Dsosin

From the opening shots of Hara-Kiri, where the camera follows the tense actions of a woman whose face is unseen, to the dramatic conclusion, this film is a visual delight. It looks very modern to the eye, with fine alternation of close-ups and tracking shots that keep the action flowing smoothly.As the French wife of a Japanese diplomat, Iribe falls in love with a Japanese prince. The romance moves from beautifully lit interiors to an Alpine ski resort. But traditions and cross-cultural relationships are not easy to manage, to say the least.

It's a thrill to see this excellent film on video (Milestone, 2000). Nell Shipman was an extraordinary woman and it's great to see her work being made available to a wide audience. The scenes of her with wild animals, part of the menagerie she kept in northern Idaho, are extraordinary, and the climactic chase is very suspenseful. The restoration by D.J. Turner of the National Archives of Canada is wonderful, and the music by Phil Carli is appropriate. Alternate piano scores for this and Something New, Shipman's wacky car chase film, from live performances, available from me.

THE SHAKEDOWN, restored to 35mm by George Eastman house, shown in 1998 in Pordenone, and in 1999 at Telluride, is a superb action-comedy about a boxer whose life changes when he meets up with an orphan boy. Love interest is provided by Barbara Kent, who may be remembered from her winning performance in LONESOME and later sound films.

Wyler was not thought to have made any great silents, but this one is a classic, with fine camerawork, a captivating cast, a dynamic story, and an uplifting feeling. Audiences who saw this film in Pordenone and Telluride cheered and leapt to their feet at the end of the film.

A two-piano score has been created for THE SHAKEDOWN and was premiered by Neal Brand and Donald Sosin at the Telluride Film Festival in September 1999. Plans are underway to tour this film around the US under the joint auspices of the Giornate del Cinema Muto in Italy and Telluride