James Wong Howe
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James Wong Howe
Wong Tung Jim, A.S.C. (; August 28, 1899 – July 12, 1976), known professionally as James Wong Howe (Houghto), was a Chinese-born American cinematographer who worked on over 130 films. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was one of the most sought after cinematographers in Hollywood due to his innovative filming techniques. Howe was known as a master of the use of shadow and one of the first to use deep-focus cinematography, in which both foreground and distant planes remain in focus. Born in Canton (Guangzhou), China, Howe immigrated to the United States at age five and grew up in Washington. He was a professional boxer during his teenage years, and later began his career in the film industry as an assistant to Cecil B. DeMille. Howe pioneered the use of wide-angle lenses and low-key lighting, as well as the use of the crab dolly. Despite the success of his professional life, Howe faced significant racial discrimination in his private life. He became an American citizen only ...
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Academy Award For Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) was not tied to a specific film; all of the work by the nominated cinematographers during the qualifying period was listed after their names. The problem with this system became obvious the first year, since Karl Struss and Charles Rosher were nominated for their work together on ''Sunrise'' but three other films shot individually by either Rosher or Struss were also listed as part of the nomination. In the second year, 1929, there were no nominations at all, although the Academy has a list of unofficial titles that were under consideration by the Board of Judges. In the third year, 1930, films, not cinematographers, were nominated, and the final award did not show the cinematographer's name. Finally, for the 1931 awards, the modern system ...
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Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaking ethnic group who unified other Jurchen tribes to form a new "Manchu" ethnic identity. The dynasty was officially proclaimed in 1636 in Manchuria (modern-day Northeast China and Outer Manchuria). It seized control of Beijing in 1644, then later expanded its rule over the whole of China proper and Taiwan, and finally expanded into Inner Asia. The dynasty lasted until 1912 when it was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution. In orthodox Chinese historiography, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China. The multiethnic Qing dynasty lasted for almost three centuries and assembled the territorial base for modern China. It was the largest imperial dynasty in the history of China and in 1790 the f ...
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Silent Film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when necessary, be conveyed by the use of title cards. The term "silent film" is something of a misnomer, as these films were almost always accompanied by live sounds. During the silent era that existed from the mid-1890s to the late 1920s, a pianist, theater organist—or even, in large cities, a small orchestra—would often play music to accompany the films. Pianists and organists would play either from sheet music, or improvisation. Sometimes a person would even narrate the inter-title cards for the audience. Though at the time the technology to synchronize sound with the film did not exist, music was seen as an essential part of the viewing experience. "Silent film" is typically used as a historical term to describe an era of cinema pri ...
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Drums Of Fate
''Drums of Fate'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Charles Maigne and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was adapted by Will M. Ritchey from the novel "Sacrifice" by Stephen French Whitman. It was also referred to as "Drums of Destiny" in some promotional material. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film. Plot As described in various film magazine reviews, Carol Dolliver (Minter), a young society girl, rejects her guardian's (Fawcett) choice of a suitor in favour of the dashing explorer Laurence "Larry" Teck (Flynn). After their wedding, Larry returns to Africa without Carol, where he is captured by a band of native warriors. News reaches Carol that her husband has been slain, and so, to please her guardian, she weds the crippled musician David Verne (Ferguson), although she does not love him. Meanwhile Larry has befriended the native king (Johnson) and eventually manages to escape and return to Carol. Having believed him to be dead, Caro ...
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Mary Miles Minter
Mary Miles Minter (born Juliet Reilly; April 25, 1902Louisiana Birth Certificate, Caddo Parish, No. 119, Book A, Page 97, Birth Date: April 25, 1902, Name: Mary M. Reilly ic – Original Caddo birth record was recorded as "J.H. Riley's Child" Sex: Female, Place of Birth: Shreveport, Father: J. Homer Reilly ic – Original Caddo birth record recorded his name as "J.H. Riley" Born: Texas, Age: 25, Mother: Pearl Miles, Born: Louisiana, Age: 23.SSDI: Name: Mary O. Hildebrandt, Birth: April 25, 1902, Issued: California, Death: August 1984– August 4, 1984) was an American actress. She appeared in 53 silent films from 1912 to 1923. In 1922, Minter was involved in a scandal surrounding the murder of director William Desmond Taylor, for whom she professed her love. Although gossip implicated her mother, former actress Charlotte Shelby, as the murderer, Minter's reputation was tarnished, and she gave up her film career in 1923. Early life Minter was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the ...
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The Alaskan (1924) 1
''The Alaskan'' is a 1924 American silent adventure drama film based on a novel by James Oliver Curwood set in northwoods country, as his novels tend to be, in this case Alaska. The film was produced and released by Paramount Pictures and directed by Herbert Brenon. The picture stars Thomas Meighan, Estelle Taylor and an early role by Anna May Wong. Cast * Thomas Meighan as Alan Holt * Estelle Taylor as Mary Standish * John Sainpolis as Rossland * Frank Campeau as Stampede Smith * Anna May Wong as Keok * Alphonse Ethier as John Graham * Maurice de Canonge as Tautuk (as Maurice Cannon) * Charles Ogle as Lawyer Preservation With no prints of ''The Alaskan'' located in any film archives, it is a lost film. See also *List of lost films For this list of lost films, a lost film is defined as one of which no part of a print is known to have survived. For films in which any portion of the footage remains (including trailers), see List of incomplete or partially lost films. ...
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Clapperboard
A clapperboard (also known by various other names including dumb slate) is a device used in filmmaking and video production to assist in synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark the various scenes and takes as they are filmed and audio-recorded. It is operated by the clapper loader. When sound and picture are out of synchronization, there is a lip flap occurring. History In the silent era the principal requirement of film stock identification during a day's shoot was the slate. The clapper as two sticks hinged together was invented by F. W. Thring (father of actor Frank Thring), who later became head of Efftee Studios in Melbourne, Australia. The clapboard with both the sticks and slate together was a refinement of Leon M. Leon (1903–1998) a pioneer sound engineer. Description The clapperboard combines a chalkboard slate or acrylic board with a set of clapper sticks across the top. The slate displays the name of the production, the scene and "take" a ...
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The Little American
''The Little American'' is a 1917 American silent romantic war drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film stars Mary Pickford (who also served as producer) as an American woman who is in love with both a German soldier and a French soldier during World War I. A print of the film is housed at the UCLA Film and Television Archive and has been released on DVD. Plot Karl Von Austreim ( Jack Holt) lives in America with his German father and American mother. He admires and woos a young woman, Angela More (Mary Pickford). As she is celebrating her birthday on the Fourth of July of 1914, she receives flowers from the French Count Jules De Destin (Raymond Hatton). They are interrupted by Karl, who also gives her a present, and they compete for Angela's favor. Karl is unexpectedly summoned to Hamburg to join his regiment, and Angela is crushed when he announces he has to leave. The next day, Angela reads in the paper the Germans and French are at war and 10,000 Germans have been ...
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Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company. The deal, guided by president Zukor, eventually resulted in the incorporation of eight film production companies, making the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation one of the biggest players of the silent film era. Famous Players-Lasky, under the direction of Zukor, is perhaps best known for its vertical integration of the film industry and block booking practices. On April 1, 1927, the company name was changed to Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation. In September 1927, the Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation studio in Astoria (New York City) was temporarily closed with the objective of equipping it with the technology for the production of sound films. The Balaban and Katz Historical Foundation now owns t ...
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Alvin Wyckoff
Alvin Wyckoff (July 3, 1877 – July 30, 1957) was an American cinematographer who worked on more than 80 films between 1914 and 1945. Several of Wyckoff's films had sequences filmed in the early Handschiegl Color Process, originally billed as the "DeMille-Wyckoff Process". Wyckoff also worked with DeMille to develop the Lasky-lighting technique, which made selective lighting possible. Partial filmography * ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (1912) (*as actor) * '' The Spoilers'' (1914) * '' The Man From Home'' (1914) * '' Rose of the Rancho'' (1914) * ''What's His Name'' (1914) * '' The Virginian'' (1914) * '' The Cheat'' (1915) * ''Carmen'' (1915) * '' The Captive'' (1915) * ''Temptation'' (1915) * '' The Arab'' (1915) * ''Chimmie Fadden'' (1915) * ''Kindling'' (1915) * ''The Wild Goose Chase'' (1915) * ''Joan the Woman'' (1916) * ''The Heart of Nora Flynn'' (1916) * '' The Dream Girl'' (1916) * '' The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'' (1916) * ''The Devil-Stone'' (1917) * ''The L ...
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Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the Biograph Company of New York City, and later opened Keystone Studios in Edendale, California in 1912. Keystone possessed the first fully enclosed film stage, and Sennett became famous as the originator of slapstick routines such as pie-throwing and car-chases, as seen in the Keystone Cops films. He also produced short features that displayed his Bathing Beauties, many of whom went on to develop successful acting careers. Sennett's work in sound movies was less successful, and he was bankrupted in 1933. In 1938 he was presented with an honorary Academy Award for his contribution to film comedy. Early life Born Michael Sinnott in Danville, Quebec, he was the son of Irish Catholic John Sinnott and Catherine Foy. His parents married in 187 ...
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Beverly Hills Hotel
The Beverly Hills Hotel, also called the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, is located on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California, Beverly Hills, California. One of the world's best-known hotels, it is closely associated with Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film stars, rock stars, and celebrities. The hotel has 210 guest rooms and suites and 23 California bungalow, bungalows and the exterior bears the hotel's signature pink and green colors. The Beverly Hills Hotel was established in May 1912, before the city itself was incorporated. The original owners were Margaret J. Anderson, a wealthy widow, and her son, Stanley S. Anderson, who had been managing the Hollywood Hotel. The original hotel was designed by Pasadena architect Elmer Grey in the Mediterranean Revival architecture, Mediterranean Revival style. From 1928 to 1932, the hotel was owned by the Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company, Interstate Company. In 1941, Hernando Courtright, the vice president of the Ba ...
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