Blog Archives

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]