After a couple of false starts (where I couldn’t manage to fit all that I wished to say on this fertile, but short, film) I am proud to present Schreckbabble’s commentary for Hintertreppe–or Backstairs– the fabulously gloomy forerunner to the series of kammerspielfilms which would move the vehicle of the Chamber Play from the world of the Berlin stage onto the silver screen of postwar Germany. . . a movement almost singlehandedly wrought by the figure of Carl Mayer, the primary subject of this commentary.
This track uses as its source the 49-plus minute DVD made available by the fabulous little mail order video concern, Grapevine. Say what you’d like about the transfer and print quality of their product, but were it not for Grapevine I would not have been able to see films like this and VARIETÉ back during the VHS era. We owe a great debt to passionate, fanatical little companies like Grapevine and Video Yesteryear who have strained for years to get as many of these lost and hidden gems into the hands of cinephiles like us. To these obscure little longtime purveyors of some of the world’s finest cinematic delicacies, I send up a formal rocket of salute:
Here’s to you!
Dropbox link–
http://db.tt/01OT6opE
ENJOY*
HerrSchreck's House of Commentary
HINTERTREPPE (Jessner, 1921)
Posted: October 27, 2012 in Silent FilmTags: audio commentary, Backstairs, Carl Mayer, dieterle, Edith, Fritz, henny, HerrSchreck, Hintertreppe, Jessner, kammerspiel, kortner, lupu, pick, porten, posca, Schreck, schreckbabble, silent film
After a couple of false starts (where I couldn’t manage to fit all that I wished to say on this fertile, but short, film) I am proud to present Schreckbabble’s commentary for Hintertreppe–or Backstairs– the fabulously gloomy forerunner to the series of kammerspielfilms which would move the vehicle of the Chamber Play from the world of the Berlin stage onto the silver screen of postwar Germany. . . a movement almost singlehandedly wrought by the figure of Carl Mayer, the primary subject of this commentary.
This track uses as its source the 49-plus minute DVD made available by the fabulous little mail order video concern, Grapevine. Say what you’d like about the transfer and print quality of their product, but were it not for Grapevine I would not have been able to see films like this and VARIETÉ back during the VHS era. We owe a great debt to passionate, fanatical little companies like Grapevine and Video Yesteryear who have strained for years to get as many of these lost and hidden gems into the hands of cinephiles like us. To these obscure little longtime purveyors of some of the world’s finest cinematic delicacies, I send up a formal rocket of salute:
Here’s to you!
Dropbox link–
http://db.tt/01OT6opE
ENJOY*