1916 – Stream On Demand

‘Charlie Chaplin’s Mutual Comedies’ – distilled comic genius on Max and Criterion Channel and free on Kanopy

!Featured, Blu-ray, Classic Movie, Comedy, Criterion Channel, DVD, Essential Viewing, Free, Hollywood Classic, Kanopy, Max, silent film, SVOD 09/29/2022 Sean Axmaker

The twelve comedy shorts Chaplin made for Mutual are among the greatest films of the silent movie era and the best comedies of all time.

Anna Pavlova stars in the 1916 silent movie epic directed by Lois Weber

‘The Dumb Girl of Portici’ – Lois Weber’s silent blockbuster on Criterion Channel

!Featured, Blu-ray, Classic Movie, Criterion Channel, Directed by Women, DVD, Free, historical, Kanopy, Milestone, Milestone Video, silent film 06/29/2021 Sean Axmaker

Legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova makes her sole feature film appearance in this 1916 epic, the first blockbuster helmed by a woman director in Hollywood.

‘Shoes’ – Lois Weber’s landmark silent classic on Criterion Channel

!Featured, Blu-ray, Classic Movie, Criterion Channel, Directed by Women, drama, DVD, Hollywood Classic, silent film, socially aware cinema, SVOD 06/24/2021 Sean Axmaker

Weber’s 1916 social drama, which humanizes the plight of poverty through the story of an underpaid shopgirl, is one of the filmmaker’s masterpieces.

Silents Please: Lois Weber restored and ‘The Covered Wagon’ on Blu-ray

Blu-ray, Directed by Women, DVD, Kino Lorber, Milestone, silent film 03/10/2018 Sean Axmaker 2 Comments

Shoes (Milestone, Blu-ray, DVD) The Dumb Girl of Portici (Milestone, Blu-ray, DVD) The Covered Wagon (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray, DVD) Lois Weber holds a place in film history as the first major woman film director in Hollywood. What’s often forgotten in that honor is the talent that gave her a successful 25 year making films for […]

William Gillette is the original 'Sherlock Holmes' in the 1916 feature film

William Gillette is the original ‘Sherlock Holmes’ free on Kanopy

!Featured, Fandor, Hollywood Classic, silent film 02/06/2016 Sean Axmaker

The first feature film based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s great detective presents the only screen performance by William Gillette, the first actor to play Holmes on the stage, and influenced the way Holmes has been played onscreen.