San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
Napoleon in the news
by Admin on Apr.06, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s upcoming presentation of Abel Gance’s Napoleon (1927) is making news.
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| Photo: Albert Dieudonné in “Napoleon.” Credit: San Francisco Silent Film Festival. |
Los Angeles-based film historian, writer and regular San Francisco Silent Film Festival attendee Mary Mallory has penned a terrific article on Napoleon and its critical reception. The article was published today on “The Daily Mirror,” a blog focusing on Los Angeles history to which Mallory has contributed many articles on local film history. Be sure ansd check it out. The article can be found at http://ladailymirror.com/2012/03/12/mary-mallory-hollywood-heights-napoleon/
Elsewhere, James Neibaur’s equally excellent and informative article on Napoleon appears in the current (Spring 2012) issue of Cineaste magazine. [The article is not available on the Cineaste website.] Neibaur’s “The Return of the Emperor” looks at the film’s making, it’s problematic history, and restoration. The article features interviews with Kevin Brownlow and Patrick Stansbury of Photoplay Productions as well as composer Carl Davis. If you don’t subscribe, visit your locl newsstand and ask for a copy of Cineaste.
Neibaur is a Madison, Wisconsin-based and widely published film historian with a handful books to his credit including Arbuckle And Keaton: Their 14 Film Collaborations (2006), The Fall of Buster Keaton: His Films for MGM, Educational Pictures, and Columbia (2010), and Early Charlie Chaplin: The Artist as Apprentice at Keystone Studios (2011). Forthcoming is Stan without Ollie: The Stan Laurel Solo Films, 1917-1927 (2012).
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is presenting Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Abel Gance’s Napoleon for four performances only on March 24, 25, 31 and April 1. This once in a generation cinematic event is set to take place in Oakland, California at the Oakland Paramount. Carl Davis will conduct the Oakland East Bay Symphony. More info and ticket availability at http://www.silentfilm.org/
The literature of Napoleon
by Admin on Apr.06, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
For the upcoming presentation of Napoleon at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California – the San Francisco Silent Film Festival is creating a keepsake program. Once issued, it will become the latest addition to a small but distinguished body of work about Abel Gance’s 1927 masterpiece. . . . as well as another reason to attend the event.
Here is a survey of some of the earlier books and programs about Napoleon (1927). They include the illustrated program issued when the film premiered in Paris; a commemorative program published by Zoetrope Studios in 1981 (around the time the first restoration showed in New York and elsewhere); Abel Gance’s scenario and writings on the film published in book form in France in 1927; another French title, Napoleon: Epopee cinegraphique en cinq epoques, by Abel Gance which was published in 1991; Kevin Brownlow’s book on the film – published in the United States and England in both softcover and hardback in 1983 – it was reissued by the BFI in 2008 with an accompanying audio CD; and Nelly Kaplan’s book about the film – published by the British Film Institute in 2008. Except for the Nelly Kaplan book, each of these titles is out-of-print and/or otherwise somewhat hard-to get.
Above: the 24 page program for Abel Gance’s epic film, produced for its world premiere at the Opera House in Paris in April, 1927. Its pages are lavishly illustrated with hand-colored stills. The last page shows the interior of the Capitol Theatre in New York City, where the film would have its American opening in 1928. Copies can sell fro more than 00.
Above: published by Plon in 1927, this is Abel Gance’s scenario for Napoleon. This rare French book features 32 stills from the film. Copies sell for hundreds of dollars.
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Above: three different editions of Kevin Browlow’s book on Napoleon, which contains more than 105 photographs and stills from the film, including the famous triptych. Top left is the British hardback in 1983 and top right its American counterpart (the hardback and paperbacks looked the same). Lower right is the 2008 BFI reissue which originally included an audio CD of Arthur Honneger’s original score to the film. Regrettably, it quickly went out of print.
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Two more recent books about Napoleon. Above left is Nelly Kaplan’s book about the film, published by the British Film Institute in 2008 as part of their BFI Film Classics series. Director, scriptwriter, and author Nelly Kaplan was an intimate collaborator of Gance from 1954 to 1964. She gained access to rare documents by the director – some unpublished, which appear for the first time in this book. Right is Gance’s book on the film, edited by Bambi Ballard and with an introduction by Kevin Brownlow. This softcover book was published by Faber and Faber in the UK in 1990.
If you are looking to obtain any of these titles, try searching some of the online bookstores including abe.com or alibris.com Also, composer and conductor Carl Davis has copies of Kevin Brownlow’s book (the 2008 BFI edition) which comes with a free CD of highlights from the Carl Davis score. This offer is good while supplies last. Copies may be purchased through his website at
http://www.carldaviscollection.com/otherdetail.php?ID=10
http://www.carldaviscollection.com/otherdetail.php?ID=10
The making of Napoleon #1
by Admin on Apr.04, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
Abel Gance’s Napoleon (1927) was not only one of the longest and most expensive films ever made, it was and is one of the most complex. Gance staged panoramic scenes, shot on location, and tried out all manner of new approaches to cinematography in the hopes of involving the viewer in the spectacle of history.
He succeeded. But not all went well.
Napoleon was a massive and ambitious undertaking. Certainly, some of Gance’s cinematic experiments failed to accomplish their desired result and ended up on the cutting room floor. And at other times, actors were injured – if only slightly – in the staging of battle scenes, as this newspaper article from the time states.
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is presenting Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Abel Gance’s five-and-one-half hour Napoleon for four performances only on March 24, 25, 31 and April 1. This once in a generation cinematic event is set to take place in Oakland, California at the historic, art deco Oakland Paramount theater. Carl Davis will conduct the Oakland East Bay Symphony.
More info and ticket availability at http://www.silentfilm.org/
The making of Napoleon #2
by Admin on Apr.03, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
Here are three French magazine articles on the making of Napoleon. Not surprisingly, there was widespread interest in France in the making of the epic film. At the time, numerous articles ran in various French newspapers and magazines – including the country’s film journals – detailing the production.
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is presenting Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Abel Gance’s five-and-one-half hour Napoleon for four performances only on March 24, 25, 31 and April 1. This once in a generation cinematic event is set to take place in Oakland, California at the historic, art deco Oakland Paramount theater. Carl Davis will conduct the Oakland East Bay Symphony. More info and ticket availability at http://www.silentfilm.org/
Napoleon in the news again x3
by Admin on Apr.02, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
Napoleon is in the news, again! For four performances only on March 24, 25, 31 and April 1, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival presents Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Abel Gance’s epic masterpiece. This special event is set to take place in Oakland, California at the historic Oakland Paramount theater. Carl Davis will conduct the Oakland East Bay Symphony in a performance of his original score.
Yesterday, both the San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times ran articles on the upcoming event. Check out the prior blog for links to those two articles.
And today, Kristin M. Jones penned an article in the Wall Street Journal which looked at the history of the film and Kevin Brownlow’s current restoration. Jones spoke with the British film historian. “Is Napoleon still for Mr. Brownlow the greatest film ever made? Reached by phone at his home in London, he said: ‘Yes, because it is the most innovative film that I’ve ever seen. It even exceeds Citizen Kane in the number of ideas it comes up with, and yet it can be remarkably simple if it needs to be.” Jones article, “The Restoration of a Dictator,” can be found here.
Today’s Los Angeles Times also ran a short article on the film.”Like the great man himself, returning in triumph from exile in Elba, the legendary 1927 silent motion picture Napoleon is coming back. But it’s not returning to New York, the site of its previous success in 1981 — instead, it will make landfall right here in the great state of California.” Kenneth Turan’s article, “Widescreen silent 1927 epic Napoleon to be shown in Oakland,” can be found here.
And over at The Evening Class blog, Michael Guillen has an interview with Charles Tabesh, Senior Vice President of Programming for Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Napoleon’s Official Media Sponsor.
More info about this very special event, as well as ticket availability, can be found at http://www.silentfilm.org/ Don’t miss out on this once in a generation cinematic event!
How to beat the Napoleon blues and other Napoleon news
by Admin on Apr.02, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
Silent London, a popular silent film blog out of England, today ran a long post about the upcoming San Francisco Silent Film Festival presentation of Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Abel Gance’s Napoleon. That post, “How to beat the Napoléon blues,” details some of media and web coverage given the upcoming event (including a shout out to this blog). The film, director Gance, and film historian Brownlow are all included.
Another two blog entries, by Sean Axmaker, can be found here (about the film) and here (about Carl Davis’ score). Other media which gave coverage to the event include Oakland Local and gobayview.com. More are expected.
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival presents Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Abel Gance’s epic masterpiece for four performances only on March 24, 25, 31 and April 1. This special event is set to take place in Oakland, California at the historic Oakland Paramount theater. Carl Davis will conduct the Oakland East Bay Symphony in a performance of his original score. More info about this very special event, as well as ticket availability, can be found at http://www.silentfilm.org/ Don’t miss out on this once in a generation cinematic event!
If you are still on the fence about experiencing what the Smithsonian magazine blog calls the “silent film event of the year,” then here are more than 10 reasons not to miss Napoleon!
Napoleon TRIUMPHANT! Only two more chances to see it!
by Admin on Mar.28, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
Don’t dare miss
“A DAY YOU WILL REMEMBER FOR
THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!”*
“A DAY YOU WILL REMEMBER FOR
THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!”*
“At 9:40 p.m. Saturday, the near-capacity crowd at the 3,000-seat Paramount Theatre rose from the places it had settled into eight hours earlier and cheered a mighty cheer, the kind of full-throated, sustained roar not usually heard in a movie theater. The audience had just lived through one of the world’s great cinematic experiences: an all-day screening (complete with snack and dinner breaks) of Abel Gance’s mesmerizing 5 1/2-hour silent film from 1927, accompanied by Carl Davis conducting the 46-piece Oakland East Bay Symphony, performing his own superb score. Their applause and shouts paid tribute to both the sustaining power of this kind of moviegoing experience and to Gance’s creative genius.”
ONLY TWO MORE CHANCES!
Sat. March 31 | Sun. April 1
*“You walk out EXHILARATED! Unlike anything I’ve ever experienced
in a movie theater. It’s a day you will remember for the rest of your life!”
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
“If you don’t make an effort to be there you’ll miss one of
the great moviegoing events of your life!”
Napoleon photograph © Pamela Gentile
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When is dinner? How long is the film? The FAQs are here!
A fragment of Napoleon
by Admin on Mar.27, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
Abel Gance’s 1927 film, Napoleon, was the subject of considerable press attention in France, especially among film publications. Here is a magazine article excerpting Gance’s scenario. The scene is “Les Enrolements de 1791.” (You should be able to download and read larger version of each scanned page.) This piece dates from 1927.
Two performances remain of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s presentation of Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Napoleon at the Oakland Paramount. They take place on March 31 and April 1st. For this special event, Carl Davis will conduct the Oakland East Bay Symphony in a performance of his original score. More info about this very special event, as well as remaining ticket availability, can be found at http://www.silentfilm.org/
Twitter sphere abuzz over Napoleon
by Admin on Mar.27, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
“Shattered all expectations ,” “Tremendous,” “Electrifying. Riveting,” “A blast,” and “a fantabulous epic” were just of the tweets referencing the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s presentation of Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Abel Gance’s Napoleon at the Oakland Paramount. Others tweeted “one of the great silent movies” and “totally / epic. Did not expect the / handheld camera!” As well as “I’ve never flown to another city just to watch a 5+ hr silent film…until today!” and “cinema event / of a lifetime today. no, / not the hunger games.”
Toronto free-lance journalist Eric Veillette flew in for the special screening. Early on in the screening he tweeted “Even if abandoned after the snowball fight it wld still be the greatest 1 reeler ever made.” Near the film’s finale, Veillette posted “The moment the curtains revealed the tryptich, the gasp was in unison.” And after the five-and-one-half-hour epic had ended, he tweeted again, “At closing, the applause for @CarlDavisMusic was ferocious, but got louder when Abel Gance’s sig appeared on screen.”
The buzz on Twitter by those who have seen Napoleon at the Oakland Paramount has been overwhelmingly positive. Even composer and conductor Carl Davis, who led the Oakland East Bay Symphony in a performance of his original score, tweeted, “Seeing children at the screening of #NAPOLEON gives me hope for the world.”
Another film buff tweeted, “In 6 hours, we will belong to the first of two groups the world is again divided into: those who have seen NAPOLEON, and those who have not.”
Don’t miss out. Two performances remain of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s presentation of Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Abel Gance’s Napoleon (1927) at the Oakland Paramount. They take place on March 31 and April 1st. For this special event, Carl Davis will again conduct the Oakland East Bay Symphony in a performance of his truly remarkable original score. More info about this very special event, as well as remaining ticket availability, can be found at http://www.silentfilm.org/
[Also be sure and check out Lou Lumenick's glowing first review in the New York Post. In "Gance's 'Napoleon' (1927): About as good as it gets," the newspaper critic himself rhapsodizes ecstatic when he calles Gance's masterpiece "one of the most elusive great films" and his viewing of it "the experience of a lifetime . . . I was so overwhelmed." Lumenick adds, "In the meantime, there are tickets available for next weekend in Oakland, and it's worth begging, borrowing and/or stealing to partake of -- no hype here, honest -- the film experience of a lifetime."]
Steampunk Film Festival Reminder
by Admin on Mar.26, 2012, under San Francisco Cinemas/Movies
It’s tomorrow! Wednesday, March 14th. Full details here.
And while you are making plans, you might also want to pencil in Thursday, April 12th when we’ll be showing a few George Melies short films and Hugo.