Les Vampires Frist Episode--The Severed Head (1915)

The music here is original to P. Emerson Williams. Go directly to YouTube to subscribe to his channel and for a link to download music.

Born Today September 8: Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers:  1925-1980

This may be a bit of a head-scratcher, because, though Sellers was born in 1925, he was not a child actor, so it begs the question what is he doing here on a silent blog.  We love the the strangeness around here, and this one is a bit "Wierd" for sure.  Sellers for role in a film was in 1950, in a uncredited voice part in the film The Black Rose, however...in 1951, he provided the sound narration for the (inversely numbered) 1915 Charlie Chaplin short film Burlesque On Carmen, and is credited as such in the historical record under the film original release year.  Cheat a bit, but only because it's interesting.  He cremated at Golders Green Crematorium in Golders Green, Greater London, England, and his ashes were buried under a rose bush in the gardens there--there is a marker.

A Burlesque On Carmen (1915)

A quite young Peter Sellers

Classic Cover: Moving Picture World

Cover of the independent film journal "Moving Picture World" from January 4, 1913 at it's height of popularity and significant influence.  For a brief history, click here.

Classic Silent Poster

A Fool There Was (1915)

One Of My Favorite Horror Stills!

From the very first filmed production of Frankenstein dating from 1910, produced by the Edison Company and directed by J. Searle Dawley ans starring Charles Ogle as the above pictured Monster.  

First Horror Still Of The Day

Early Car Chase:  Les Vampires 1915-16.

Dante's Inferno (1911)

The is the world's oldest surviving feature length film of any genre...so it's kind of cool that the genre is Horror!  And believe me, this is one hell (pun intended) of a horror film!! Happy Halloween!

From Sweden: In The Garden (1912)

In The Garden a Swedish silent dating from 1912 was known for two rather strange things  One is that is was considered utterly lost, until a copy was found in the US in the late 1970's.  Two, it was the first film ever banned in Sweden. (A third strange bit is that I can post a copy of it here from You Tube). 

Fantomas: Al Ombre dela Guillotine (1913)

Part of a crime serial of the 1910's out of France.  There were 5 episodes total in the years 1913 and 1914 and all were directed by Louis Feuillade who also directed the crime serial Les Vampires. Each "episode" was just little shy of 55 minutes.

A Fool There Was (1915)

I cannot say how utterly tickled I am to be able to post this very early feature in it's entirety!  This is an early example of the femme fatale "vampire," or "vamp" film, and one of the only surviving Theda Bara vamp films out there.  So many of her films were incinerated 1937 Fox Film Fire, including the legendary film The Vamp (1920).  So this is a treat for me!  Happy Halloween Season!!

The Invaders (1912)

This is a very western that actually shows a great deal of sympathy with Native Americans.  It is a story of broken treaties.  I was either directed by Francis Ford or Thomas H. Ince, or possible co-directed by the two.  It feature Luther Standing Bear (that in Mato Nanji in Lakota) and numerous other Oglala Sioux.  It also features Anna Little, the one actor in the film playing a native role who was not Oglala, although she, like me, was part Native American.  So the native cast here is completely authentic, unlike what you find in later westerns coming out of Hollywood.  This is here today to protest the continuing celebration any where here in the New World of "Columbus Day."

Stills From The Very First Frankenstein (1910)

Black and White Stills

Creation Fire Stills

Sepia Stills

Monster In Reverse

Yellow Toned Sepia Stills

Purple Toned Black and White Stills

And just for the heck of if, I'm reposting the full movie below, even though I posted during last year's Countdown To Halloween.  HAPPY HALLOWEEN SEASON!

Mary And Gretel (1916 or 1917)

Here is a fairly short animated fantasy feature from either 1916 or 1917 depending on the source you consult.  This has been described and Alice In Wonderland meet Garden Of Eden; and features, besides the two little girls from the title, a surreal story of a very drunken rabbit and bowling dwarfs!  This was part of a very short lived stop-motion puppet series by animator Howard S. Moss.  It was transferred at 20 frames per second from an original p35 mm print that was in the AFI/James Ashton Collection.  

Tepeyac (1917) Clip

Pacqui Miccaihuitl!

The Girl And His Trust (1912)

Doing a day of crime films over on my Scare Me site today for the Countdown, which is almost over (saaadd....), thought I'd post a crime melodrama from the king of melodrama himself:  D. W. Griffith.

The Student Of Prague (1913)

Regarded by many to be the very first full length horror film.  It is certainly one of the very earliest that has actually survived (for example, the original Der Golem, has not) 

Countdown To Christmas Day 5

Classic early stop motion animation from pre-revolutionary Russia!!  

The Insect's Christmas (1913)

Countdown To Christmas Day 3

A CHRISTMAS ACCIDENT (1912)

Yet another Edison Christmas short.  It's a little funny, the one earliest Edison Christmas short from 1907 that I'd really like to present here has never been uploaded to You Tube, even though, arguably, it as a great deal more charm than do many of the company's later Holiday efforts.  This film, however, is quite charming and not directed by the rather "true to life" stark style original in-house director Edwin S. Porter, but rather by a later Edison hire:  Bannister Merwin, who was primarily a writer.  Hope you enjoy.  

Countdown To Christmas Day 1

This is another Edison Christmas short produced in 1914, I wanted to juxtapose it with the earlier Little Girl Who Didn't Believe In Santa from 1907 because their plots are almost polar opposites of each other, but alas no "Little Girl" on You Tube and I am way to busy trying to catch up on Christmas stuff to upload it right now--maybe later.


In any case, this is quite funny, considering "the wrong Santa" is a bugling burglar!

A Christmas Carol (1910)

Due to family issues and a lot a fall and winter illnesses I have blown through one important holiday on this blog; and have almost blown through another.  Before it gets too late, here is the first in an installment of Christmas silents.

I'd like to write out a longer bit on this little 10 minute film from Edison's company; but I'm still having symptoms from a very bad stomach virus that I suffered over the weekend and just don't have the energy at the moment.  I will say that this is not the earliest film of the classic Dickens holiday tale, as it stated in several places in print and around the web, but it is the most important of the earliest "Christmas Carol's; and, probably, the only one to survive.  The earliest appears to date from 1908 and was produced by rival American company Essanay, who one Charles Chaplin would work for.  Some still below.  Whole film follows.  Merry Christmas!