When in Rome...Fun at Capitolfest 2018

It's always fun to tell people you're going to Rome...then surprise them further when you reveal it's not actually THE Rome, but rather the small town in central New York. However, the second weekend in August it's the place to be for fans of rare early Hollywood. The weekend festival draws film buffs from many states and Canada, and it was the third time I've attended in 4 years. [Read about my last experience, in 2016, here.]  This year the fabulous and swoonworthy British superstar Ronald Colman took center stage as the 'featured star'. Sadly he's not a household name now, but his films are worth checking out. Perhaps his best known films today are: the wartime romance Random Harvest (1942), a terrific version of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (1935), or A Double Life (1947). [He obviously excelled in playing dual roles!]  Of course, Capitolfest gave us the opportunity to see some very rare Colman films, among other little-seen gems.

From Capitol Theatre website

Colman Films
On Friday evening we were treated to the 1924 silent* Romola, (D: Henry King) co-starring both Lillian and Dorothy Gish, and William Powell as the protagonist/villain. I've been wanting to see this one since I developed a particular fondness (!) for Powell back in 2013.  It's a period drama set in Renaissance Florence in which the title character (L. Gish) is torn between her long-time suitor (Colman) and social-climbing opportunist Powell. Some found it long and meandering, but to me it was satisfyingly epic, with the on-location setting in Italy adding an exotic factor. Unfortunately, Colman didn't have too much to do. Powell, despite portraying the villain, got the chance to showcase an undeniable charm that would be his trademark later in his career. Dorothy Gish was fantastic as the poor waif/other woman-- I believe this might be the first film of hers I've seen.  [Below, l to r: Colman and  L. Gish; D. Gish; L. Gish and W. Powell.]

The second Colman film, Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934, D: Roy Del Ruth), screened on Saturday--this one a sophisticated sound film.  As Colman had one of the most mellifluous baritones ever combined with a smooth British accent, I believe most of us attending the festival were eagerly awaiting this one.  It ended up ranking as one of my favorites of the weekend, not only because of Colman; this movie, about a murder in post-WWI London, reveled in its simultaneously cheeky, dark, and mysterious tones.  Colman was wonderful as the titular war hero-turned detective who just can't leave well enough alone and saves several potential victims of a dastardly extortion scheme, including the luscious Loretta Young. Warner Oland shows why he was the master of Asian (albeit in yellow face) villains in later films--he's just this side of cartoonish to be truly enjoyable in his menace.  The pace is snappy and I just didn't want it to end. 

Vilma Banky & Colman make an exotic pair
in The Night of Love

The Night of Love (1927, D: George Fitzmaurice) This was another Colman silent screened on Saturday evening, and I must say it was a disappointment to me. If you've ever seen the fun Son of the Sheik with Valentino, made only a year before, the Colman film felt largely like a retread, with a similar exotic/romantic kidnapping plot, the same director (George Fitzmaurice), female star (Vilma Banky), villain (Montagu Love), and occasional comic tone.  Colman and Banky were paired in several films in the silent era, and this one is rarely seen today, so it was a treat for at least that reason (if not for Colman's curly locks!) 

Sunday morning brought the earliest Colman silent of the weekend, Twenty Dollars a Week (1924, D: Harmon Weight). Colman was not yet the big star and was only one in a large cast. Apparently, though, George Arliss was a real star at the time and stood out in the film. This was a comedy of errors and morals, that frankly, I found too convoluted. It involved rival families adopting children and fathers. For those Arliss and Bette Davis fans, you may have seen the remake called The Working Man from 1933. 

The last Colman film closed the festival, The Rescue (1929 D: Herbert Brenon). This one came at the time of conversion to sound films, and like many others at this time, was made in both a silent and a 'talking' version. Like the best films of the late silent era, a good story, fantastic cinematography, and star power propelled this one. It was a stunner. Since the only surviving print of the film, minus one reel, resided at the George Eastman House, we were fortunate indeed to see it on the big screen here at Capitolfest. I hope it gets a DVD release, as it is more than deserving. Based on the Joseph Conrad novel of the same name, the film puts Colman to good use as the seagoing hero out to win over friendly island natives while thwarting attempts of his clueless countrymen to mess up existing relations with them and put their lives in danger. A lovely young Lili (billed as Lily) Damita is the 'damsel in distress' who starts out seeming a femme fatale but ends the film as a foolish young woman who is on her way to a more mature womanhood.  Highly recommended!

Colman is both dashing and conflicted in The Rescue

Other highlights
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is responsible for the restored version of the 1933 gangster melodrama starring Spencer Tracy called The Mad Game. (1933), which screened on Friday afternoon.  I found it quite enjoyable if not Tracy's best performance. It's notable for being one of the first screen appearances of eventual noir queen Claire Trevor -- she was barely recognizable here, at least to this viewer. Judge for yourself in the image below. She blended charm and sass in her role as intrepid reporter with a soft spot for Tracy. I also admired the work of Ralph Morgan (brother of Frank) as an upstanding judge. 

Spencer Tracy & Claire Trevor in The Mad Game (from www.moma.org)

One of the reasons to go to a rare film festival is to see gems like The House that Shadows Built, which was a documentary short celebrating Paramount's 20th anniversary in 1931.  A Marx Brothers skit not included in any of their films was seen here, as well as the only surviving clips from a movie that was never completed, director Dorothy Arzner's feature The Stepdaughters of War with Ruth Chatterton. Also on the program were some hard-to-see short comedy films, including some Laurel & Hardys (silent and sound), and the side-splitting Your Technocracy and Mine, with comedian Robert Benchley, in which his attempt to lecture on the topic, including nonsensical visual aids, just goes off the rails. 

At Capitolfest there is always (at least) one film that is completely outrageous but irresistible. This year it was the audience pleaser It's Great to be Alive!, in which Raul Roulien's character, by a happy accident, survives a plague that wipes out all of the male human species. When he returns from exile, he must win over his disgruntled girlfriend (Gloria Stuart) so that the human race can continue.  The film doubled as a musical and featured Edna May Oliver in top comic form as head scientist of the institute confronting the crisis.

Raul Roulien soaks up the love in It's Great to be Alive!
Image from moma.org

Perks of Capitolfest

Wendy & Toni 

In addition to the films, Capitolfest abounds with charms. Perhaps the most important, the relaxed atmosphere--there is only one theater, which means no lines and no rushing around.  Popcorn sells for $2.00, and beverages are free once you've purchased your Capitol Theatre mug (I brought mine from 2016).  Most importantly, though, is the opportunity to spend quality time with other film fans, many of whom I know online and/or from the TCM Film Festival -- until next year, guys!

l-r, Wendy, Toni, me, Theresa, Aurora, Alan (author of the selfie)

*All silent films were accompanied by film organists (Dr. Philip Carli, Bernie Anderson, Avery Tunningley) using the in-house vintage (1928) Möller organ.

Highlights from Capitolfest 2016

For the second time in three years, on a muggy August weekend I made a road trip to Rome, New York to attend the very unique classic film festival known as 'Capitolfest', after the Capitol Theater, the old movie palace downtown playing host to the event.  The festival's tag line is "a vacation, not a marathon!" Well, with just two and a half days to watch over two dozen movies, and with assorted special presentations mixed in, if that doesn't meet the criteria for a marathon, I'm not sure I share the same working definition of the word. That said, here in Rome the experience was relaxed, and lacked major downsides of bigger festivals, such as rushing from one theater to another, standing in lines, fighting to secure a seat in smaller venues, and choosing between eating and seeing a film.  Here, it was also a great pleasure to spend many hours exploring film history in the presence of other classic film enthusiasts and in such an historic place.

The Capitol Theatre on W. Dominick St.. in Rome, NY

This was the 14th annual edition of the film festival, and it is one of the most unique around, because it concentrates on hard-to-find films from the silent and early talking era.  (This is NOT a greatest hits parade of classic film.)  Yet, festival organizers, led by Art Pierce, theatre Executive Director, and Assistant Manager Jack Theakston, look at the critical reviews of the time and ensure they are generally positive before choosing a film to screen at Capitolfest.  The films are often coming off restoration projects by the George Eastman House & Museum or the Library of Congress, and many haven't been seen since their original run in the 1920s or 30s.  The festival also includes special presentations highlighting developments in film history.  Tremendously affordable, a weekend pass (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) will put you out exactly $60. 

Interior view of the Capitol Theatre, from www.romecapitol.com

About half the films screened are from the silent era, and accompanying them live on their original restored theater organ, were musicians Dr. Philip C. Carli, Avery Tunningley, and Bernie Anderson.  And in the 'can it GET any better?' category, the 'featured star' this year was Gary Cooper, who was at his most smoldering and attractive early in his career. 

Young Gary Cooper -- it may not get any better than this, folks.

The FilmsAs a relative newbie to film history appreciation, I really enjoyed the special presentations of the Dawn of Technicolor, by James Layton, and a sampling of Edison Kinetoscope shorts (with recorded soundtracks) from 1913, presented by George Willeman, .... these proving that color film didn't just emerge in the late thirties, or that sound films didn't just magically appear in 1927.  Film history is much more complicated, with trials, errors, hard work, and more trials.  I also wonder what the stars of those 1913 shorts would think if they knew, 103 years later, that live audiences would re-discover their work.

I'm proud to say I saw every film presented at the festival (!)  While I can't claim I was completely awake for every last minute of them, I was there.  The late film on Friday evening was the sci-fi-adventure-comedy mash-up JUST IMAGINE (1930), which could have garnered the award for oddest film possibly ever made in the 1930s.  With it's look at what life might be like in the (gasp) 1980s (!) we all had fun with this one wondering what the heck was going on and I'm sure festival organizers did too.

The cast of JUST IMAGINE.  Yeah, most of us didn't quite get this one, either.

My favorite films were, in no particular order:

Beautiful  Florence Vidor

DOOMSDAY (Rowland Lee, 1928) opened the festival on Friday at 11:30 AM.  A silent love triangle set in England with Cooper as the lower class rival for Florence Vidor's hand.  While she loves him she balks at the hard farm work she'd be required to do.  Complications ensue.  Despite the somewhat anti-feminist themes in the film, I enjoyed it because it was my first exposure to Florence Vidor, and she was a fascinating, strong actress who was a good match for Cooper.  Her career was launched thanks to her husband, director King Vidor, who cast her in many of the films he produced in the era.  She eventually divorced him, and retired from films at the end of the silent era.  She also later married violinist Jascha Heifetz. 

WOLF SONG (Victor Fleming 1929):  This was the concluding film of the festival, a silent Western melodrama directed by Victor Fleming with a script written by John Farrow.  Cooper plays a rugged 'mountain man' who in his travels meets and falls in love with beautiful Mexican ingénue Lupe Velez. The struggle to maintain their relationship in face of Cooper's character's reluctance to be tied down creates the primary drama.  This one had terrific acting by the leads, and solid support comes from Louis Wolheim as his sidekick.  What distinguished this film for me was the emotional resonance and the final payoff, when Cooper had to literally crawl on his knees back to his love to gain her forgiveness.  It was working on this film that Cooper and Velez started a romantic relationship that lasted a few years.  Their chemistry in the film oozes from the screen. 

DUDE RANCH (Frank Tuttle, 1931)-- This was a farce in which enterprising business owners run a fake 'Dude Ranch' as a tourist attraction. The trouble?  Not enough going on threatens business.  So they hire a family of traveling circus performers to impersonate cowboys to liven things up with horses, gunfights and the like.  This showcases the comic skill of Jack Oakie who was in his element here with his double takes and 'aw shucks' charm-oozing persona.  Eugene Pallette is also tremendously entertaining with and also despite his totally un-PC act as a Native American.  Great example of verbal and physical comedy at a breakneck pace. I'd love to see this movie discussed in TCM's Slapstick course! 

Cast of THE POOR RICH (IMDb)

THE POOR RICH (Edward Sedgwick, 1934):  Another rousing comedy with some of the best character actors to grace the screen in the 1930s, or any era. The cast is composed of Edna May Oliver, Edward Everett Horton, Andy Devine, Thelma Todd, Una O'Connor, Leila Hyams and Grant Mitchell.  All contribute in what is a master class of comic timing, both verbal and physical.  The plot concerns a brother and sister (Oliver and Horton), late of the landed upper class but now completely destitute, who return to their family home in ruins, and attempt to try to rebuild while keeping up the ruse of their class for important and class-conscious visitors.  My only complaint with this one was Thelma Todd has too little to do and didn't get to showcase her natural ebullience as a comedienne.

Honorable Mention:  THE TEXAN, also with Cooper, and the short silent drama starring Norma Talmadge called UNDER THE DAISIES. 

The Extras
A huge 'dealers room' in a neighboring space provided much browsing pleasure.  Original film stills and magazines in great shape, hundreds of books on film at low prices, and DVDs galore, added to the vintage feel of the festival, and I must say I enhanced my collection just a bit :

Making the festival for me was the opportunity to get to know some new film friends, some of whom I met at the Turner Classic Film Festival, and others only online.   They inspire me with their passion, knowledge, and ability to express their love for film across multiple online platforms. 

A few blogged about their experience, and @classicmoviehub and @citizenscreen created a video log:

Check out these other first-person accounts from film friends:

Raquel Strecher's account

Jeff Lundenberger's account

I'm already looking forward to Capitolfest 2017 in August 2017!  The featured star will be Fay Wray.

Classic Film Actor Discoveries: Clive Brook, dapper British star of silents and early talking films

Film actors who made the transition from silents to talking pictures are often remarked upon today as something of an oddity, at least contrasted with the more well-known silent stars who didn't make the transition successfully.  The British actor Clive Brook was one of those whose career spanned that transition, and for me, marks the first actor in that category that I came to appreciate first as a silent star.  I recently watched a few of his best known talking pictures from the 1930s and 40s, and found that I liked him much better as a silent film actor.  I began to wonder why.

Brook was born in London in 1887, to an opera singer mother and writer father.  He rose to stardom on the British stage, and after a deployment during WWI, he began his film career in England. He then moved to the U.S. for several successful years in silents working for Paramount, most notably a starring role in Josef von Sternberg's UNDERWORLD, and then moved to talking films.  He starred in the 1933 Academy Award Best Picture winner, CAVALCADE.  In the mid-30s, disenchanted with Hollywood, he returned to England for the rest of his career, dividing his time between the stage and British film -- the high point of this phase of his career arguably the film version of the Frederick Lonsdale stage farce, ON APPROVAL, which Brook not only starred but wrote and directed for film in 1944.   Brook and his wife had two children who also became actors, and Brook lived to be 87.

In many ways, Brook's early career trajectory was not unlike other prominent British actors of his generation, including Herbert Marshall, Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone.  Brook was handsome and aristocratic-looking.  When the talkies emerged, his fine delightfully-accented voice was put to use, and the complete package of Brook as the quintessential old-fashioned British gent was born in film.  But, as I first discovered him, he wasn't this way at all. I discovered him in UNDERWORLD, where he is a  vagrant alcoholic, working as a janitor in a Chicago night-club, and gains favor with the local crime boss, played by George Bancroft, becomes a partner, and ends up taking his girl (Evelyn Brent).  Here, through skillful body and face acting, Brook is able to effectively portray this transition between a bum and a sort-of gentleman, and while named "Rolls Royce" by Bancroft's character -- at no point do we suspect him of being any kind of English aristocrat, although his knack for portraying an air of nobility is put to good use as we follow his character's trajectory.  In addition, he exudes a raw animal magnetism that von Sternberg captures in the scenes with Evelyn Brent, who understandably, cannot resist.  Bancroft and Brent are both terrific in this film, but it is Brook who shines the brightest.

Brook as a lonely saloon janitor

Brook in a drunken stupor lying on the bed, being looked after by George Bancroft

In a publicity shot, recovered Brook romances "Feathers", portrayed by early screen beauty Evelyn Brent

Credit for the success of the film, and Brook's portrayal, could be attributed to the skill of von Sternberg, who in this stage of his career, was on the rise and near the peak of his lauded visual and story-telling style.  A year or so after this, Brook made FORGOTTEN FACES (dir. Victor Schertzinger), playing another shady character, "Heliotrope Harry", who is a con artist and ultimately goes to prison for the murder of his wife's lover, only to have a chance at redemption years later.  I had the incredible good fortune to attend a screening of a restored version of this film at the Capitolfest Film Festival in Rome, NY in 2014.  Not having been seen in public for so many years, it wowed the audience there (I'm hoping this will be released on DVD very soon).  For a description of this screening and the film itself, check out R. Emmet Sweeney's article in Film Comment here.

The film also stars Olga Baclanova and William Powell, another actor who made a hugely successful transition from silents, as faithful sidekick "Froggy".  Similar to UNDERWORLD, in FORGOTTEN FACES, Brook dominates the screen with his charisma, whether leading a crime caper or emoting over the fate of his estranged daughter.  The film itself is a gem of the late silent period.  A 1928 issue of Photoplay Magazine tells a story of Brook complaining about the prison uniform he had to wear in this picture, only to find out he was robbed of some cash and a watch from his street clothes.  The tidbit ends with the comment, regarding the prison uniform:  "both he (Brook) and Paramount have not yet found the man that should wear it." (!)   Images below from olgabaclanova.com. 

Intense drama of FORGOTTEN FACES

Brook is visited by estranged wife Baclanova while he does time.

This shot shows a young William Powell (kneeling)

As talking pictures emerged, von Sternberg had discovered Marlene Dietrich and was using her in most of his subsequent films, with results that have no shortage of comment.  As I prepared to watch the famous early von Sternberg-Dietrich pairing SHANGHAI EXPRESS, I was pleased to see that Brook was starring as well.  Unfortunately, I came away less than enchanted with Brook's performance here.  Part of me felt a bit like blaming von Sternberg, who I had previously observed in BLONDE VENUS to give little screen attention, or even adequate direction, to his male star (Herbert Marshall) in favor of Dietrich.  Yet, here was Brook, portraying a traditional English captain, with a delicious voice but little on-screen charisma beyond the straightness of his posture.  He rarely smiled, or showed emotion, and it was difficult to believe Marlene's character nurtured a passion for him, either past or present.  Dare I say his performance was "wooden".  I am not alone in that assessment as many reviews of the film mention him as the weak link as well.  

Brook and Dietrich wonder how they will survive their trip on the SHANGHAI EXPRESS

Then came CAVALCADE, the Noel Coward epic from 1933, starring Brook as an upper class Londoner, who, along with his family, endured personal and public tragedies ranging from the Boer War, the death of Queen Victoria, the sinking of the Titanic, and WWI.  Unlike many modern viewers I actually liked the film, but did not love it.  Brook was certainly beyond adequate in his role as the rather staid, upper-crust English gentleman, who aged over 30 years during the course of the film and along with Diana Wynyard, his leading lady, was the emotional anchor of the film.  He certainly was believable, but there was something missing from his performance -- a spark, a charisma, that had been present in his silents.  Early on in the film when he tells his wife on New Year's Eve that he loves her, he says it as though he's making a diplomatic pronouncement.  Well, perhaps the idea was to paint the Victorian gentleman with the figurative 'stiff upper lip', and, if so, Brook was the perfect casting choice.

With leading lady Diana Wynyard.  Gotta admit -- the mustache is a good idea.

Brook and Wynyard share screen time with the wonderful Herbert Mundin and Una O'Connor as the husband and wife service team.

A mere two years later Brook left Hollywood to return to England where his career continued.  He was quoted around this time as likening acting in Hollywood to a 'chain gang', so maybe he wasn't happy with his roles.  Perhaps it was a combination of things -- in his late 40s he was becoming too old to play credible leading men, and his natural skills and accent would forever typecast him, yet not stretch him.  In his final most notable film, a farce of unabashed fun called ON APPROVAL, Brook took over the reins and directed himself along with noted Canadian comedienne Beatrice Lillie, and Googie Withers and Roland Culver.  Again, Brook plays an upper class British gent (George, 10th Duke of Bristol) who, while penniless, still retains an attitude of haughtiness which has put off all females who might show any interest.  What's different here is this is farce, so his unique upper class persona is played for all it's worth, exaggerated to generate the humor, and when pulling out all the stops, Brook is brilliant.  It's as if he's parodying all those characters from his earlier film days.  The film is full of witticisms and not-so-subtle innuendo.  "You needn't lock the door, Maria.  Only the rain will want to come in."  "Rain is leaking in 13 places; however we only have 12 receptacles."  Highly recommended!

Brook and Lillie say "ho!" to the audience as part of the film's dream sequence

The foursome as they contemplate their getaway trip to test the potential of marriage

There are many other early talkie Paramount films that Brook made that I haven't seen, so I would certainly love to hear opinions from other classic film fans about Brook and his body of work.  I expect to come back to some of these, if for no better reason than to check out more early work of William Powell (a co-star and off-screen friend of Brook), Evelyn Brent, Doris Kenyon, and the like. Regardless, I'm pleased to have discovered another lesser-known classic actor who deserves to have his work more broadly exposed.