moviessilently.bsky.social
Silent films and the silent era, same as the birdsite
15,392 posts
14,369 followers
295 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
comment in response to
post
No dedicated classics section. That was an instant nope from me.
comment in response to
post
Yes, they might have had a nice Blockbuster *employee* that was cool and helpful, there were plenty of them, but Blockbuster itself had nothing to do with it as they had the same generic mix of titles in most stores.
comment in response to
post
Yes, there's some of it with public domain sources but streaming is all about churning new junk, not dusting off the junk we already have to fill the corners
comment in response to
post
People who don't live in fundieland have no idea. None at all.
comment in response to
post
Ha ha! I knew people who sent their own copies away to be cleaned up as a service they paid for.
And, of course, Blockbuster edited out naughty bits itself, capturing some of that demographic that wasn't watching serial-numbers-filed-off Christian copycat productions.
comment in response to
post
Let's see how my decision pans out and if I will curse myself for my folly.
comment in response to
post
"But I had a good time at the predatory megacorp!" is not an argument.
comment in response to
post
So, with these memories in mind, you have to understand that when I see people waxing nostalgic for Blockbuster, it's like hearing them get misty-eyed about their childhood trips to Walmart.
Mm-kay? But they can't possibly expect me to take them seriously.
comment in response to
post
I tried to be as instinctual as possible with this list, adding the titles that came to mind first and researching some underrated favorite stars for the rest.
I wanted to shine light on films that hardly anyone remembers exist, including a few important trailblazers.
Enjoy!
comment in response to
post
Obviously, they would want the new releases of big hits but everything else was up to them (and up to what the studios were releasing in the early days of VHS).
Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre, for example, was an early VHS staple, which helped it go far beyond its cable reach.
comment in response to
post
Limiting selection can sometimes be freeing. For example, if you were looking for a movie and had hundreds of tapes to choose from you tended to head out of your comfort zone more. And, of course, the store's vibe very much depended on the taste of the owner.
comment in response to
post
I don't take credit for the subsequent releases, of course, but I figure putting some titles out for the universe to see can't hurt. After all, many silent films are ignored simply because there's no information easily available about them.
comment in response to
post
Truly. A lot of us just stumble into what we are best at if we manage it at all.
comment in response to
post
I wonder if the cause is the same: mine wouldn't make a move unless they were sure that something was popular with a decent chunk of the population, which was why their choices in entertainment and current events opinions were so very odd.
comment in response to
post
You could listen to their conversation and set your watch by their accuracy and there's some amusement in that. It was like one of those cringey scenes from historical films. "I for one will always be a loyal subject of England!" declares a Bostonian circa 1750. You know what I mean.
comment in response to
post
I'm California zone 8b, by the way, and we usually get a false spring before a rather nasty May.
comment in response to
post
By sheer coincidence, the best era for music was also when you were in high school/college. But, hey, we don't make the rules ;)
comment in response to
post
A MAN IN A FULFILLING, LOVING AND RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH A WOMAN HIS OWN AGE???? THAT IS NONETHELESS INTERESTING AND APPEALING TO WATCH ONSCREEN?????
This cannot be!
comment in response to
post
And for some brain bleach, let me recommend one of my favorite couples, the age appropriate and affectionate Ruth Donnelly and Edward G. Robinson as married retired gangsters gone legit (kinda) in A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER.
comment in response to
post
I really did not like that one at all. I actually liked the 1995 remake better, which shaved down the age gap slightly (though, obviously, still in daddy territory)
comment in response to
post
Then they could have used Tiger Lily rather than a character in early middle age.
comment in response to
post
If they can't write a believably appealing teen-to-teen romance, they need to quit the biz
comment in response to
post
I think it might have been a hit in its own right. I know Looney Tunes did goofy renditions of it a few times
comment in response to
post
Yes, it was a very regular thing to have a heroine expressly described as just out of school/convent (so 18 or thereabouts) and the hero about 35. Just read one last weekend from 1913
comment in response to
post
The Fred Astaire movie makes it nastier by having him adopt her.
Funny, they keep and even expand the age difference but drop that he was a socialist
comment in response to
post
No, it was established well before that
comment in response to
post
Yep. Do not want.
comment in response to
post
Yep. That is a film that has not aged well
comment in response to
post
Yes, the GIF is from there. Not exactly wife husbandry but definitely close enough
comment in response to
post
Male movie execs are endlessly confident in their belief that the sexiest things in the world are men about their age.
comment in response to
post
And it's worth pointing out that the 2003 Peter Pan leaned into a sexy Hook to symbolize Wendy's sexual awakening. Not the spunky boy her own age, mind you. The guy who was traditionally played by the same actor as her father.
Cyril Ritchard would never.
comment in response to
post
The Grover and Frances romance was widely seen as cute and aspirational.
By the 1920s, Hollywood liked to pair vivacious flappers with middle-aged leading men, which is a sister trope. "They're young and free-spirited, of course they need a stodgy older man to show them the way!"
comment in response to
post
Okay, so a little background. A really popular plot device in books and films was something TVTropes dubbed "wife husbandry" which is basically the guy raises a girl as his own child and then falls in love with her.
Grover Cleveland met his wife under such circumstances.
comment in response to
post
Yup
comment in response to
post
Note to Hollywood:
Lon Chaney circus/carnival pictures ONLY with murder on their mind, thx
comment in response to
post
So, in the end, the underrated Gwen Lee turns out to be the most relatable character in the picture.
comment in response to
post
Chaney's flaw as a performer was when he was allowed to descend into the maudlin, which he does here, and the film is not helped by centering itself on a man in his fifties and a man in his thirties both being in love with a 14-year-old Loretta Young.
comment in response to
post
Patrick would be well-suited by a long tuba solo, I think.
But in all seriousness, Orff is a surefire litmus test for fashies and people of absolutely appalling taste.