The San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

"One of the least-known titles in the 13th San Francisco Silent Film Festival, The Soul of Youth is a small delight that hews to and transcends the reigning tropes of screen ragamuffinery circa 1920," writes Dennis Harvey. Also in the Bay Guardian, Erik Morse on Paul Leni's "macabre mutilation drama," The Man Who Laughs.

Updated through 7/14.

Brian Darr has been researching Teinosuke Kinugasa's Jujiro, "a samurai film without swords," and will be presenting his findings over the next several days.

Michael Guillén has a good long talk with artistic director Stephen Salmons (parts 1 and 2) while, also at the Evening Class, Michael Hawley previews the festival running Friday through Sunday. More from Anne M Hockens at the Siffblog.

Update: "Produced in what collectively became the greatest year of the silent era, Harold Lloyd considered The Kid Brother (1927) to be lacking sufficient action and humor," writes David Jeffers at the Siffblog. "In reality, his tenth of eleven silent features was the synthesis of all his acquired talents."

Updates, 7/10: "I've attended each SFSFF since its start in 1996, and can always feel the sincere passion for these classic films exhibited by everyone involved. The perfect marriage of form and content, the Festival makes sure to get the best 35mm prints of films both famous and bizarre, as well as world-class musicians to accompany all the films, which are shown in a bona fide film palace built in 1922." An overview of this year's edition from Mary B Scott at SF360.

At the Siffblog: David Jeffers on The Man Who Laughs and The Unknown.

Brian Darr has more on Jujiro.

Update, 7/12: At the Siffblog: David Jeffers on Her Wild Oat and The Patsy.

And Brian Darr delves deeper into Jujiro, with entries on Teinosuke Kinugasa and the Benshi.

Updates, 7/14: Michael Guillén has Guy Maddin's introductory remarks to his own untranslation" of the French intertitles in Tod Browning's The Unknown.

Shahn on The Kid Brother: "I have to admit here that Harold Lloyd was my very first crush."

Posted by dwhudson at July 9, 2008 5:04 AM