Last week, the San Francisco Public Library (located at 100 Larkin St. in SF) opened a series of exhibits which celebrate the silent film era. And what's more, one of the exhibits celebrates the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. All of the exhibit run through August 28th. Here is some information about the exhibits from the SFPL website.
Shhhhh! Silents in the LibraryExplore the silent film era through displays of rare books, ephemera and photographs. The Silent Screen in the City looks at the Bay Area’s role in silent film production, while Downtown Movie Palaces of the 1920s evokes a visit to San Francisco's lost theater landmarks. Reading the Stars showcases vintage books about the movies published during the era. Included is a nod to The San Francisco Silent Film Festival, one of the world’s largest silent film festivals, now in its sixteenth year.
Reading the Stars: The Silent Era
Just like today, the movie going public of the Teens and Twenties had an insatiable appetite for reading material about their favorite actors and films. Reading the Stars looks at some of the books published about the movies during the silent film era, including vintage biographies, pictorials, how-to titles and even novels, poetry and self-help works written by some of the biggest names in Hollywood. (Read more at City Brights.) Also, a guided tour of the exhibit will take place on Sunday, August 7 at 1 pm. Main Library, Steve Silver Room – 4th floor (curator –Thomas Gladysz)
The Silent Screen in the City
From the earliest days of movies, San Francisco was a star attraction and attracted stars. From the Golden Gate Park to Pacific Heights and Chinatown, the city served as the backdrop for hundreds of silent films drawing famous stars like Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Lon Chaney and Buster Keaton. The Silent Screen in the City explores these actors and some of the scenes, studios and scandals that occurred in San Francisco and nearby towns such as San Mateo, San Rafael and Niles. Main Library – 4th floor (curator – Rory J. O’Connor)
Downtown Movie Palaces of the 1920s
Follow the crowds! Follow the stars! Experience the lost landmarks of San Francisco's splendorous theaters built for and devoted to motion pictures, where a program entailed music, vaudeville, news views, and the feature silent photoplay (film) with live organ accompaniment. This mini-exhibit features portraits of silent film stars and ephemera documenting such theaters as the Lowes Warfield, Pantages Theatre and Granada. Main Library, San Francisco History Center – 6th floor
San Francisco Silent Film Festival
"Shhhhh! Silents in the Library" coincides with the 16th annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival, which takes place July 14-17 at the Castro Theater. A presentation of images and past posters from the Festival are also on display at the SFPL outside the Steve Silver room.
And that's not all . . . .
Recently, the San Francisco Public Library acquired a set of programs from the Festival's first 15 years. The plan, according to librarian Gretchen Good, is to have the programs bound in book form. This unique volume will then be added to library's cataloged holdings, as well as to WorldCat, the online catalog of library holdings from around the world. As a bound volume, the SFSFF programs will prove valuable to scholars and film buffs alike, as each program contains extensive film notes as well as images.
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