Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Why it's here:
Technically, it's not. I had no intention of including this film. I watched because, how could I not after all the film experiences of the last few months? I knew it to be far too dark and unsettling for our family, and my husband wasn't interested in it, so I watched alone. Fortuitously, I discovered it on Netflix just as our family got to the end of the 1940s, so I watched it right in date order.  But I was so blown away by this film that I couldn't help describing it in detail to my kids. What happened next surprised me: my younger son was dying to see the film. What happened then surprised me even more: he LOVED it.

Specs:
Almost 2 hours, black and white. Not a silent film, but dealing with themes of the silent era.
Available on dvd and on Netflix.

More about the film and our reaction to it:
I am feeling proud right now. Justifiably proud I think. For I doubt there are many 10 year olds who could watch and love Sunset Boulevard with a real appreciation for what that film is trying to say. To really get it and also to love it, is amazing for a modern kid. And there is no way, my son would have done so a few months ago, before this festival. He gets the deep sadness; the elated iconic status; the fast loss of the silent era and the quick way the movies changed, like a tornado blasting out old things and leaving destroyed lives in their wake. He was moved to see Buster Keaton in the short cameo as a washed up relic. He appreciated the contrasting acting styles from the overblown and slightly crazy performance of Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, to the 1950s cool William Holden. We had seen and been to the places in LA where the 1920s movie star mansions were -- he understood about the level of fame they had attained.

The film is fantastic. Part black comedy, part film noir, part disfunctional romance, the movie is not really scary, but its definitely freaky. It is sad and depressing and shows Hollywood at its worst. It is also brilliantly filmed and acted. Swanson as Norma Desmond gives a performance so visceral and real it hardly seems possible she's acting.

One of the best lines ever spoken in any movie ever:
"You're Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big."
"I am big. It's the pictures that got small."

And I love it when Norma speaks of the golden age of silents:
"There was a time in this business when they had the eyes of the whole world. But that wasn't good enough for them. Oh no. They had to have the ears of the whole world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk talk talk!"

While watching herself onscreen in one of her star roles:
"Still wonderful isn't it. And no dialog. We didn't need dialog; we had faces."

I love that line so much, because she's right. As a fan of silent film, I see exactly what she meant and I really feel that loss.

Iconic shot:

His New Job (1915)

Why it's here:
When we started our festival, I intended to share with the boys work by all the major comedians and comedy teams I could think of (Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, and on and on), but as we talked to other people and researched films to include, new names kept popping up. Ben Turpin was one of those names. We added this film into our festival much later -- after we'd already watched films through the 1940s -- because it would not only provide us with a chance to see Turpin, but almost more importantly, was available on Netflix and starred Charlie Chaplin. When in doubt, make sure Chaplin is present.

Specs:
1/2 hour, black and white, silent. We watched it on Netflix - found within a Chaplin collection.

Our family's average rating:
6.0

More about the film and our reaction to it:
This film is really cool for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it was Charlie Chaplin's first credited screen appearance. He'd been in many films before, but was always part of an ensemble cast and not singled out for screen credit. So there's a first. Another real shocker that I did not notice until reading about the film after our viewing, but this may have been Gloria Swanson's very first on-screen appearance!  You can just make her out in the opening scene as an office worker.

Another great surprise, that ended up being my favorite part of the movie, was a wonderful behind-the-scenes glimpse of early filmmaking. The "New Job" underlying the title, refers to  Chaplin being hired as an extra/carpenter/actor to work on a film production. This is a great chance to see the back stage area, star's dressing room, hand-cranked silent film camera, and many other treats, all circa 1915!

And I suppose I should address the impetus for our film: Ben Turpin. He is very funny and entertaining, but this was not a major film for him. His scenes with Chaplin are wonderful, but he spends so much time on the floor, we didn't get much of a glimpse of his famously crossed eyes. We liked him enough though that we will look for other films by him if they come within our sphere.

Iconic shot:

And here's another pic, so you can see Gloria Swanson before she was "big"