honors the filmmaker by screening a recent restoration of her silent “The Blot,” which addresses the all-too-relevant issue of income inequality. The local Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra has created an original score for the film and will perform it live. In the film, Professor Griggs teaches the unmotivated sons of the rich and powerful, but he fails to make a living wage.

New York’s Anthology Film Archives has announced the lineup for its ambitious Woman With a Movie Camera: Female Film Directors Before 1950,” which runs September 15 — 28. Among the spotlighted filmmakers are Gene Gauntier, Lois Weber and Alice Guy-Blaché, though many more will be featured during the two-week series as well. Full lineup below.

“The Girl Spy Before Vicksburg” (Sidney Olcott & Gene Gauntier)

“Further Adventures of the Girl Spy” (Sidney Olcott)

“The Colleen Bawn” (Sidney Olcott & Gene Gauntier)

“Broadway Love” (Ida May Park)

“The Adventures of Prince Achmed” (Lotte Reiniger)

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“The Rosary” and “Suspense” (Lois Weber & Phillips Smalley)

“Shoes” (Lois Weber)

“The Holy Night” (Elvira Notari)

“Humankind” (Elvira Giallanella)

“The Drunken Mattress” (Alice Guy-Blaché)

“The Strike” (Alice Guy-Blaché)

“The New Love and the Old” (Alice Guy-Blaché)

“The Roads That Lead Home” (Alice Guy-Blaché)

“The...

Norma Shearer: The Boss' wife was cast in 'The Divorcee.' Norma Shearer movies on TCM: Early talkies and Best Actress Oscar Note: This Norma Shearer article is currently being revised and expanded. Please Check back later. Norma Shearer, one of the top stars in Hollywood history and known as the Queen of MGM back in the 1930s, is Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Month of Nov. 2015. That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that even though its parent company, Time Warner, owns most of Shearer's movies, TCM isn't airing any premieres. So, if you were expecting to check out a very young Norma Shearer in The Devil's Circus, Upstage, or After Midnight, you're out of luck. (I've seen all three; they're all worth a look.) It's a crime that, music score or no, restored print or no, TCM/Time Warner don't make available for viewing the...