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In this exclusive essay for The Archives blog, Ed Hulse, serial film aficionado and author of Distressed Damsels and Masked Marauders: Cliffhanger Serials of the Silent-Movie Era, takes us on a journey through the genesis of American serial film, its lasting […]

By 1924, Russian-born Ivan Mosjoukine had already established himself as one of French cinema’s top leading men, with roles in Le Brasier ardent and THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY, a 10-episode serial by Films Albatros. In its July 8, 1924 issue, French film […]

THE BEST ARBUCKLE/KEATON COLLECTION, VOLUMES ONE & TWO (coming soon to Manufactured-On-Demand DVD) features 12 films representing the earliest collaboration between these two comic giants. The essay below describes the genesis of Buster Keaton and Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle’s professional relationship […]

One of the earliest French film fan magazines, Mon Ciné updated eager cinema enthusiasts weekly with the latest news on upcoming releases and the leading men and women in them. The cover of the February 28, 1924 issue below […]

THE BEST ARBUCKLE/KEATON COLLECTION, VOLUMES ONE & TWO provide over four hours of hilarious slapstick antics from Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton's budding professional relationship. Enjoy a series of images from the collection in the slide show below, [...]

In this exclusive interview, Serge Bromberg, film preservationist and founder of Paris-based Lobster Films, describes how technological advances changed the way Lobster Films and The Chaplin Project restored CHAPLIN’S MUTUAL COMEDIES and the upcoming Essanay collection compared to the earlier CHAPLIN […]

This week, Serge Bromberg, film preservationist and founder of Paris-based Lobster Films, hosted the world premieres of new restorations of Charlie Chaplin’s A NIGHT AT THE SHOW (1915) and THE BANK (1915) to audiences in New York and Los […]

In this exclusive essay for The Archives blog, Chuck Harter, co-author (with Michael J. Hayde) of “Little Elf: A Celebration of Harry Langdon” explores the life and career of this gifted artist and tells of the odd circumstances that prompted […]

Below is an unfinished “abandoned” 1960 movie trailer made for Cinerama’s SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD. The trailer, plus a brand new movie trailer and a classic black & white TV trailer, are just a few of the many bonus features […]

In this excerpt from Cinerama’s SEARCH FOR PARADISE, traveler Lowell Thomas sails across Kashmir’s Dal Lake in a shikara, or water taxi.    You can see all of Lowell Thomas’ adventures across Central Asia in Cinerama’s SEARCH FOR PARADISE, now […]

In the video excerpt below, Dave Stromhaier explains how Cinerama and Image Trends restored SEARCH FOR PARADISE. See the flight over Nepal before-and-after their restorations techniques were applied. More restoration details and scene comparisons are available in his full presentation, […]

Chaplin & Numa in The Circus. ©Roy Export S.A.S. One of the more memorable scenes in Chaplin’s 1928 classic The Circus occurs when the Tramp, chased by a mule, accidentally locks himself in a lion’s cage. Chaplin’s co-star in […]

In Spring 2010, The Moving Image published “The Itinerant Issue,” an entire issue dedicated to the burgeoning field of study of itinerant filmmaking and exhibition practices. In the excerpt below, archivist Dwight Swanson weaves together the childhood recollections of people […]

Cinerama’s SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD comes to Blu-ray/DVD on November 11, 2014. Until then, enjoy these exclusive behind-the-scenes photographs from the making of the movie. The Cinerama camera on the set of the shoot in the Arabian Peninsula. […]

  Pictured Above: Wausau Daily Record-Herald, September 17, 1914 This September 17 marks the 100-year anniversary of the premiere of THE LUMBERJACK. The oldest surviving film made in Wisconsin, THE LUMBERJACK was produced by a group of itinerant filmmakers […]

In this exclusive essay for The Archives blog, Brent E. Walker, author of MACK SENNETT’S FUN FACTORY, traces the survival of Sennett’s films – or lack thereof. His examination touches upon the influential roles played by the stars, the studios, […]

Mabel and Me, Jon Boorstin’s new novel, features fictionalized versions of Mabel Normand, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Mack Swain, and other silent movie stars. Enjoy the video trailer below and scroll down to read Ch. 27 of the book. Which silent […]

In this exclusive essay for The Archives blog, author and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jon Boorstin discusses Mabel Normand, the enigmatic silent era star who plays the lead role in his new fiction novel, Mabel and Me, now available from Angel […]

Dubbed “the great detective of silent film locations,” author John Bengtson traces old Hollywood through the films of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd in his books Silent Echoes, Silent Traces, and Silent Visions. In the excerpt from his Silent Locations […]

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The nomadic life of the early itinerant filmmakers posed unique challenges. In this clip from the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, Hugh V. Jamieson recalls his early years as an itinerant filmmaker, long before the era of digital cameras […]

The release day for CHAPLIN’S MUTUAL COMEDIES is finally here! To mark the occasion, David Shepard, celebrated film historian, preservation expert, and owner of The Blackhawk Films Collection®, gives us an inside look at the restoration process behind this landmark collection. […]

  WE’RE IN THE MOVIES: PALACE OF SILENTS & ITINERANT FILMMAKING showcases local filmmakers’ passion for cinema. One of these local filmmakers is Melton Barker, who spent five decades travelling the country shooting the same script, THE KIDNAPPERS FOIL, with […]

  Seven years ago, I embarked upon a project which would take nearly one year to complete and occurred during a time in my life which shall forever remain indelible to my memory. When 2007 began, I was living quietly […]

Dear Cinerama Lovers and Cinephiles Alike, Flicker Alley is proud to announce the continuation of our popular Cinerama releases with the upcoming Seven Wonders of the World (1956) and Search for Paradise (1957) on Blu-ray/DVD combo packs. These classic […]

Ready for a sneak peek of all the 3-D goodies in our upcoming 3-D RARITIES release? In his latest blog post for Indiewire, film critic Leonard Maltin discusses what you can expect from the Blu-ray collection. From the article: […]

Until the publication of Martin L. Johnson’s long-awaited book on local films, the best printed resource is probably The Moving Image, Volume 10, Number 1, Spring 2010, the Journal of the Association of Moving Image Archivists (University of Minnesota […]

In the silent era, local movie theaters used glass slides to promote coming attractions. The images on the slides were projected onto the screen to let movie-goers know what to expect in the coming weeks. This was especially useful […]

Interested in screening Chaplin shorts in your theater? 20 Chaplin Mutual films are available on DCP from Flicker Alley. In 1916, the Mutual Film Corporation made Charlie Chaplin the highest-paid motion picture star when they offered him $670,000 to […]

Updated 3/17/14 In celebration of 100 years of ‘The Little Tramp,” Dan Kamin, who trained Robert Downey Jr. for his Oscar-nominated performance as Chaplin, presents Funny Bones: The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin. This one-of-a-kind event takes audiences on a magical […]

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Little Tramp,’ Flicker Alley sat down with Chaplin expert Dan Kamin, the man who taught Robert Downey, Jr. how to promenade and pratfall in the Oscar-nominated film Chaplin (1992). In Part 2 of […]

Updated 2/20/14 Funny Bones: The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin with Dan Kamin On-going all year Multiple locations Dan Kamin, who trained Robert Downey Jr. for his Oscar-nominated performance as Chaplin, takes audiences on a magical excursion into Chaplin’s enchanted comic world […]

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Little Tramp,’ Flicker Alley sat down with Chaplin expert Dan Kamin, the man who taught Robert Downey, Jr. how to promenade and pratfall in the Oscar-nominated film Chaplin (1992). In Part […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Flicker Alley, LLC (323) 851-1905, info@flickeralley.com CLASSIC MOVIES, MODERN DELIVERY: RARE AND SILENT FILMS NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM  Classic Film Fans Now Have More Ways Than Ever to Watch Flicker Alley’s Rare, Silent, and Classic […]

  In 1954, Betty and Johnny Marsh embarked on a dream tour through Switzerland and France. The result was the spectacular travelogue Cinerama Holiday, the highest-grossing box office hit of 1955. Today, Betty Marsh York was kind enough to […]

In 1954, Betty and John (Johnny) Marsh embarked on a dream tour through Switzerland and France. The result was the spectacular travelogue Cinerama Holiday, the highest-grossing box office hit of 1955. Today, Betty Marsh York was kind enough to […]

Last Monday Flicker Alley was lucky enough to be invited for the 10th anniversary of The Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study.  An archive so huge the house enough film to wrap around the world one-and-a-half times (about 250 […]

With the upcoming release of THIS IS CINERAMA and WINDJAMMER we’ve been having some interest about the process that mimics Cinerama’s famous curved screen called Smilebox.  Here’s a brief description of the process from Dave Strohmaier, the director of […]

  Flicker Alley and Cinerama Inc. invite you to experience THIS IS CINERAMA and WINDJAMMER in their world home video premieres! Release Date: September 25, 2012  Flicker Alley and Cinerama Inc. are pleased to announce the home video digital premieres […]

  Serge Bromberg’s passion for film began as a child when his father came home with a Super 8 projector a Charlie Chaplin film. Bromberg has translated that passion  for celluloid into a successful career as a producer and […]

Napoleon, Kevin Brownlow, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival have been prominent on the cultural radar during the last few weeks, from features in the NYTimes and Wall Street Journal to countless blog posts [The Daily Mirror; Smithsonian’s Reel […]

During the next few months, A Trip to the Moon (dir. Georges Méliès) restored to its original 1902 colors and featuring a new soundtrack by the band AIR will be making on-screen appearances along with Lobster Films’ The Extraordinary Voyage […]

Pssst!!!! Last week we announced the release of Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon in its original 1902 colors (and featuring a soundtrack by AIR) and Lobster Films‘ new feature length documentary The Extraordinary Voyage in a limited […]

  Méliès in “Untamable Whiskers” (1904) Happy Birthday Georges Méliès! The great cinema magician was born in Paris on December 8, 1861. We are pleased that on this 150th anniversary, Méliès is garnering much attention and has been winning new fans […]

Our friend Doug Hanvey, self-described writer and casual movie-goer, is once again bringing a dose of irreverence to the Flicker Alley Blog.  This time he brings us 10 reasons (or not) to watch Wild & Weird – 14 Fascinating […]

Last week, we had the pleasure of chatting with Bérénice Bejo, Argentinean/French actress who stars as Peppy Miller in the new Weinstein Company release The Artist. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, the film, directed by […]

Since 2003, Randy Haberkamp, Director of Public Programming and Educational Outreach at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has annually been presenting a unique and fascinating survey of early cinema at the turn of the last century. […]

Flicker Alley is pleased to welcome our first guest blog post from Doug Hanvey, a writer and casual moviegoer.  For filmgoers who dig horror, sci-fi, cult, animated, or just plain weird films, watching Flicker Alley’s new WILD AND WEIRD […]

  Flicker Alley is proud to announce the release of a essential collection of eight landmark Soviet silent films all new to DVD in North America. The term “Soviet montage” is widely used in film circles, but understanding of […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG10UP_t4-E] Last week the Flicker Alley team attended the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ event “A TRIP TO THE MOON in Color: And Other Travels Through Time, Color and Space”- a screening event dedicated to re-creating the […]

Congratulations to the Cinecon team on a successful 47th annual event. The longtime Los Angeles silent/classic cinema screening event was just this past weekend. A festival which itself has a very impressive history, has been unveiling rare and interesting […]

  Discovering Cinema: “Learning to Talk” & “Movies Dream in Color” – Two Spectacular Documentaries on the Artistic and Technical Birth of Sound and Color Movies Last week members of Flicker Alley had the pleasure of attending The Reel […]

Flicker Alley was born in 2002 out of founder Jeff Masino’s passion for cinematic history and a desire to bring filmmakers and films from out of the past to new audiences and renewed recognition. Jeff and an expanding team […]