Sunday, 31 July 2011

1906

"A circus light keeps flashing. A stone fumbled and fell. Steel beams snap like toothpicks. I don't feel well."

(L-R George Sanders, John Huston, Louise Brooks, John Carradine)


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.

My film ratings for 1906.

My music ratings for 1906.


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