Unique film fest screens silent classics
By Nestor Torre
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:13:00 09/06/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Ditch the glossy Hollywood blockbuster you’re planning to watch and treat yourself to a truly memorable cinematic experience—the black-and-white, unvoiced yet far from silent classics featured in the Second International Silent Film Festival.
This is quite possibly the most distinctive film fest screening locally, what with its selection of rare movies that feature live scoring, provided by an eclectic lineup of some of the country’s best and most unique musical talents.
Started by Goethe Institut Manila a few years ago, the festival used to screen films only from Germany. It has since grown into an international event that, we hope, will only get bigger every year. This year’s festival showcases six films from Germany, France, Spain, Japan, Italy and the Czech Republic.
German feature
The German feature, “Die Austernprinzessin (The Oyster Princess),” scored by guitarist Noli Aurillo (with Louie Talan, Wendel Garcia and Kakoy Legaspi), is particularly delightful to watch (and listen to). It’s one of the first works of director Ernst Lubitsch, who made a name for himself not just in Germany, but also in Hollywood during the first half of the 20th century.
Lubitsch, who directed “The Shop Around the Corner,” received a special Academy Award for his contributions to filmmaking, and was noted for his sophisticated and satirical style, famously known as “the Lubitsch touch.”
“The Oyster Princess” is a testament to Lubitsch’s satirical eye and perfect comic timing. Almost a hundred years after its 1919 release, the movie still sparkles with wit and satire. Despite its period trappings, it has the bright immediacy of something fresh and newly minted, a sense heightened by the intuitive music provided by Aurillo and his band.
Comedy in four acts
Starring Ossi Oswalda, Victor Janson, Harry Liedtke and Julius Falkenstein, the movie is a comedy in four acts that satirizes America’s noveau riche. Janson is Mr. Quaker, an American oyster magnate who buys a prince (Liedtke) to become the husband of his spoiled daughter, Ossi (Oswalda).
Plans go awry, someone is mistaken for somebody else, millionaires’ daughters engage in a ribbon-tearing boxing match and, in the middle of it all, there’s an extended foxtrot sequence that’ll have you dancing in your seat. It’s delicious—no special effects-enhanced blockbuster can ever hope to match that!
The festival’s other feature films are Spain’s “The Black Man with a White Soul,” Japan’s “Cascading White Threads,” France’s “Faces of Children,” Italy’s “Cabiria” and the Czech Republic’s “Erotikon.” Admission is free. Screening dates: “Faces of Children” on Sept. 6, “The Oyster Princess,” Sept. 7, and “Cabiria,” Sept. 8.
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