NitrateVille.com

Streaming and downloadable at NFPF website. With new music by Michael Mortilla and extensive essays by Scott Simmon

http://www.filmpreservation.org/preserv ... ater-films

Thanks for posting that Craig.

Despite the many sentences that preface the acts of this silent film, it's still like watching a film with absolutely no context (unless you are familiar with the play it's meant to complement). Yet, there's an odd fascination in watching several well-known actors going through their paces, and one wonders if there might not be a good contest here: write a brief screenplay for this plotless film.

That said (tongue in cheek) the film engages the viewer through its frenetic style, rooftop chases, and terrific music by Michael Mortilla. Who would ever have thought of Joseph Cotten as a would-be Harold Lloyd, dangling from drain gutters and sprinting over rooftops? The film also boasts great visuals of 1938 New York City as well as familiar faces such as Arlene Francis, Mary Wickes, Ruth Ford, and Erskine Sanford. I did not spot Orson Welles and John Houseman as cops, nor did I spot the 17-year-old Judy Holliday among the extras.

Perhaps the oddest thing about this film is the IMDb review by Gwynplaine in which he talks about his private viewing of this film with Welles himself.