Silent Films Illustrated With Commentaries By:

About Paul Fejos' "Broadway" (1929)

Silent Guest Stars: Herr Andy, Herr Darren, Herr Eric Stott und Dame Frederica


Herr Andy wrote: "What is particularly lovely about Broadway is the deliberate use of color and movement in the finale. There is hardly a static shot in the color sequence. Forget all those 'early talkie shot rom seat in the stalls claims'. 'The crane camera moves so fast over the nightclub that you get a very expressive effect of speed and the excitement of the finale. I'd doubt there was another talkie from that time with such speed. At times the camera fseems to fly through the air. The various costumes and decor glitter even with the tappings of party fun (balloons and streamers). It is reasonable to assume that the sound version was longer, but using the same shots."

Und Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien replied: " That's the most astonishment aspect of this film, the continuous movement and those incredible crane camera effects that makes "Broadway" one of the most special and remarkable films of the silent era using those expressive and fluid camera movements, by the way... Thanks Gott that you, mein lieber Herr Andy, felt the same about the crane camera speed... this German Count thought that the dizziness that suffered was caused by have drunk too much Porto during the show...
And last but not least, this German Count has the feeling that perhaps the sound version included in its entirey those musical numbers that in the silent version are only shown for a few seconds..."

Herr Darren asked: "Who has this on video?"

And out of the blue, Herr Eric Stott said: "Could it be pissible that the count got so wrapped up in his entheusiasm that he forgot his accent for an entire paragraph? OY!
Eric Stott (Mein Grossenpapa was frum das alte land- but from Neustadt also!)".

But fortunately Dame Frederica declared: "Herr Graf's German is of an elevated, aristocratic variety, which sounds strange to those of us who's grossenpapas (and grossenmamas) were peasants. Thank heavens I grew up in a lederhosen-free zone.
But as usual, he has managed to make me want to see the film he reviews.
Frederica (who's grossenpapa came frum das flatten land--Nebraska)".


Published in "alt.movies.silent".