Scott Lord: The Thief of Bagdad (Walsh, 1924)

At the time Motion Picture Magazine began publishing publicity stills from the film "Thief of Bagdad" during 1923, actress Evelyn Brent was the only player other than Douglas Fairbanks announced as being included in the cast, the studio having purchased ten acres to be used as sets fir the film.

The periodical Exhibitors Herld during 1924 announced that the film "The Thief of Bagdad", produced by Douglas Fairbanks came with a story written by Elton Thomas, the scenario editor Lotta Woods, "'The Thief of Bagdad' is a conglomeration of every impossible situation that could be dug out of every 'Arabian Nights' tale ever written, interspersed with a few that do not cause a stretch of the imagination to be what might have happenned."

Included with the autobiography of Douglas Fairbanks, Laugh and Live, is a biographical sketch that refers to Fairbanks occaisionally being called "Doug"; the pseudonym of Douglas Fairbanks was Elton Thomas.

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Douglas Fairbanks SILENT FILM

Scott Lord Silent Film: America (D.W. Griffith, 1924)

Directed by D. W. Griffith the photographer of the film "America" (fifteen reels) was Hendrik Sartov. The film stars Carol Dempster and Neil Hamilton. Author Peter Cowie, in his volume Eighty Years of Cinema, deemed "America" to be "the last film of importance" from director D.W. Griffith and noted the film for its "remarkable war scene". Although the storyline of the film, set during the American Revolution and The Old North Church, is presented as needing to be driven by Sam Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere, author Edward Wagenkneckt, in The Films of D.W. Griffith, writes, "'America' has no unbroken line of personal interest, and all the characters stand in imminent danger of being overwhelmed by history. Griffith moves them about from place to place like pieces on a checkerboard as the exingencies of the war or the story seem to require." A photocaption placed in Motion Picture Magazine during 1924 read,"THe Battle of Bunker Hill is one of the most thrilling episodes of the picture...excelled only by the inspiring and breathtaking ride of Paul Revere." Photoplay Magazine durng 1924 described the film as "one of the greatest thrill pictures ever made...Mr. Hamilton is pushed into stardom and Miss Dempster does the best work of her carreer."

The periodical Picture Play Magazine during 1924 relflected upon D.W. Griffith's striving for historical accuracy in his images of the American Revolution and his visiting important locations and his searching for "every available historic spot" which may have been preserved, in the article Mr. Griffith's Next PRoduction, "At this writing, Mr Griffith is doing interiors at his Mamoroneck studio...And a little later, when snow has fallen, he will set out to do scenes at Valley Forge".
During 1924, D.W Griffith also directed Carol Dempster and Neil Hamilton in the film “Isn’t Life Wonderful?” (nine reels).
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D.W. Griffith D. W. Griffith

Scott Lord Silent Film: Gosta Ekman in Faust (F.W. Murnau, 1926)

The immanent departure of director F.W. MUrnau for America had already been announced by the periodical Motion Picture News during late 1925 while Murnau was readying the film "Faust". It was to star Gosta Ekman, "a young Swedish actor who has the title role. He has been a star on the legitimate stage and is now making his first appearance in pictures."

Janet Bergstrom, University of California , writes that with the film "Faust", among others, Murnau had "unchained the camera" with moving shots that seemed unique...sweeping the audience's emotions with them". Of these moving shots, Bergstrom brings to our attention tracking shots that were photographed above their subject by having rails mounted on the ceiling of the studio.

The use of a mobile camera by Murnau is clearly referred to by Robert Herlth, a designer of sets on the film "Faust", who wrote on the lighting of the film in a chapter entitled "With Murnau on the Set" included in the volume Murnau, published by Lotte H. Eisner. The set designer quotes Murnau as having said, " 'Now how are we going to get the effect of the design? This is too light. Everything must be made much more shadowy.' And so all four of us set about to trying to cut the light...We used them (screens) to define space and create shadows on the wall and in the air. For Murnau, the lighting became part of the actual directing of the film.'"

The periodical Photoplay Magazine during 1927 explained that F.W. Murnau had again resorted to literary adaptation for subject matter, "Goethe's panaoramic poem has been used as its basis and the adaptation was folowed, in the main, as closely as the screen permits...Murnau has caught the medieval atmosphere with suprising success." silent film Silent Horror Film Silent Horror

Scott Lord Silent Film: Hotel Imperial (Mauritz Stiller, 1927)

The periodical Photoplay during 1927 looked at the film "Hotel Imperial", "Here is a new Pola Negri in a film story at once absorbing and splendidly directed...Hotel Imperial places Mauritz Stiller at the forefront of our imported directors." Moving Picture World of that year listed it under "romantic drama" and under "love drama" as well.

Under its Drawing Power subheading Motion Picture News in 1927 wrote,"Suitable for first run and all types of houses.TItle and star should draw them." and under its EXploitation Angles subheading it wrote,"PLay up Pola's best American film. Tease the title."

Pola Negri during 1929 had starred in "The Secret Hour" (eight reels) directed by Roland V. Lee. The film is presumed to be lost with no surviving copies. Mauritz Stiller

Scandinavian Silent Film Mauritz Stiller