Sunday, May 15, 2005

A package from France

I received a package from France. It contained a letter from Rene Clementi-Bilinsky, who was enquiring if any "members of the Louise Brooks Society have ever encountered an illustrations of the couple of posters designed by my grandfather, Boris Bilinsky (1900 - 1948), for the movie I recieved a package from France. It contained a letter from Rene Clementi-Bilinsky, who was enquiring if any "members of the Louise Brooks Society have ever encountered an illustrations of the couple of posters designed by my grandfather, Boris Bilinsky (1900 - 1948), for the movie Prix de Beaute." Rene writes that he is certain these posters exist, but he has yet to see them. If you are familiar with them, please post a comment.

Rene also printed out my bibliography of articles and reviews of Prix de Beaute (1930), on which he pointed out a number of typos and errors. I have made corrections, and have posted the revised bibliography to the web.

Rene also sent along a newly published article about Prix de Beaute which appeared in April, 2005 issue of 1895, a French journal focussing on film history. This long article, by Davide Pozzi, was followed by a second piece which contained Rene Clair's original outlines and synopsis for the film. There were also some swell pics of Louise Brooks. Thank you Rene." Rene writes that he is certain these posters exist, but he has yet to see them. If you are familiar with them, please post a comment.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Buster Keaton

There is big article about Buster Keaton in today's Los Angeles Times. The article mentions a lecture on Keaton by John Bengston as well as some screenings of Keaton films. "Buster Keaton’s doleful face and agile antics are as delightful today as in the ’20s. His comic mastery is honored at UCLA. . . ."



BTW: There is a new book about Keaton being released in the United States. It is called Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat, by Edward McPherson. The book releases in May.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Louise Brooks group on tribe.net

There is a Louise Brooks group on tribe.net.  It is located at http://ladivinelouise.tribe.net/  Check it out.

Monday, May 9, 2005

An early movie ad

I was digging around the website of the Lansing State Journal, the major daily in Lansing, Michigan. (I went to school at Michigan State University in nearby East Lansing. . . and still have a lingering interest in that part of the world.) And I noticed an historical feature on the website entitled "Looking Back 150 Years: A decade-by-decade look at the history of Lansing." The feature is broken down into decades, with a timeline and photo gallery for each decade. In the decade devoted to the Jazz Age - "1920s - A time for 'wonderful nonsense' " - I found this nifty image of an advertisement on the side of a street car (today's equivalent of ads on the sides of buses). Notice that the screen attraction is Norma Shearer in The Demi-Bride.

Sunday, May 8, 2005

Censorship of films

One of my areas of interest regarding Louise Brooks (and silent film) is censorship. Anyone who has read the Barry Paris biography knows that her two German films were subject to censorship in Europe. As well, Pandora's Box was heavily censored when shown in the New York City in 1929. 

What few people know is that some of Brooks' American films were also censored. The American Venus (1926) was criticized in Chicago because of "nudity." The City Gone Wild (1927) andKing of Gamblers (1937) were cut because of violence. God's Gift to Women (1931) was reproached because of its suggestive nature. During the 1920's and 1930's, some cities and states had their own censorship boards - and each ruled over the exhibition of motion pictures.

Some time ago, I came across a massive bibliography devoted to freedom of the press. This online bibliography, by Ralph E. McCoy, was published in 1967 and covered censorship of ideas in all forms - including books, newspapers, radio, television and film. I have gone through it and extracted (for my own reference)  the many citations pertaining to film censorship in the United States during the teens, twenties and thirties. Here are a few articles and books that stand out:

Abbott, Clarence M. "How They 'Censor' the Films at the National Board of Censorship." Motion Picture Magazine,  September 1917.
Ames, Hector. "Censoring the Film Kiss." Motion Picture Magazine, December 1916.
Beman, Lemar TSelected Articles on Censorship of the Theater and Motion PicturesNew York, Wilson, 1931. 

Chase, William S. The Case for the Federal Supervision of Motion PicturesWashington, D.C., International Reform Federation, 1927.
Clements, Traverse. "Censoring the Talkies." New Republic, 5 June 1929.
De Mille, William C. "Bigoted and Bettered Pictures." Scribner's Magazine, September 1924.
Ernst, Morris L., and Pare Lorentz. Censored: The Private Life of the Movies. New York, Cape & Smith, 1930.
Howe, Frederic C. "What To Do With the Motion-Picture Show; Shall It Be Censored?" Outlook,  20 June 1914.
Inglis, William. "Morals and Moving Pictures." Harper's Weekly,  30 July 1910.
Lawson, W. P. "How the Censor Works." Harper's Weekly, 9 January 1915.
MacCulloch, Campbell. "How Free Is Speech?" Motion Picture Classic, September 1920.
 
McGuire, W. D., Jr. "Censoring Motion Pictures." New Republic, 10 April 1915.
McKeown, E. J. "Censoring the Moving Picture." Common Cause, July 1913.
McMahon, Charles A. "Inviting Motion Picture Censorship." Child Welfare Magazine, September 1924.
Oberholtzer, Ellis P. "Censor and the 'Movie Menace.'" North American Review, November 1920.
Peet, Creighton. "Our Lady Censors." Outlook, 25 December 1929.
Poffenberger, A. T. "Motion Pictures and Crime." Scientific Monthly, April 1921.
Quirk, James R. "The Wowsers Tackle the Movies." American Mercury, July 1927.
Rorty, James. "It Ain't No Sin!" Nation, 1 August 1934.

Saturday, May 7, 2005

Prix de beauté photoplay

It case you haven't seen it, there is an extraordinarily rare novelization of Prix de Beauté for sale on eBay. Curiously, this softcover, French photoplay edition was published two years after the movie was released. (Usually, such tie-ins are timed to coincide with the release of the film.) The story is by Boisyvon, who would go on to write a handful of books on film.

Friday, May 6, 2005

For the Lulu in your life

gift suggestion for the Lulu in your life. "Launched in 1987, this FLORAL/ORIENTAL was inspired by the legendary child-woman actor Louise Brooks, whose heyday was the roaring Twenties. Like Brooks, it is tempting and provocative, yet innocent and sensual. It was created by Jean Guichard.

Lou Lou blends ylang ylang with orange flower, jasmine and iris with base notes of sandalwood, vanilla and bergamot. It is an intriguing fragrance, a soft-oriental-floral that caresses and envelops the skin with vanilla, incense, and sandalwood. Floral top notes evoke the tender unforgettable scent of the exotic tiare flower."

         

I have a bottle of this French perfume. It's not bad, but a somewhat strong and a bit floral for my tastes. Perhaps it would make a nice gift for one's mother. (Notice how the font on the front of this 1989 Dutch version of Lulu in Hollywood copies the font from the perfume box.)

Thursday, May 5, 2005

Odds 'n ends from the web

Sunday, May 1, 2005

Carlos Fuentes

Carlos Fuentes, the acclaimed Mexican writer (author of The Old Gringo, etc...), has a new book out called This I Believe: An A to Z of a Life. In it, he writes about many things. On cinema, Fuentes offers a paean to beauty as reflected in the faces of film's leading actresses: "[W]hat would our... lives be without the beauty, illusion, and passion granted us by the faces of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, Louise Brooks and Audrey Hepburn, Gene Tierney and Ava Gardner?"
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