This year's San Francisco Silent Film Festival has been a lot of fun. I've gotten to see old friends (like film historians Donna Hill, John Bengston, Mary Mallory, and David Kiehn) and make new ones (like film historians Laura Horak and Shelley Stamp) and talk silent film with those who, like me, are passionate about the subject. I also got to speak with Jan-Christopher Horak about Louise Brooks, whom he knew, and his days in Rochester, NY. And, I got to see a Louise Brooks' film on the BIG screen -- the William Wellman-directed
Beggars of Life (1928) with live musical accompaniment by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. (Their score included the familiar theme song from the film.) Here are some snapshots from the Festival.
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| The marquee of the historic Castro Theater. |
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| Some of the 1,000 attendees begin to line-up for Beggars of Life |
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| One of the pre-show slides. |
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| Another of the pre-show slides. |
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| One of the pre-show slides about Beggars of Life. | |
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| One of the pre-show slides about Louise Brooks. |
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| The swell new Beggars of Life poster by Wayne Shellabarger. |
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| Copies of the 2016 program. |
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Me at the signing table, with Joan Craig (author of Theda Bara, My Mentor), and Paramount Pictures
executive Laura Thornburg |
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| Some of Pola Negri's jewelry from A Woman of the World, directed by Malcom St. Clair. |
By the way,
A Woman of the World is a really terrific film. I hope someone releases it on DVD. It would be a sensation!
