Victor Sjöström Articles

Lon Chaney, He Who Gets Slapped Lon Chaney is one of the most fascinating movie stars in film history. Throughout the 1920s, Chaney was one the biggest box-office draws the world over despite what could kindly be described as an unhandsome face — one that was often disguised by heavy layers of makeup to make him look ancient, deformed, Chinese, female, etc. His roles usually [...]

Lillian Gish in Victor Sjöström's The Scarlet Letter Considering that religious puritans (and their politically correct cohorts) continue to plague the world at the beginning of the third millennium, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter remains as relevant today as when it was first published in 1850. This evening, Turner Classic Movies is presenting MGM's 1926 film version of Hawthorne's story about sex, love, and the [...]

A Lady to Love (1930) Direction: Victor Sjöström Screenplay: Sidney Howard; based on his play They Knew What They Wanted Cast: Vilma Banky, Edward G. Robinson, Robert Ames, Richard Carle, Lloyd Ingraham, Anderson Lawler   Edward G. Robinson, Robert Ames, Vilma Banky in A Lady to Love   Edward G. Robinson was only 37 years old when he gave this hammy, scene-stealing, over-the-top performance as [...]

The Fall of the House of Usher (top); John Gilbert, Eleanor Boardman in Bardelys the Magnificent (middle); Douglas Fairbanks, Lupe Velez in The Gaucho (bottom) Douglas Fairbanks, John Gilbert, and Lillian Gish are only a few of the superstars to be found at the 14th San Francisco Silent Film Festival, which will take place July 10-12 at the Castro Theatre. Among those scheduled to provide [...]