Earlier episodes of the Brownlow-Gill documentary, "Hollywood," discussed three of the greatest directors of the silent era, Cecil B. DeMille, Erich von Stroheim, and D.W. Griffith. However, numerous other directors of note were at work, and the tenth installment in the series, "The Man with the Megaphone," highlights their work. While some of the directors discussed are better known than others, the treasure trove of interviews with directors, stars, and film crew make the episode among the series' best.
Some became directors by accident, such as Allan Dwan, who, along with Henry King and Byron Haskin, describes the flamboyant personalities that left silent-film directors open to caricature, and an amusing sequence illustrates the use of lions in early pictures. While lions roared and directors barked orders or coached their stars, carpenters built sets for other films and music played to induce emotion; actress Bessie Love describes silent-film sets as anything but silent. Viola Dana, who talks about the use of music to make her cry, also recalls her husband, John Collins, a promising director; largely forgotten today, Collins, who died young in the 1918 influenza epidemic, directed a number of pictures in his short career, including 1917's "Blue Jeans," which starred his wife. Another lesser-known silent director, Marshall Neilan, is also remembered by his wife, Blanche Sweet. Actress Colleen Moore describes Neilan as Mary Pickford's favorite director; which is not surprising, because he directed Pickford in seven of her biggest hits, including "Daddy Long Legs" in 1919.
Best known for "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," Rex Ingram was yet another director that worked with his wife, who was actress Alice Terry. Film editor Grant Whytock describes Ingram's artistic sensibility, and a clip is included of the famous execution scene from 1926's "Mare Nostrom," which starred Terry as a World War I German spy. Also known for his artistry as well as his perfectionism, F. W. Murnau is described affectionately by Janet Gaynor, star of Murnau's 1927 film, "Sunrise." Harold Shuster, editor of "Sunrise," elaborates on Murnau's background in German expressionism and his use of false perspective in the city-set construction for "Sunrise."
The engrossing episode concludes with two important films directed by King Vidor, who is interviewed about both movies. 1928's "Show People" with Marion Davies, comically illustrates an overly enthusiastic director directing and the use of live music to induce emotion. Another director who used his wife in his films, Vidor cast Eleanor Boardman in the 1928 feature "The Crowd" about an ordinary man and woman lost in a large impersonal metropolis. Boardman shares her memories of making the film and her feelings about her drab role. Boardman's, Vidor's, and the other interviews are priceless film history. The illustrative film clips are generous in length and provide enough to get a flavor of each film excerpted; the footage runs without commentary and allows the images to speak for themselves; Carl Davis's score continues to enhance both the clips and the documentary as a whole. "The Man with the Megaphone" is an excellent entry in the series and throws light on the careers of several important silent directors and on a couple of lesser-known personalities.
Some became directors by accident, such as Allan Dwan, who, along with Henry King and Byron Haskin, describes the flamboyant personalities that left silent-film directors open to caricature, and an amusing sequence illustrates the use of lions in early pictures. While lions roared and directors barked orders or coached their stars, carpenters built sets for other films and music played to induce emotion; actress Bessie Love describes silent-film sets as anything but silent. Viola Dana, who talks about the use of music to make her cry, also recalls her husband, John Collins, a promising director; largely forgotten today, Collins, who died young in the 1918 influenza epidemic, directed a number of pictures in his short career, including 1917's "Blue Jeans," which starred his wife. Another lesser-known silent director, Marshall Neilan, is also remembered by his wife, Blanche Sweet. Actress Colleen Moore describes Neilan as Mary Pickford's favorite director; which is not surprising, because he directed Pickford in seven of her biggest hits, including "Daddy Long Legs" in 1919.
Best known for "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," Rex Ingram was yet another director that worked with his wife, who was actress Alice Terry. Film editor Grant Whytock describes Ingram's artistic sensibility, and a clip is included of the famous execution scene from 1926's "Mare Nostrom," which starred Terry as a World War I German spy. Also known for his artistry as well as his perfectionism, F. W. Murnau is described affectionately by Janet Gaynor, star of Murnau's 1927 film, "Sunrise." Harold Shuster, editor of "Sunrise," elaborates on Murnau's background in German expressionism and his use of false perspective in the city-set construction for "Sunrise."
The engrossing episode concludes with two important films directed by King Vidor, who is interviewed about both movies. 1928's "Show People" with Marion Davies, comically illustrates an overly enthusiastic director directing and the use of live music to induce emotion. Another director who used his wife in his films, Vidor cast Eleanor Boardman in the 1928 feature "The Crowd" about an ordinary man and woman lost in a large impersonal metropolis. Boardman shares her memories of making the film and her feelings about her drab role. Boardman's, Vidor's, and the other interviews are priceless film history. The illustrative film clips are generous in length and provide enough to get a flavor of each film excerpted; the footage runs without commentary and allows the images to speak for themselves; Carl Davis's score continues to enhance both the clips and the documentary as a whole. "The Man with the Megaphone" is an excellent entry in the series and throws light on the careers of several important silent directors and on a couple of lesser-known personalities.
