120 years (1900-2019) in 120 months (2011-2020). It's a ten year plan, but a light commitment.
I'm dedicating a little time each month to a particular year, with the focus on music and film, chronicling the birth, life (and sometimes death) of everything I manage to find great within the popular (and not so popular) culture of the 20th & 21st Centuries.
No music from 1911 is jumping out at me, however there are a few films I'm looking forward to watching. Giovanni Pastrone's La caduta di Troia [The Fall of Troy] was one his last short's before the epic Cabiria was released in 1914. Also this year, Giuseppe de Liguoro gave us one of motion picture's earliest major milestones. L'Inferno [Dante's Inferno] was Italy's first full length feature film (over an hour in length) and an international success.
I've also found links to 2 well rated/reviewed D.W. Griffith shorts. The Lonedale Operator is noteable for its' early use of the "close-up".
There's little else looking of interest this month, so I would really welcome some suggestions.
"There'll come a time when all of us must leave here. And nothing Sister Mary can do, will keep me here with you."
It really doesn't seem 10 years since the passing of 'The Quiet One'. But this past decade really has, for me anyhow, cemented George Harrison's importance beyond the Beatles' years.
In early 2001, prior to his death, he released a remastered version of his 'magnificant octopus' All Things Must Pass. A 30th anniversary boxset, with some interesting out-takes and bonus tracks. But it's the original album that really benefits from the reissue. This remastered CD sounds superb in comparison to the 80's issue I owned previously. Although it took a while to give it its deserved airtime (which goes for 90% of everything I own unfortunately), it sure has become essential listening for me, being one of my most played albums of 2011.
31 years after its charting topping release, My Sweet Lord was re-released in early 2002 following George's death, and once again reached No. 1 in the UK singles chart.
By the end of 2002, we were treated to both The Concert for George (on DVD & CD) as well as an album of new material. Brainwashed appeared in the November, and does sit as one of George's better albums, wiping the floor with much of his later career.
In 2004, all of his Dark Horse records (1976-1992) were remastered with bonus material (albeit a little limited), and in 2007 the Traveling Wilburys albums were given the same treatment. Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison finally offered the casual fan a more comprehensive collection of his work than that has been compiled/released before.
After years of much hearsay, this year we finally got what we've been waiting for. George Harrison: Living in the Material World is a fantastic document of George's life. Martin Scorsese has done it again, giving it the same depth of much of his previous work in music (see the Dylan documentary "No Direction Home"). I was lucky to catch a one-night only showing in Leeds in early October, and it certainly did not disappoint.
On 29th November 2011, two concerts were held in Liverpool to mark the 10th anniversary of George's passing. Tsema, The Rebels, Singh Strings, The Radha Krishna Temple, The Mersey Beatles, and Andre Barreau (from The Bootleg Beatles) performed twice during the day (afternoon concert at St. George's Hall and evening concert at The Cavern).
Below are some video clips I managed to take. The lengths are limited as my ipod kept running out of diskspace, as I hadn't planned for any recording.
Oh my, this is no good! Unfortunately, we're missing a post highlight this month. No hot chickadees! That better be addressed in next months post, or I may lose interest in this blog. Anyway...
Actors Dana Andrews, James Mason, Burl Ives, Errol Flynn and Michael Rennie, and Directors Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Marcel Carné and Elia Kazan were born in 1909. Also songwriter Johnny Mercer, "King of Swing" jazz clarinetist/bandleader Benny Goodman and pianist Art Tatum.
1909 has been my favourite year for movies so far, and I think the best of the bunch stand out as some of the great movies of the decade. Griffith's work really stands out, and here we get to see a 23 year old Florence Lawrence, and a 17 year old Mary Pickford (in her first year of movie acting). The 3 DW Griffith shorts I've seen share much in common. There's an impressive variation of indoor sets, and outdoor locations. The cross-cutting techniques have not really been applied to anything prior to these, and there's many more modern methods starting to take shape. The long(ish) final shot of A Corner In Wheat with the fade, the similar opening and closing shots used in The Country Doctor etc.
Biograph (Griffith's employers) were lucky enough to partner with Edison under the "Motion Picture Patents Company", which would keep the "Edison Trust" out of the way. As many other smaller studios opposed Edison's grip on the american movie industry, legal wranglings and violence from Edison's goons caused much disruption, and I believe this advantage proved a significant reason for Biographs success, and its' filmaking to flourish unfettered.
Beatles side-note: George's dad, Harold Hargreaves Harrison born 1909.
Continuing with my brief birthday posts for the 'fab four'...
I can't write anything about this man that has not already been said, so I won't try. At least half of what I say is meaningless anyway. An all-time hero, and a constant source of inspiration. Part leader, part asshole. Complete genius.
For much of my teens, I'd find the both the 9th October & 8th December (obviously) quite upsetting, by focusing on the death of this great man. The way he died was extremely tragic, but now I can't help but feel true optimism whenever my thoughts focus on this fella. His spirit remains as strong today, as it ever did, and I think if everyone practised the positivity this guy exuded, the world would be a much more fun and interesting place to exist.
I got a chip on my shoulder that's bigger than my feet
I can't talk to people that I meet
He's missed by many, but thankfully his soul never seems too far away.
Today would have marked his 71st birthday. I don't think much of his family made it to that age, with the exception of Aunt Mimi of course, who lived to the ripe old age of 88. By 1909 Mimi, was 6 years old and, had a new baby sister. John's mother (Julia) and another 2 sisters were born during the next 7 years.
Movie births in 1908 include John Mills, Rex Harrison, Michael Redgrave, David Lean, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Mel Blanc, Edward Dmytryk, Carole Lombard, Burgess Meredith, Lew Ayres, Fred MacMurray. Also James Bond author Ian Fleming, and James Bond 'M' actor Bernard Lee.
Émile Cohl's very short Fantasmagorie is quite a fantastic early example of an animated cartoon, and The Thieving Hand is a genuinely funny short, and makes me think this could be a comedic version of 1981's The Hand.
Contrary to the previous years, I would assume by now the nickolodeon flocking public may have grown tired of the majority of trick films. Whilst interesting and original in the 1890s, I can only imagine audiences were wanting something a bit more out of the movie-going experience. Plus, the movie companies were now trying to appeal to a much wider audience. Soon, audiences were no longer just made up of the lower classes. Stories (however simple) were becoming more popular on screen, and together with longer screenings (1-2 reels would equal 10-20 minutes), a trip to the 'pictures' was more of an event than a quick cheap laugh.
It was around this time that film pioneering took another step forward, with directors such as D.W. Griffith focusing on creating and improving new filming techniques. Griffith had failed as a playwright and, by the sounds of things, was not setting the world alight with his acting. He was luckily offered an opportunity to direct a film for Biograph, due to the original directors illness. Although The Adventures of Dollie is far from great, I'm surprised at its relatively low rating on many websites. I know plenty of people associate much of DW Griffiths work with racism (and yes, one could argue the portrayal of the gypsies in this film is racist), but the film does do a job. Taking a simple story, from start to finish, and giving Griffith his first experience behind the cameras, this was the start of his successful career as a director. And certainly a welcomed diversion from the current crop of trick films.
We catch our first glimpse of early Russian cinema here. The short documentary, Moscow Clad in Snow, shows winter life throughout the capital, and manages to generate an equally interesting look into this fascinating country. Maybe I'm just a sucker for most things "Pусский". Then again, I feel Понизовая вольница [Stenka Razin] doesn't fare as well. Although the scenes are filmed well enough (especially on water), and the negative is in prime condition for its age, I can't read Russian, nor did I find I was able to follow the French subs with much success, and as I'm unfamiliar with this story, it just didn't make it for me.
Births include Cesar Romero, Fred Zinnemann, Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, John Wayne, Rosalind Russell, Fay Wray, Gene Autry and Barbara Stanwyck.
I've only seen a handful of Barbara Stanwyck movies, and they're all from the 40's onwards. When I think of her, it's usually Double Indemnity's Phyllis Dietrichson that springs to mind, so I was quite happy to find some pictures of her from the 1920's and 30's before she was blonde. Not that I have anything against blondes. But I do like a variety of looks for any one individual. The whole aim of this blog is to learn more about those great moments and people in recent artistic history, and Ms. Stanwyck and her work ranked high on my potential list of discoveries. Below are some great photos:
Left to right:- 1) 1924 - as a Ziegfeld girl. 2) 1933 colourised pic of Barbara looking gorgeous from Ladies They Talk About. 3) Later picture, more in common with the Barbara I know.
1907 looks to be dominated by the works of Georges Méliès and Segundo de Chomón once again. The films are fine, but unlike audiences in 1907 (I have hindsight to assure me that great things follow quite soon in the history of cinema), I have started to find the work to be much of the same, and not really refreshing enough to keep my interest to a maximum.
La course des sergents de ville [The Policemen's Little Run] seems quite fresh for its time. A few different techniques applied whilst following the same principle of many early comedic shorts. This definitely looks like an influence of Mack Sennett's Keystone Kops (who would appear in 1912).
Wikipedia's entry on movies for this year did lead me to El Sartorio. The earliest surviving "adult" film. A few quick searches haven't got me anywhere. God knows what a porno from 104 years ago looks like. I'll just have to imagine!
No big names for me in music, but many greats of the film industry were born this particular year. Directors: Roberto Rossellini, Billy Wilder, John Huston, Otto Preminger, Carol Reed. Actors: John Carradine, Lon Chaney, Jr, Lou Costello, George Sanders, Mary Astor and Janet Gaynor.
Louise Brooks (pictured left), also born in 1906, is nowadays remembered as one of the most famous silent film actresses, despite her rather short career in the USA. After a few years in California, loathing the "Hollywood" scene, she came to Europe to make a number of films in Germany. These pre-code era titles were considered shockingly "adult". She looks fantastic, and is generally credited to popularizing the "bob cut". The style has seen so much popularity throughout the past century. The sixties, the nineties (Mrs Mia Wallace anyone?) and plenty in recent years <----
Often referred to as "The First Movie Star", Florence Lawrence made her film debut in 1906. She was the first "Biograph Girl" (soon to be replaced by Mary Pickford), after which she was lured away to Carl Laemmle's Independent Motion Picture Company. Her salary rose, and she became the first actor to receive on-screen billing. And if that wasn't enough, she was also an inventor, creating the first automobile turn signal. Tragically, like quite a few stars of her era, her life ended with suicide after her career had faded.
Florence Lawrence 1905
What a difference a year (or in this case - a month) makes. It could be the claritry of the recordings, the genuine improvement on the past years or just that my ears are finally starting to adapt to the early 1900's, but I must admit RYM's top few records including Razzazza Mazzazza (Arthur Pryor) and Buffalo Rag (Vess Ossman) sound a lot better than what I was prepared for. But I am still wating for that first bite of true excitement.
7mins
Dream of a Rarebit Fiend
3mins
Humorous Phases of Funny Faces
9mins
San Francisco: Aftermath of Earthquake
4mins
La révolution en Russie
6mins
Le théâtre électrique de Bob [Bob's Electric Theatre]
7mins
A Winter Straw Ride
16mins (Lost film - remaining segments)
The Story Of The Kelly Gang
10mins
Aladin ou la lampe merveilleuse
3mins
The (?) Motorist
3mins
Les affiches en goguette [The Hilarious Posters]
4mins (segment)
Les quatre cents farces du diable [The 400 Tricks of the Devil]
7mins
Les résultats du féminisme
3mins
Alchimiste Parafaragamus ou La cornue infernale
12mins
A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire (Documentary)
Nothing really remarkable about this year in film, but I did enjoy the antics throughout "A Winter Straw Ride". Students, both male and female, falling over one another, starting snow fights, and falling backwards out of horse-drawn carriages.
A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire, provides a fascinating snapshot of day-to-day life along Market St, San Francisco over 100 years ago, shot only days prior to the famous earthquake of '06 that devastated the city.
Les résultats du féminisme was an interesting concept for 1906. Men being women, and women being men. It seemed suitable material for a Monty Python sketch, or even something more recent. Infact, from the first minute I couldn't help but visualise David Walliams in the lead role (the guy on the far left at the start).
The year ends with the release of Australian movie "The Story of the Kelly Gang", the longest running to date and the world's first feature film. The 1st 10 mins (of the remaining footage) has been kept and restored wonderfully, but some of the last 5mins are in a terrible state.
"I'm glad it's your birthday! Happy Birthday to you!"
Quite fittingly, Ringo celebrates his 71st birthday playing a show in Hamburg. I had thought, 50 years previously, he could have been playing in the same city (even sitting in for the Beatles), but as it turns out John, Paul, George & Pete returned home the week before. And anyway, I've since found this that states "Legend has it on Ringo's 21st birthday, 7th July 1961, nearly 200 local musicians and their girlfriends packed into the tiny house for a party".
"Girl we gotta get out of here, we gotta find a solution. I'm a twentieth century man but I don't want to die here."
(L-R) Joseph Cotten, Clara Bow, Henry Fonda, Myrna Loy, Ray Milland
(Instead of trying to document everything I find during the history of cinema & music, I'm instead relying on the following links to provide a chronology, as they do a far better job than I can in summing up the relevant years. My posts will focus on anything that's taken my fancy)
It's 1905 and finally, the wheels are in motion, with plenty to mention during this sixth month post. Lots of significant births, with actors such as Henry Fonda, Joan Crawford, Thelma Ritter, Myrna Loy, Greta Garbo, Joseph Cotten, Ray Milland, Clara Bow, Takashi Shimura, Robert Donat and Kay Francis. Directors/Producers Howard Hughes, Otto Preminger, Michael Powell and Robert Stevenson also.
Kay Francis in the pre-code comedy Jewel Robbery (1932)
Jules Verne passed away in March 1905. A major contributor to the earliest days of cinema, despite not working in-front or behind the camera's. His work in the sc-fi genre proved very inspirational to the film industry (especially to French pioneer Georges Méliès), and his novels continue to be popular around the world.
RYM user novocaine69 provides a fantastic list of silent movies here, from which I've obtained most of my youtube links. Again, nothing too significant, but Méliès work is the best. The Black Imp is a rather amusing short, whilst the longer Le palais des mille et une nuits suffers a little from being too long, but still has some worthwhile moments. The stunts and effects are decent, and the costumes and sets are good for their time.
The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog (Edwin S. Porter)
New York Subway
Le roi des dollars AKA The King of Dollars (Segundo de Chomón)
Rescued by Rover (Cecil M. Hepworth)
The Night Before Christmas (Edwin S. Porter)
Le diable noir AKA The Black Imp (Georges Méliès)
Le palais des mille et une nuits AKA The Palace
of a Thousand and One Nights (Georges Méliès)
Meanwhile, a small railroad town is established in the sparse Mojave Desert, NV, USA. Over the next 60 years it will grow into the gambling capital of the world, providing many milestones in the background, inspiration, and showcasing of numerous pieces of music and film.
Las Vegas 2005
Things start sounding a little more familiar (to the modern ear) in music land. The first extensive research in the field of "The Blues" was performed by Howard W. Odum, who published a large anthology of folk songs in the counties of Lafayette, Mississippi and Newton, Georgia between 1905 and 1908.
'Chick' Webb and Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup are both born during 1905, and around this time, child vaudevillian Fred Astaire begins performing with his sister on stage. Arthur Collins' hit The Preacher & The Bear becomes the first song to sell a million copies.
"Well now we're getting somewhere!"Jerry Seinfeld
"C'mon Elaine, let's take a ride. I was about to pop in some Verdi"Bob Cobb (The Maestro)
To my surprise, there is actually a little something to discuss of 1905's music. I can't say I'm a fan of RYM's #1 - Arthur Pryor's The Whistler and His Dog, but #2 is quite good. Billy Murray's vocal's on The Yankee Doodle Boy is the most fun so far, and the production is good considering the conditions would have been rather primitive. Hardly the definitive version, Enrico Caruso's La donna è mobile is still worthy enough, especially being one of the earliest recorded versions of the Verdi classic.
1905: Jules Verne dies. Las Vegas appears in the desert. 1st major research of the "Blues". 1st million selling song. alturl.com/j4gam
