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). 

A Corner In Wheat (1909)

Based on the huge novel The Pit by Frank Norris about the CBOT in it's early and heady, super unregulated days in the late 19th century.  "Cornering" means hording of contracts to buy or the hording the physical commodity itself--essentially it's hostage taking.  If anyone has seen Trading Places (which is really a kind of remake of this, based on the novel turned comedic--brilliantly so, then you will have an idea how this works).  This is precisely why markets need regulation.  Without regulations, market are not really free.  What big bankers mean by screaming for deregulation is that they want to be free to game the system anyway they can...and when you have big bucks to spend, in the age of technology, those ways can be almost endless.  Right now, for example, big banks are actually cornering physical commodities...buying them up and selling them for the price they set--this is especially true for the metals markets...  So over at Scare Me On Fridays we are celebrating the Countdown To Halloween and waiting impatiently for the government to reopen by viewing a few thrillers based on the financial industry.

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.

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.  

The Midnight Girl (1925)

It's a silent melodrama from 1925 with Lugosi!  Not the best movie in the world by any means, but it is at least of historical interest...and hey it has BELA!