Darkness On The Edge Of Town – Once Upon A Time In Anatolia
As Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Once Upon A Time In Anatolia slowly flickers into focus both visually and audibly the world of the steppe too springs in to life. A sea of muffle and blur greets the viewer, as disorientating as it is immediately compulsive a situation to be bearing witness to. Three men drink and … Read more
Harry Langdon, the Dreyer Of The Silent Clowns?
Harry Langdon has long proven a fascinating subject to Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second. Lacking the kind of exposure afforded many of his contemporaries, and coupled with an exterior that seemed at times to be an amalgamation of Keaton, Chaplin and Lloyd, Langdon never truly fit in alongside his peers, making him something … Read more
Wings: The First Best Picture
The first academy awards came in May 1929, and reflected upon a period in which many would agree that the silent film was at its creative peak. F.W Murnau (alongside cinematographer Karl Freund) had three years earlier introduced the world to the “Unchained Camera” and the likes of Carl Th. Dreyer and Abel Gance were producing … Read more
A Guide To Books On Silent Film
A new-found appreciation for Silent Film is in the air, so with that in mind, and in an attempt to kill several birds with one stone, we’ve decided to produce a round-up/guide to what we feel to be the best books on the early days of the cinema. In an attempt to measure the suitability … Read more
Griffith’s Storm – The Birth Of A Nation
The Birth Of A Nation is an undeniable cinematic revolution wrapped around a vision of supposed revolution that is both revisionist and vulgar. With it Griffith created one of the great paradoxical cinematic experiences of the early years of the American film industry, with its repugnance counteracted by a remarkable intonation of cinematic language. While … Read more
Masters Of Cinema Quarter Two 2012 Schedule
It seems like only yesterday that we were praising the announcements made at the Masters Of Cinema’s Spring 2012 event. Alas this afternoon marked the boutique home video label’s declaration of intent for this years second quarter, with an eclectic bunch of flicks making an appearance. The unlikely pairing of Alfred Hitchcock and Kenji Mizoguchi … Read more
Introducing Chaplin Week at Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second
Charlie Chaplin. The Little Tramp. Charlot. Regardless of what name you know him by, the chances are that you do know of him. Without a hint of hyperbole intended it’s not much of an overstatement to suggest that Chaplin was quite probably the most famous man of the first half of the 20th century. Speaking … Read more
The Artist Addendum – The Film In Context
Following our recent piece on Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, in which we explored the elements that made up that particular film here for your reading pleasure is a piece in a similar vein looking at Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist. Sunset Boulevard - Probably the film that would immediately spring to mind for most when faced with the topic … Read more
The Hope Lies Film Of 2011 – The Tree Of Life
Well, it may not be much of a surprise, but Terrence Malick’s masterpiece The Tree Of Life was the film we feel was the strongest out of 2011′s many varied offerings. At once both the most ambitious and personal film of the mainstream cinema of 2011, The Tree Of Life quite literally charts the birth … Read more
The Hope Lies Top Ten of 2011 – Five thru Two
Welcome to the second part of this year’s Top Ten. If you missed it, here’s the first part from yesterday. We’re saving the number one for tomorrow, but I’m sure many of you will be able to guess what it is already. Number 5 – The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius’ film has stolen the hearts … Read more
