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The Dragnet
''The Drag Net'', also known as ''The Dragnet'', is a 1928 American silent crime drama produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures based on the story "Nightstick" by Oliver H.P. Garrett. It was directed by Josef von Sternberg from an original screen story and starring George Bancroft and Evelyn Brent. This feature is now considered a lost film. Plot Film historian John Baxter provides a synopsis of it, a film "no longer known to exist in any archive": Cast *George Bancroft as "Two-Gun" Nolan *Evelyn Brent as "The Magpie" *William Powell as "Dapper" Frank Trent *Fred Kohler as 'Gabby' Steve *Francis McDonald as "Sniper" Dawson * Leslie Fenton as "Shakespeare" Reception On June 4, 1928, The New York Times panned the film: "Notwithstanding George Bancroft's derisive laugh, Evelyn Brent's striking plumed headgear and Josef von Sternberg's generous display of slaughter, ''The Drag Net'' is an emphatically mediocre effort." Critic John Baxt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Josef Von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg (; born Jonas Sternberg; May 29, 1894 – December 22, 1969) was an American filmmaker whose career successfully spanned the transition from the Silent film, silent to the Sound film, sound era, during which he worked with most of the major Hollywood studios. He is best known for his film collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich in the 1930s, including the highly regarded Paramount/UFA production ''The Blue Angel'' (1930). Sternberg's finest works are noteworthy for their striking pictorial compositions, dense décor, chiaroscuro illumination, and relentless camera motion, endowing the scenes with emotional intensity. He is also credited with having initiated the gangster film genre with his silent era movie ''Underworld (1927 film), Underworld'' (1927). Sternberg's themes typically offer the spectacle of an individual's desperate struggle to maintain their personal integrity as they sacrifice themselves for lust or love. He was nominated for the Academy Aw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lost Film
A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. Early films were not thought to have value beyond their theatrical run, so many were discarded afterward. Nitrate film used in early pictures was highly flammable and susceptible to degradation. The Library of Congress began acquiring copies of American films in 1909, but not all were kept. Due to improvements in film technology and recordkeeping, few films produced in the 1950s or beyond have been lost. Rarely, but occasionally, films classified as lost are found in an uncataloged or miscataloged archive or private collection, becoming "rediscovered films". Conditions During most of the 20th century, American copyright law required at least one copy of every American film to be deposited at the Library of Congress at the time of copyri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Underworld (1927 Film)
''Underworld'' (also released as ''Paying the Penalty'') is a 1927 American silent gangster film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Clive Brook, Evelyn Brent and George Bancroft. The film launched Sternberg's eight-year collaboration with Paramount Pictures, with whom he would produce his seven films with actress Marlene Dietrich. Journalist and screenwriter Ben Hecht won an Academy Award for Best Original Story. Plot Boisterous gangster kingpin 'Bull' Weed rehabilitates the down-and-out 'Rolls Royce' Wensel, a former lawyer who has fallen into alcoholism. The two become confidants, with Rolls Royce's intelligence aiding Weed's schemes, but complications arise when Rolls Royce falls for Weed's girlfriend 'Feathers' McCoy. Adding to Weed's troubles are attempts by a rival gangster, 'Buck' Mulligan, to muscle in on his territory. Their antagonism climaxes with Weed killing Mulligan and he is imprisoned. Awaiting a death sentence, Rolls Royce devises an escape plan, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Docks Of New York
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of the archaic pronoun '' the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Last Command (1928 Film)
''The Last Command'' is a 1928 American silent romantic drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, and written by John F. Goodrich and Herman J. Mankiewicz from a story by Lajos Bíró. The film stars Emil Jannings, who won the first Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 1929 ceremony for his performances in this film and '' The Way of All Flesh,'' the only year multiple roles were considered. Evelyn Brent and William Powell co-star. In 2006, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for the National Film Registry. Plot In 1928 Hollywood, director Leo Andreyev looks through photographs for actors for his next movie. When he comes to the picture of an aged Sergius Alexander, he pauses, then tells his assistant to cast the man. Sergius shows up at the Eureka Studio with a horde of other extras and is issued a general's uniform. As he is dressing, another actor complains ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris (October 31, 1928 – June 20, 2012) was an American film critic. He was a leading proponent of the auteur theory of film criticism. Early life Sarris was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Greek immigrant parents, Themis (née Katavolos) and George Andrew Sarris, and grew up in Ozone Park, Queens. After attending John Adams High School in South Ozone Park (where he overlapped with Jimmy Breslin), he graduated from Columbia University in 1951 and then served for three years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, during the Korean War, before moving to Paris for a year, where he became a friend of Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. Upon returning to New York's Lower East Side, Sarris briefly pursued graduate studies at his alma mater and Teachers College, Columbia University before turning to film criticism as a vocation. Career After initially writing for '' Film Culture'', he moved to ''The Village Voice'' where his first piece—a laudatory review of '' Psycho' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thunderbolt
A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hellenic representations of Zeus and Vedic descriptions of the ''vajra'' wielded by the god Indra. It may have been a symbol of cosmic order, as expressed in the fragment from Heraclitus describing "the Thunderbolt that steers the course of all things". In its original usage the word may also have been a description of the consequences of a close approach between two planetary cosmic bodies, as Plato suggested in '' Timaeus'', or, according to Victor Clube, meteors, though this is not currently the case. As a divine manifestation the thunderbolt has been a powerful symbol throughout history, and has appeared in many mythologies. Drawing from this powerful association, the thunderbolt is often found in military symbolism and semiotic represen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fay Wray
Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international recognition as an actress in horror films. She has been dubbed the first "scream queen". She had minor film roles, and gained media attention as one of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars" in 1926. This led to her contract with Paramount Pictures as a teenager, where she made more than a dozen feature films. After leaving Paramount, she signed deals with various film companies, got her first roles in horror films and many other types, including in '' The Bowery'' (1933) and '' Viva Villa!'' (1934), both of which star Wallace Beery. For RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., Wray starred in her most identifiable film, ''King Kong'' (1933). After its success, she had numerous roles in film and television, retiring in 1980. Life and career Early life Wray was born o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Drag Net (film) 1928
''The Drag Net'', also known as ''The Dragnet'', is a 1928 American silent crime drama produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures based on the story "Nightstick" by Oliver H.P. Garrett. It was directed by Josef von Sternberg from an original screen story and starring George Bancroft and Evelyn Brent. This feature is now considered a lost film. Plot Film historian John Baxter provides a synopsis of it, a film "no longer known to exist in any archive": Cast *George Bancroft as "Two-Gun" Nolan *Evelyn Brent as "The Magpie" *William Powell as "Dapper" Frank Trent *Fred Kohler as 'Gabby' Steve *Francis McDonald as "Sniper" Dawson *Leslie Fenton as "Shakespeare" Reception On June 4, 1928, The New York Times panned the film: "Notwithstanding George Bancroft's derisive laugh, Evelyn Brent's striking plumed headgear and Josef von Sternberg's generous display of slaughter, ''The Drag Net'' is an emphatically mediocre effort." Critic John Baxter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leslie Fenton
Leslie Fenton (12 March 1902 – 25 March 1978) was an English actor and film director. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1945. Early life Fenton emigrated to America with his mother, Elizabeth Carter Fenton, and his brothers when he was six years old. They sailed as steerage passengers on board the RMS Celtic (1901), R.M.S. ''Celtic'', which departed from Port of Liverpool, Liverpool, 11 September 1909, and arrived at Port of New York and New Jersey, New York, where they were ferried over to Ellis Island for "U.S. Immigrant Inspection" on 19 September. They were quickly admitted and continued their journey by rail to join his father, shoe manufacturer's representative Richard Fenton, in Mifflin, Ohio. Career As a teenager, Leslie worked as an office clerk. He moved to New York City, New York and began a career on the stage. His film career began later with Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Studios. He also directed 19 films between 1938 and 1951. In 1945, Fent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis McDonald
Francis McDonald (August 22, 1891 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor whose career spanned 52 years. Early years Born on August 22, 1891, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, McDonald was the son of John Francis McDonald and Catherine Ashlue McDonald. He was educated at Xavier University, St. Xavier College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Stage and film McDonald's started acting professionally in Repertory theatre, stock theater with the Forepaugh Stock Company in Cincinnati. Following eight months with it, he worked one season with a stock company in Seattle, after which he performed for three seasons with a troupe in San Diego and Honolulu. He concluded his tenure in stock theater as juvenile leading man with the American Stock Company in Spokane, Washington. By 1913 McDonald began to perform in the rapidly expanding film industry, initially working for Marion Leonard, Marion Leonard's Monopole Company in Hollywood. He was cast in over 280 films between 1913 and 1965, including ''T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fred Kohler
Fredrick Louis Kohler (April 20, 1888 – October 28, 1938) was an American actor. Career Fred Kohler was born in Kansas City, Missouri or in Dubuque, Iowa. As a teen, he began to pursue a career in vaudeville, but worked other jobs to support himself. He lost part of his right hand in a mining accident during this time. Eventually he was able to join a touring company, and worked steadily in show business for several years. His son Fred Kohler Jr. also became an actor. America's budding film industry drew a 20-something Kohler to Hollywood, where he made his start in silent films. His first role was in the 1911 short ''The Code of Honor'', and he had an uncredited role in Cecil B. DeMille's feature film '' Joan the Woman'' (1917), but a steady stream of parts did not begin until '' The Tiger's Trail'' (1919). Kohler's stern features earned him a niche playing villains. His role as Bauman in '' The Iron Horse'' (1924) is a notable example. With the advent of the talkies, Ko ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
