German Silence

I have been watching Fritz Lang's silent movie Dr. Mabuse - The Gambler.  Have a couple more lined up on Netflix for downloading.  I started with Metropolis, which turned out a better film than I expected.  A bit histrionic, but a fair amount of good acting and interesting staging.  That led to Dr. Mabuse, a film I find compelling.  It involves various events constructed by a criminal genius able to exercise some form of mind control.  The story is sort of silly, as most films are.  But it is very well acted and moves along.  That it is silent fades out for long stretches.  There is relatively little dialogue necessary to carry the story along.  I wonder if anyone is trying to make silent films now?  We have remakes of all sorts of other works, and it would pose some interesting problems.  On films, I also finally saw Jazz on a Summer's Day -- very good indeed.  The music is first rate, and the cinematography is up to it.  I had seen little pieces from the film in various documentaries about artists, Anita O'Day for example.  It is better than the excerpts.  Interesting use of color and interconnecting the music to the audience, and, even, the America's CUp trials, some of which takes place during the film.

Stuff to watch in the early a.m.

Comments

[vibram five fingers]

But it is very well acted and moves along.