Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924)


Now for something completely different.

This is probably one of Fritz Lang best known work (the other being Metropolis (1927))

They are silent movies... (for you young'un, the first movies were silent. They have not really figured out how to record sound, or more specifically, how to synchronize sound with moving picture.)

This is a fantasy movie, with Dragons (the highlight of the movie. A 60 feet mechanical dragon was made for this movie), people with special powers (Siegfried is super strong, invincible and can turn invisible and shape shift).

This is a full restoration.

Note that this movie is 89 years old.

There is no way the picture quality of this would compare to what we have now...

Having said that, as a 89 year old movie, It actually looks... good. Not as impressive as Metropolis (1927), but good.

What impress me most is the soundtrack. Let me explain, Silent movie we almost always accompanied by an orchestra. They would play music and product "sound effects" in synch with the movie.

What the restores did (and this is impressive) as to go back into the archive and look for the original score, and did a modern recording of the said score for the restored movie. Now THAT is dedication!!

Many works from the silent era is fast disappearing.

They are either bio degrading in storage somewhere or is lost completely (even Willis H. O'Brien stuff. He is Ray Harryheusen teacher/mentor).

There isn't much funding to restore them and I suppose, there really is not much demand for said movies (with some exception, like Charlie Chaplin)

This movie is NOT for everyone, but if you are into black & white and silent movie, you cannot go wrong with this!

Bring on Nosferatu (1922)!!!

My Two Sen.

my few fav pre 1980's or 1960's movies are

12 angry man
double indemnity
good bad and ugly
rear window
judgement at nuremberg
to kill a mocking bird
vertigo
witness for prosecution
psycho
metropolis
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
seventh seal
7 samurais ,,,,

if you all movie freak and if u havnt watched the above movies i suggest u to watch it now...

This post has been edited by zachozoi: Mar 23 2014, 10:42 PM

zachozoi

12 angry man
double indemnity
good bad and ugly - Watched. When I was really young. Might have to revisit
rear window - Watched. One of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock. Do check out my Hitchcock Thread
judgement at nuremberg
to kill a mocking bird
vertigo - Watched. Another favorite Hitchcock movie.
witness for prosecution
psycho - Watched. Need I repeat?
metropolis (I think you mean Fritz Lang 1927 one) - Watched. I like this
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - Watched. A little too weird for me.
seventh seal
7 samurais - Watched

supermoto

>never know the hound of the baskerville is one of the Basil Rathbone's collection. is it part of the Sherlock Holmes collection?

Sorry for the late reply. Yes it is.

skylinelover

The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916)

Wow, I have not watched any of these!! Will try and look for them.

If you like the above, you should look for

Greed (1924)

When Astro started in 1996, I was one of the early adopter.

Believe it or not, Astro then and now is REALLY different!!

There actually had MGM Classic, and I remember MGM had a silent movie marathon and Greed was one of the highlights!!

I miss Astro of yester-years... The programing was diversed! (As oppose to the current Homogenised Astro... )

Horror by decades 1920s

Der Golem: Wie Er In Die Welt Kam (aka The Golem: How He Came Into The World) (1920) [German]
Directors: Paul Wegener/ Carl Boese
Starring: Paul Wegener, Albert Steinrueck

Have not watched this but I want to. Have to locate a copy first...

Das Kabinett Des Doktor Caligari (aka The Cabinet of Dr Caligari) (1920) [German]
Director: Robert Weine
Starring: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt

I also have not watch this and am hoping to locate a copy...

Nosferatu, Eine Symponie Des Grauens (1922) [German]
Director: F.W. Murnau
Stariing: Max Schreck, Gustov von Wangenheim

This was release on bluray end of last year and looking at the age of the movie, I do not think we can ask for a better representation. Max Schreck will forever be associated with the role, so much so that in the year 2000, director E. Elias Merhige wrote a love letter to this movie in the form of a movie called Shadow of the Vampire starring John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe & Udo Kier. This really highlight how "progressive" German was towards this new medium Nickelodein, much much earlier compared to the Americans. Very haunting movie. If you do not find it haunting, it is because, it has been emulated so many times, you are just very familiar with the "style"

The Phantom of the Opera (1925) [US]
Director: Rupert Julian
Starring: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry

I have this on DVD. A pretty good adaptation of Gaston Leroux book. Lon Chaney (the man with the thousand faces) is very convincing here as The Phantom. Alas, I believe the musical version is more popular (sexy? ) today.


Well, this is not a exhaustive list of horror movies from the 20s, just my little, wish list. Feel free to add your wish list. I'm hoping to find the time to do this decade by decade. Let's see if I manage that.

See yas at the movies

My Two Sen.

Anyone prefer watching world war 2 films from 1960's - 1970's?
Well, I got a few recommendations

1. Where Eagles Dare
Starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood in this major box office war films from the novelist "Alistair Maclean" (his story usually involve in heavy metal stuff)

2. The Guns of Navarone
Another Alistair Maclean masterpiece, which starring classic stars Gregory Peck, David Niven and many more joining in this adventure to blow up the big cannon located near the seas.

3. The Great Escape
An all star cast in this world war 2 prison break film of all time...! I think this is one of the very enjoyable ww2 film I have ever seen. The story is great, with many different characters rolls and Steve McQueen is the best on what he did. Also along the big casting are James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Coburn, Charles Bronson and many more. A truly ww2 film based on the true story about the prisoner tries to escape from the war camp.

4. Kelly's Heroes
Clint Eastwood stars in this epic adventure ww2 film about stealing golds from the Nazis. The germans have tons of gold in a bank, with tigers tanks guarded too... And they are planning to get it on hand with the help of Donald Sutherland, which owns "Sherman" light tanks. A quite entertaining ww2 film with a sense of humour.

5. The Dirty Dozen[/i]
Well, what can I said about this? It's an all star cast film which includes Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, John Cassevettes, Jim Brown, Richard Jaekel, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Clint Walker, Trini Lopez. Hmm, what could you ask for a ww2 film with all this big names stars together in a film? This film is often imitated, but never better than this! The story is quite simple, with Lee Marvin recruits the 12 members of prisoners who called "Dirty Dozen" to do on a dangerous mission.

Furthermore, there's lot more I have been watched, even a selected of italian macaroni ww2 combat film~

This post has been edited by Hartigan: Apr 2 2014, 03:27 PM

One flew over the cuckoo's nest anyone?

To Catch a Thief (1955)

This is an interesting Alfred Hitchcock movie, though not at the top of my Alfred Hitchcock must see list.

Why, because it actually DOES NOT INVOLVE MURDER!! (Yes, I am THAT macabre)

Cary Grant was thinking about retiring, and Hitchcock managed to talk him out of it to do this. (And after that to do North By Northwest)

Grace Kelly's last few works in Hollywood before she became Princess Grace!! She supposedly like the script to Marnie (1964) , but because of her duty to her adopted country and family, did not return to Hollywood to do that.

Lyn Murray (composer who scored this) introduced Bernard Herrmann to Hitchcock and they say, the rest is History.

I also would like to take a minute here to talk about Edith Head. I think in the Hollywood movie industry, she well know, not because he is the BEST costume designer around, but because she is the most "people oriented" designer at the time, which made her very popular amongst the stars!! The reason why I want to talk about her is that, Google her, find a picture of her. Does she look familiar? No?? Really? Not familiar at all? All I can say is Edna 'E' Mode (think The Incredibles (2004)) She is THAT well know in the movie industry, even Pixar paid Homage to her!!

Okay, sorry for my ramblings, back to the movie.

As stated above, not one of my favorite Hitchcock movie, though there are some interesting bits to it.

Cary Grant plays a retired "cat thief" who is living the life at the French Riviera.

Out of the blue the well to dos are losing their precious diamond collection one after another.

An insurance company representative H.H. Hughson, tracks down John Robie (Cary Grant) and requested him to find out who the "Cat" is and in the midst, John Robie meet up with a wealthy Jessie Stevens & and her daughter Frances Stevens (Grace Kelly)

While John Robie is trying to discover who the diamond thief is, Frances Stevens is trying to steal his heart!!

This is a rare thing for Hitchcock. Half of this movie was actually film on location (French Riviera) and the other half in the studio. Hitchcock HATES to film on location because of the lighting.

This movie also impress on us how Hitchcock alluded the censors. Back then he cannot show men or women in sexual context. What does he do, he has Grace Kelly wear a one piece swimsuit at the beach, rubbing sunscreen onto her skin! And when Cary Grant and Grace Kelly kisses, they then cut to a firework in the sky scene, letting the audience know that more is happening then meets the eye. I know they are sound rather tame by today's standards because these scene are copied to death, but back then, no one had done it before....

If you like Hitchcock stuff, you know who you are, watch this!!

My Two Sen

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Apr 29 2014, 09:01 PM

Not yet, been meaning to get around to that...

Hartigan

1. Where Eagles Dare

I have not watch this

2. The Guns of Navarone

Or this

3. The Great Escape

I might have seen this

4. Kelly's Heroes

Might have also seen this

5. The Dirty Dozen[/i]

Maybe

Not really a fan of war movies...

Try 12 Angry Men. It's really good.

Thanks for the recommendation

NP. Hope you enjoy it.

12 angry men is my one of the a time fav

Got anyone watched "Cool Hand Luke" from Paul Newman's film?

Haha...nvr mind, just give some recommendations
Anyway, some of them nice, a must watched film like The Great Escape!

HAH! At least there are a few other folks in Malaysia who enjoy silent films!

For silent comedians' films, I really prefer Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, then Chaplin comes in next.

Harold Lloyd is famous for his "hanging on the clock hand" scene in the 1923 silent SAFETY LAST.
The way they staged it such that it looks as if he is realy climbing right to the top of the building was/is really clever.
And he made a myriad of other comedies (Girl Shy, Kid Brother, Freshman, Why Worry) that kids today would surely enjoy.
Not to mention his second lead lady in 6 films, Jobyna Ralston, was a real babe... you can't find such women today.

For Marion Davies silents, you can catch some of her films such as Little Old New York (where, to receive an inheritance, she poses as her dead brother in 18th century New York. This is a period piece and scenes look more like Europe than US) and The Patsy (a hilarious comedy where she is the unloved sister who eventually gets the man. A Warner Archives print - very good film quality, for its age) on DVD.

Patton
Bridge on River Kwai
Guns of Navarone
Gallipoli
The Dear Hunter
Das Boot

how about apocalypse now? make sure 2 watch redux cut yah.