23 June 2024

One hundred Years Ago: 1924

Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival 2024 is looking back at the cinema of 100 years past. Curator Oliver Hanley selected canonical classics and lesser-known rarities from 1924 culled from the archives, including seminal films from France’s burgeoning avant-garde scene, Swedish master Victor Sjöström’s majestic Hollywood feature, He Who Gets Slapped, Karl Freund’s 'unchained camera' at work in F.W. Murnau’s Der Letzte Mann/The Last Laugh, Gabriellino d’Annunzio and Georg Jacoby’s lavish adaptation of Quo vadis? that almost single-handedly bankrupted Italy’s film industry, plus a thrilling multi-part serial and much more. We selected 33 postcards of classics and less canonical films from Hollywood and European cinema.

Emil Jannings during the shooting of Der letzte Mann (1924)
German collectors card by Ross Verlag in the series Vom Werden Deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film, picture, no, 160, Group 43. Photo: Ufa. Emil Jannings during the shooting of Der letzte Mann/The Last Laugh (Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, 1924). Caption: Der letzte Mann wird gefilmt, mit feststehendem Kamerastativ. (The Last Laugh is filmed, with a fixed camera).

Emil Jannings in Der letzte Mann (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 697/2. Photo: Ufa. Emil Jannings in Der Letzte Mann/The Last Laugh (1924). Jannings plays a proud hotel doorman who loses his self-esteem and that of others when he is reduced to a toilet man, working in the basement of the hotel.

Ilka Grüning  and Harry Liedtke in Die Finanzen des Grossherzogs (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 813/1. Photo: Ufa. Ilka Grüning and Harry Liedtke in Die Finanzen des Großherzogs/The Grand Duke's Finances (F. W. Murnau, 1924). Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau also made this little gem in 1924, his only comedy.

Conrad Veidt and Wilhelm Dieterle in Carlos und Elisabeth (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 674/4. Photo: Krabbe / RO-Film. Conrad Veidt as Don Carlos and Wilhelm Dieterle as Marquis Posa in Carlos und Elisabeth/Carlos and Elisabeth (Richard Oswald, 1924).

Paul Richter in Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 675/2, 1924. Photo: Decla-Ufa-Film. Paul Richter and Georg John in Die Nibelungen I (Fritz Lang, 1924). Siegfried (Paul Richter) and Alberich in the fog meadow. Die Nibelungen (Fritz Lang, 1924) is one of the masterpieces of the Weimar cinema. Die Nibelungen is a diptych of silent fantasy films: Die Nibelungen: Siegfried and Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache/Kriemhild's Revenge.

Margarete Schön in Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 677/8, 1924. Photo: Decla-Ufa-Film. Publicity still for Die Nibelungen 2: Kriemhilds Rache/Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge (Fritz Lang, 1924). Kriemhild (Margarete Schön) has gotten the deathblow. In the back, King Hetzel (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) looks in astonishment.

Henny Porten in Mutter und Kind (1924).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 682/2, 1924. Photo: FFG (Froehlich-Film GmbH). Henny Porten and Wilhelm Dieterle in Mutter und Kind/Mother and Child (Carl Froehlich, 1924). Henny Porten was one of the most important and popular film actresses of German silent cinema. Wilhelm Dieterle later became the well-known Hollywood director William Dieterle.

Henny Porten in Pratertraum (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 694/1, 1924. Photo: Atlantic Film / Westi Film. Henny Porten and Angelo Ferrari in Pratertraum/Prater. Die Erlebnisse zweier Nähmädchen (Peter Paul Felner, 1924).

Theodor Loos and Heinrich George in Soll und Haben (1924)
German postcard by Verlag Ross, Berlin, no. 684/7. Photo: Carl-Wilhelm-Film / Terra Film. Theodor Loos and Heinrich George in the German silent film Soll und Haben/Debit and Credit (Carl Wilhelm, 1924), adapted from the novel by Gustav Freytag. The film had anti-Semitic and anti-Polish tendencies.

Ossi Oswalda in Colibri (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 895/2, 1925-1926. Photo: Ossi Oswalda-Film-Prod. Ossi Oswalda in Colibri (Viktor Janson, 1924).

Conrad Veidt in Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 933/1, 1925-1926. Conrad Veidt in Das Wachsfigurenkabinett/Waxworks (Leo Birinsky, Paul Leni, 1924).

Paul Hartmann in Der Evangelimann (1924)
German collectors card by Ross Verlag in the series Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst - Der Stumme Film, picture no, 113, group 43. Photo: Ufa. Paul Hartmann in Der Evangelimann/The evangelist (Holger-Madsen, 1924). Caption: "Paul Hartmann in der verfilmten Oper 'Der Evangelimann' von Wilhelm Kienzl".(Paul Hartmann in the filmed Opera 'The Evangelist' by Wilhelm Kienzl.)

Carlo Aldini as Achilles in Helena (1924)
German or Austrian postcard by FM, no. 5155. Photo: Studium Film. Carlo Aldini as Achilles in the German two-part epic film Helena (Manfred Noa, 1924).

Rina de Liguoro in Quo Vadis? (1924)
German postcard by Ross-Verlag, Berlin, no. 699/6, 1919-1924. Photo: Filmhaus Bruckmann. Rina de Liguoro in Quo Vadis? (Gabriellino D'Annunzio, Georg Jacoby, 1924).

Quo vadis? (1924)
Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano. Photo: Cines / U.C.I. Still from Quo vadis? (Gabriellino D'Annunzio, Georg Jacoby, 1924). Caption: Lygia and Vinicius at Nero's banquet. British actress Lillian Hall-Davis played Lygia while Austrian actor Alphons Fryland played Vinicius. While the film premiered in Italy in March 1925, it had already had its Austrian and German premiere in October 1924.

Livio Pavanelli and Lia Di Marzio in Cavalleria rusticana
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 279. Livio Pavanelli as Turiddu and NOT Mary Cléo Tarlarini but Lia Di Marzio as Lola in Cavalleria rusticana (Mario Gargiulo, 1924), based on Giovanni Verga's text. At the entrance to the church, Turiddu has a long stare at Lola, his former fiancee but now married to Alfio (Giovanni Grasso). They have a secret relationship. When Santuzza (Tina Xeo), Alfio's present girlfriend, begs him not to follow her, he throws her on the ground. Revenge is the result...

Annibale Betrone, Oreste Bilancia, and Alberto Collo in L'Arzigogolo (1924)
Italian postcard by Ed. Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze, no. 212. Photo: Alba Film. Annibale Betrone as The Jester, Oreste Bilancia as Floridoro, and Alberto Collo as Giano in L'arzigogolo (Mario Almirante, 1924), based on a play by Sem Benelli. Caption: The Jester: Oh my pumpkin!... I could switch your head with that of a cow.

Arzigogolo
Italian postcard by Ed. Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze, no. 222. Photo: Alba Film. Annibale Betrone as The Jester in L'arzigogolo (Mario Almirante, 1924), based on a play by Sem Benelli. Caption: The Jester in prison.

Rina De Liguoro in Maremma (1924)
Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano, no. 737. Rina de Liguoro in the Italian silent film Maremma (Salvatore Aversano, 1924).

Ivan Mozzhukhin
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 1064/3, 1927-1928. Photo: DeWesti Film-Verleih. Ivan Mozzhukhin in Kean (Alexandre Volkoff, 1924).

Maria Corda and Adelqui Migliar in Die Sklavenkönigin (1924)
Romanian postcard. Photo: Dorian-Film. Maria Corda and Adelqui Migliar in Die Sklavenkönigin/The Moon of Israel (Mihaly Kertesz aka Michael Curtiz, 1924).

Jaque Catelain in L'inhumaine (1924)
French postcard in the Collection Magie Noire by Editions Hazan, no. 6073, 1988. Photo: Madame L'Herbier / SPADEM, Paris. Jaque Catelain in L'inhumaine/The New Enchantment (Marcel L'Herbier, 1924). Architect Robert Mallet-Stevens designed the exterior of the house of inventor Einar Norsen (Catelain).

Lars Hanson in Gösta Berlings saga
German postcard. Photo: Svenska Film of the Trianon-Film-Konzern, Berlin (also in Leipzig, Frankfurt a.M., Düsseldorf and Hamburg). Lars Hanson in Gösta Berlings saga/The Saga of Gösta Berling (Mauritz Stiller, 1924). The film was an adaptation of the famous novel by Selma Lagerlöf. The cinematography was by Julius Jaenzon and the art direction was by Vilhelm Bryde (with Edgar Ulmer collaborating on the set design). Trianon made this postcard for the German premiere of the film on 20 August 1924, at the Berlin Theater am Nollendorfplatz.

Milton Sills and Enid Bennett in The Sea Hawk (1924)
Danish postcard by J. Chr. Olsens Kunstforlag, Eneret, no. 536. Photo: Milton Sills and Enid Bennett in The Sea Hawk (Frank Lloyd, 1924).

Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 40/3. Photo: IFA / United Artists. Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad (Raoul Walsh, 1924).

Mary Pickford in Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 839/3. Photo: Terra Film A.G., Berlin. Mary Pickford in Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (Marshall Neilan, 1924).

Corinne Griffith in Single Wives (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 897/2, 1925-1926. Photo: First National Pictures, New York. Corinne Griffith in Single Wives (George Archainbaud, 1924).

Pola Negri in Forbidden Paradise (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 1523/3, 1927-1928. Photo: Parufamet. Pola Negri in Forbidden Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch, 1924).

John Gilbert and Norma Shearer in He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 1587/1. Photo: Ufa. John Gilbert and Norma Shearer in He Who Gets Slapped (Victor Sjöström, 1924).

Rudolph Valentino and Louise Lagrange in A Sainted Devil (1924)
German postcard for Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 1767/2, 1927-1928. Photo: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. Rudolph Valentino and Louise Lagrange in A Sainted Devil (Joseph Henabery, 1924).

Jackie Coogan
Hungarian postcard by FMSI, no. 84. Photo: Mûvèsz Film. In 1924 Jackie Coogan visited Budapest during his grand European tour. The photo refers to Coogan's outfit in A Boy of Flanders (Victor Schertzinger, 1924). Mûvèsz Film may have been the Hungarian distributor of that film.

Buster Keaton and Kathryn McGuire in Sherlock Junior (1924)
Swiss-German-British postcard by News Productions, Baulmes / Filmwelt Berlin, Bakede / News Productions, Stroud, no. 56545. Photo: MGM / Collection Cinémathèque Suisse, Lausanne. Buster Keaton and Kathryn McGuire in Sherlock Junior (Buster Keaton, 1924).

Harold Lloyd in Hot Water (1924)
Swiss-German-British postcard by News Productions, Baulmes / Filmwelt Berlin, Bakede / News Productions, Stroud, no. 56544. Photo: Collection Cinémathèque Suisse, Lausanne. Harold Lloyd in Hot Water (Sam Taylor, Fred Newmeyer, 1924) by Harold Lloyd Corporation and Pathé Exchange.

2 comments:

Maria said...

Here in the States, we love when you feature this festival. I'll link back to it from my blog. There are, as always, some wonderful images here.

Paul van Yperen said...

Grazie mille, Maria!