Who's Guilty (1915) found

[Lokke Heiss]

The other great discovery this week was a series of films titled: Who's Guilty. Filmed in 1915, the series was considered lost until many of the films turned up in the Moscow archives. With the help of Federico Striuli they have been brought back from the 'presumed lost' to the 'mostly found' category. These films are so unknown that they don't really show up on a Google search, but these are fascinating films that let about five actors perform a rep company, where one day one of them might be a hero, the next day, a villain. The films explore social issues that were hot button topics of the day (some are still around) like the problems of divorce laws, medical ethics, etc. The joy of the series is their persistent downbeat endings that give the films a strikingly forceful level of social commentary. One is amazed how much these films can cram into their 25 min running time; and the endings can be so downbeat, even brutal, that this inevitable, bad ending is part of the charm of watching - what is the worst thing could happen from this? Bang, it happens...okay, NOW what is the worst thing that could happen? Boom, it happens.

Overall, these films feel like what you get if you had Charles Dickens write for some talented members of Saturday Night Live.

[alostworld192593]

That's really interesting! Any chance they're going to be released on DVD or online?

[fredhedges]

Never heard of these. Were they made in the US?

[Lokke Heiss]

Check out the catalog - click on this link and go to page 139 -

http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm/al ... logo_w.pdf" target="_blank


And when I said it felt like watching a Dickens script being done by SNL players, I didn't mean they were playing it for laughs, on the contrary, they were all very serious in their roles. What made it feel so modern is that there was not a trace of the sanctimonious piety that sometimes crept into the Griffith shorts. Instead, they played it as flawed people making mistakes that came back to bite them big time, often in part by bad laws, or society rules designed to punish people. The SNL component comes from watching them as a series, because you then catch some black humor about the same group of people that just can't buy a break.

[telical]

This looks great. I love good ensemble work where actors play different characters and you can see their skills in short vignettes. SCTV is my favorite over SNL. I also love the mid teens in the 20th Century because it seems to be at the height of taking an enlightened approach to a lot of social issues before the excesses of the 20s came about. I think a lot of these films are lost, I know all the ones by Virginia Pearson are, but perhaps one or two. If they are in archives, they may be lingering there because they are not what is currently more appreciated.

[Lokke Heiss]

Then you're going to love these shorts when they someday become available.

And you're right again about the SCTV reference. I used SNL as a more likely common reference point, but SCTV is a far more accurate connection.