All the Movies Podcast

Another Mary Pickford movie, this one is listed on imdb.com as The Poor Little Rich Girl , though you can see from the poster below that it was originally titled with an “a” rather than a “the.” The film has all sorts of clever camerawork and plot points. Here’s my favorite: when Pickford shouts through the keyhole that she hates her new playmate, we see the words come bursting through to the othe...

This is the second Tom Mix film I’ve seen. It was re-released, and likely heavily edited, as Single Shot Parker . The film is in the public domain, and can be viewed here. Next I’m watching The Poor Little Rich Girl [1917], directed by Maurice Tourneur. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allthemovies.substack.com/su...

In April, I shared a list of 52 films that I considered to be iconic classics that someone should watch if they want to become well-versed in film history. I wrote it after a discussion in the comments section of a post written by Kyle Worley , who had created his own list of 52 films which was itself a response to my brother Ted’s post outlining a 52-week crash course in the humanities . I’d didn...

Today I’m talking about another of the short films Chaplin made for Mutual Film Corporation. The film is in the public domain, and can be viewed here. I watched it on the same Blu-ray set I’ve shared previously, which includes the 12 short films Chaplin made for Mutual in 1916 and 1917. You can click the image below if you want to buy a copy of your very own. Next I’m watching The Heart of Texas R...

This is the 100th film I’ve watched since I began this project. You can scroll back through my Substack to see the other films, or you can see the Letterboxd Lists I’ve created for each “season” of this podcast. It’s based on an 1862 poem by Henrik Ibsen. You can read the poem, translated into English, here . The film is in the public domain, and can be viewed here. Next I’m watching Easy Street [...

I watched this film on YouTube. You can view it below. Next I’m watching A There Was [1917], directed by Victor Sjöström. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allthemovies.substack.com/subscribe

I watched on YouTube. I’ve linked the video below in case you’d like to watch, too. Next I’m watching The Dying Swan [1917], directed by Yevgeny Bauer. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allthemovies.substack.com/subscribe

1917 was a turning point for American cinema. In the coming weeks I will talk about 44 films from that year. I’ll also intersperse some written articles about other topics. If you’d like to know why 1917 was a turning point, listen to the podcast! :) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allthemovies.substack.com/subsc...

If you know me in real life, you know that for most of my life I’ve been enchanted by anything and everything Tiki, and one of my idols is the legendary creator of the Tiki phenomenon, Donn Beach. His isn’t a household name, but his life story is a fascinating one, and any time I’ve regaled friends or clients with tales about Donn, the response has been enthusiastic, to say the least. Last year, d...

I watched 34 movies from the year 1916. You can see them in a Letterboxd list here . Next I’m sharing an interview with the directors of a modern film, and after that I’m digging into the films of 1917! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allthemovies.substack.com/subscribe

Today I’m talking about the final film from 1916 in my list! Next I’m recapping the films of 1916. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allthemovies.substack.com/subscribe

Next I’m watching The Matrimaniac [1916], directed by Paul Powell. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allthemovies.substack.com/subscribe

I watched it on the same Blu-ray set I’ve shared previously, which includes the 12 short films he made for Mutual in 1916 and 1917. You can click the image below if you want to buy a copy of your very own. Or, you can watch it on YouTube, linked below, as the film is now in the public domain. Next I’m watching Twisted Trails [1916], directed by Tom Mix. This is a public episode. If you'd like to d...

An advertisement for the series: You can watch this on YouTube, linked at the bottom of this post, as it is in the public domain. I watched it on the Blu-ray release of The Cossack Whip , where it’s included as an extra feature. You can click the image below if you want to buy a copy for yourself. The main feature is excellent. Next I’m watching The Rink [1916], directed by Charles Chaplin. This i...

Here are a couple extras I found while doing research about this film. The first is the original “Music Plot" for the film, which are the songs suggested as musical accompaniment for the film. Not every picture came with one of these, and most that were created have been lost, so it’s nice to know what the filmmakers thought would best accompany each scene in the film. While I could not find a mov...

I watched it on the same Blu-ray set I’ve shared previously, which includes the 12 short films he made for Mutual in 1916 and 1917. You can click the image below if you want to buy a copy of your very own. Or, you can watch it on YouTube, linked below, as the film is now in the public domain. Next I’m watching The Cossack Whip [1916], directed by John H. Collins. This is a public episode. If you'd...

I own this on Blu-ray, a copy of which you can buy by clicking on the image below. If you don’t want to buy a copy, the film is in the public domain, and you can watch it on YouTube. Next I’m watching Behind the Screen [1916], directed by Charles Chaplin. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allthemovies.substack.com/...

Here’s a link to watch the movie on YouTube. Next I’m watching East is East [1916], directed by Henry Edwards. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allthemovies.substack.com/subscribe

I have a Blu-ray of My Darling Clementine, which contains this film as an extra. If you’d like to buy that, I’ve linked it below. I’ve also found the film on YouTube, also linked below, if you’d like to watch it there. Next I’m watching American Aristocracy [1916], directed by Lloyd Ingraham. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epis...

This has been added to my Letterboxd list of The Best Movies Ever . I have a DVD of this, but the quality isn’t great. I watched it a second time on YouTube, linked below, and honestly, it looks at least as good on YouTube as it does on the janky DVD I have. I wish this, and all of Hart’s films, were restored. Maybe someday. Next I’m watching The Bandit’s Wager [1916], directed by Francis Ford. Th...

You can watch a 4k restoration from a 35mm nitrate print, which is about as good as it gets, at the link below. The soundtrack by Orlando Perez Rosso is great, too. I wish all the old silents looked this good! Next I’m watching The Return of Draw Egan [1916], directed by William S. Hart. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

I watched it on the same Blu-ray set I’ve shared previously, which includes the 12 short films he made for Mutual in 1916 and 1917. You can click the image below if you want to buy a copy of your very own. Next I’m watching 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea [1916], directed by Stuart Paton. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, v...

Today I’m joined by film historian Dante Ficeti for a discussion of D.W. Griffith’s epic masterpiece Intolerance . This will also be the first podcast I record without a written accompaniment. Wish me luck! This is the Blu-ray I own. It features a beautiful restoration of the film, along with the excised films The Mother and the Law and The Fall of Babylon . This is well worth the purchase price,...

This is the 9th short film featuring Chaplin that I’ve watched thus far in the chronology. I liked him a bit more this time around than I did in some of the previous films, though he’s still a little bit mean-spirited and cavalier for my tastes. Nonetheless, I can see why he was as big a star as he was in his era, and his films always have some fun gags. This time around Chaplin plays a tailor’s a...

Socially conscious movies were all the rage in the 1910s. I’ve already seen films that have dealt with abortion, child labor, prostitution, blackmail, forced marriage, rape, and more, so it’s high time heroin addiction joined the fray. It does so courtesy of Norma Talmadge, making her 5th appearance in the chronology, and her first since Going Straight . This time around, Talmadge plays Renee, an...