Sunday, July 31, 2005

New Garbo DVD set on the way

September will see the release of a new box set of Greta Garbo DVD's. Garbo - The Signature Collection includes many of the actresses best known films including Anna Christie (English and German versions), CamilleAnna KareninaNinotchka,Queen ChristinaGrand HotelMata Hari and three silent films, Flesh and the DevilThe Temptress, and The Mysterious Lady. There are also a number of worthwhile extras including the TCM documentary Garbo, the surviving 9-minute fragment from The Divine Woman (the only lost Garbo film), an alternate ending and a theatrical trailer, a photo gallery and more. In addition, there will be audio commentary on Flesh and the Devil by Garbo and Louise Brooks biographer Barry Paris; audio commentary on The Temptress by photo historian and author Mark A. Vieira; and audio commentary on Mysterious Lady by film historians Tony Maietta and Jeffrey Vance.

Mark A. Vieira's new book, Greta Garbo: A Cinematic Legacy, will also hit stores in September. I have a copy, and can tell you it is  fabulous - a worthwhile addition to any Garbo or silent film bookshelf. Vieira is the author of a number of other books, including Sin in Soft Focus, a smashing pictorial survey of  pre-code films.

Saturday, July 30, 2005

Library report

This weeks' trip to the San Francisco Public Library yielded some interesting and challenging material. A few inter-library loans were waiting for me. I dug some good Denishawn material out of both the Eire Dispatch Herald (from Eire, Pennslyvannia) and the Rocky Mount Evening Telegram (from Rocky Mount, North Carolina). Curiously, the Dispatch Herald arrived instead of theEire Daily Times, which I had requested and which apparently is not available for loan. . . . And the microfilm record of theRocky Mount Evening Telegram was incomplete. I usually approach a Denishawn performance date a week to ten days out, scanning the newspaper microfilm for relevant articles, pictures and advertisements. I was doing so when I noticed that the filmed newspaper record jumped from February to July! How unfortunate, as I had found some interesting articles up to just two days prior to the performance. I would guess that the newspaper for Rocky Mount simply doesn't exist anymore. And a likely review of this particular Denishawn performance is lost.



I also scanned a few months of the Oregon Daily Journal (from Portland, Oregon). I found some worthwhile film reviews and advertisements, including the one pictured above. At this particular screening of Just Another Blonde, the psychic Gene Dennis (1903 - 1948) made an appearance. I have run across her name before, and am always curious about the live acts which accompanied screenings of Louise Brooks' films. Apparently, Gene Dennis (who hailed from Atchison, Kansas) was well known in her day, and made a number of accurate predictions. She was also the first psychic to appear on national radio.

Friday, July 29, 2005

Artist AnaRosa

AnaRosa is a talented artist whose affection for Louise Brooks comes across in her art. According to the artist's webpage, "AnaRosa has been honoring the life and image of Louise Brooks through her art for many years. Her renditions of the beautiful 'Jazz Baby' of the Art Deco era captures the everlasting essence of the flapper girl as well as the inner light of a woman who captivated the world and remains a mystifying legend." AnaRosa's Brooks' paintings are especially appealing. I own a couple of her pieces, including the one shown here.



The artist has said, "I'd love to be known as the girl who paints Lulu". For more on Ana Rosa, check out her website at www.epiphaniart.com

Thursday, July 28, 2005

More pics: "Smoking with Lulu" rehearsal

Posted a half-dozen pics from the rehearsal for Smoking with Lulu, the play by Janet Munsil recently performed at Lulupalooza. Shown here is Elizabeth Cusack (Louise), Stephanie Kelley (Lulu), and Mark Adams (Kenneth Tynan) - photo by Amie Oliver. These images can be found at the LBS at Flickr webpage.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Lulupalooza pictures

Harry Kollatz, the organizational genius behind Lulupalooza, has sent me a bunch of photos taken at the recent Richmond, Virginia event. He asked me to share them with everyone. This picture (depicting a scene from Smoking With Lulu by Janet Munsil) and others can be found online at the newly established webpage, LBS at Flickr. (Flickr is a popular photo sharing website. It's cool, check it out.) 

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Logogle

Louise Brooks Society + Google = Logogle. Check it out.

Monday, July 25, 2005

Siouxsie Sioux

A July 22, 2005 article on the Guardian website about musical maverick Siouxsie Sioux states that the the one-time punk rocker claims Louise Brooks as her inspiration. Click here to see the profile of Siouxsie Sioux on the British newspaper website.

First record bought: ABC by the Jackson Five
Favourite film: Kill Bill
Record to grab in an emergency: Akhnaten by Philip Glass
Inspiration: Louise Brooks
Recent discovery: Telstar by the Tornados
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