George's Recent Activity

  1. George replied to the thread History of Film, Part 2: 1920-1929.

    The previous decade felt like it was full of curios, this is the first decade where there are films that I actually love, as opposed to just find interesting, or innovative. I've still got some absolutely huge blind spots here, but I love a handful of films from this decade. The Passion of Joan of Arc has one of the greatest performances ever captured on film, there's a moment where Maria Falconetti's face starts twitching after she's been sentenced to death, and it's either one of the most impressive bits of deliberate acting ever, or the power of losing herself entirely into the performance. I do find it remarkable that this is literally her only filmed performance (I think...?), so there's absolutely nothing else we know of her other than Joan of Arc. The silent comedy from Keaton and Chaplin is wonderful from this period, brilliant physicality but also romance of these characters, very often / always the underdogs. A big influence on 80s Hong Kong cinema, which in some cases I watched first, so it's been fun to see some of the references before seeing the originals. Some very good and innovative Soviet cinema, including Battleship Potemkim, Strike and Man with a Movie Camera, all very innovative in terms of formal cinematic approaches, and a big influence on basically any cinema that followed it. I have seen nothing else other than those three Soviet films from this period, so no doubt there's some great films I'm missing. German Expressionist cinema is fantastic to look at, all jaggedy angles and surreal sets and landscapes. Hitchcock's early stuff from this period borrows heavily from the look of German cinema too, and even in his early work, his films are subversive and creepy. Blackmail and The Lodger are my favourite from the 20s. I've been slowly making my way chronologically through Ozu films, and he got started in the 20s - there's a lot that didn't survive, or only exists incomplete, but what does exist in the 20s from him are interesting. Interesting to see how (potentially?) westernised Japan was at this time, plenty of background street shots with English signs, which from my very very limited knowledge of Japan at this time, wasn't something I expected. All of his 20s and 30s silent cinema films seem to have a poster from a different American film in, so fun spotting that. Also can't forget Un Chien Andalou, with the eye slitting scene a level of grotesque horror that makes you wince in a very effective way that most films haven't managed to do in the following 100 years.

    Jul 4, 2025 at 2:28 PM

  2. George liked SpyKi's post in the thread History of Film, Part 2: 1920-1929.

    1. The Cameraman (Buster Keaton, Edward Sedgwick, 1928) 2. Strike (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925) 3. The Crowd (King Vidor, 1928) 4. Häxan (Benjamin Christensen, 1922) 5. Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) 6. Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925) 7. The Big Parade (King Vidor, 1925) 8. The General (Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, 1926) 9. Lonesome (Pál Fejős, 1928) 10. Destiny (Fritz Lang, 1921) 11. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925) 12. The Navigator (Buster Keaton, Donald Crisp, 1924) 13. 3 Bad Men (John Ford, 1926) 14. The Scarlet Letter (Victor Sjöström, 1925) 15. Sherlock, Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924) 16. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928) 17. Wings (William A. Wellman, 1927) 18. Steamboat Bill, Jr. (Buster Keaton, Charles Reisner, 1928) 19. Our Hospitality (Buster Keaton, John G. Blystone, 1923) 20. The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström, 1921) 21. Orphans of the Storm (D.W. Griffith, 1921) 22. The Kid (Charlie Chaplin, 1921) 23. West of Zanzibar (Tod Browning, 1928) 24. One Week (Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline, 1920) 25. The Great White Silence (Herbert G. Ponting, 1922) 26. The Boat (Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline, 1921) 27. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920) 28. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (F. W. Murnau, 1927) 29. Go West (Buster Keaton, 1925) 30. Faust (F. W. Murnau, 1926) 31. A Cottage on Dartmoor (Anthony Asquith, 1929) 32. Safety Last! (Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor, 1923) 33. The Scarecrow (Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline, 1920) 34. Un Chien Andalou (Luis Buñuel, 1929) 35. The Wind (Victor Sjöström, 1928) 36. The Nightingale’s Voice (Władysław Starewicz, 1923) 37. Girl Shy (Sam Taylor, Fred C. Newmeyer, 1924) 38. Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (Fritz Lang, 1924) 39. Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild’s Revenge (Fritz Lang, 1924) 40. Ménilmontant (Dimitri Kirsanoff, 1926) 41. Sparrows (William Beaudine, 1926) 42. Seven Chances (Buster Keaton, 1925) 43. Grandma’s Boy (Fred C. Newmeyer, 1922) 44. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (John S. Robertson, 1920) 45. Lucky Star (Frank Borzage, 1929) 46. The Circus (Charlie Chaplin, 1928) 47. Mother (Vsevolod Pudovkin, 1926) 48. The Blacksmith (Buster Keaton, Malcolm St. Clair, 1922) 49. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Fred Niblo, 1925) 50. Day Dreams (Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline, 1922) Clearly Buster Keaton is my favourite filmmaker of the decade, his work was just filled with so much fun and creativity I can't help but love almost everything he made in the silent era.

    BeFunky-collage 1920's Films.jpg Jul 2, 2025 at 5:01 AM

  3. George liked riotspray's post in the thread Entertainment Forum General Chat Thread.

    Predator, Body Heat, Cool Hand Luke, 12 Angry Men

    Jun 30, 2025

  4. George liked xkaylinh's post in the thread Entertainment Forum General Chat Thread.

    idk if this is exactly what you're looking for but Fear Street part two and The Babysitter 2 were the first things to come to mind

    Jun 30, 2025

  5. George replied to the thread Entertainment Forum General Chat Thread.

    Boiling hot day today, so what are some film suggestions on a day like today for films that feel hot? Stuff like Do the Right Thing, Texas Chainsaw, Wake in Fright, Sexy Beast - Sweaty, humid stultifying etc, where you can feel the heat in the air.

    Jun 30, 2025
Show More ↓