Man and Wife & shorts
- This is a past program
Presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive screening series The Art of the Benshi. Learn more at cinema.ucla.edu.
During the silent film era in Japan, which extended into the early 1930s, film screenings were accompanied by live narrators, called benshi. Full-fledged artists in their own right, benshi familiarized and enlivened the cinema experience in Japan through expressive performances that illuminated and extended the emotional and thematic range of the works on screen. Benshi such as Tokugawa Musei, Ikukoma Raiyfi and Nakamura Koenami became stars, drawing loyal audiences and commanding high salaries from exhibitors. The art, today, is carried on by a small group of specialized performers who have been apprenticed by the preceding generations of benshi, creating a continuous lineage back to the original performers. Pairing rare prints and new restorations of Japanese classics, this weekend-long series features three of Japan’s most renowned contemporary benshi, Ichirō Kataoka, Kumiko Ōmori and Hideyuki Yamashiro, performing their unique art live on stage in Japanese with English subtitles. Every performance and screening will be accompanied by a musical ensemble with traditional Japanese instrumentation.
Dog Heaven (1927)
Pete the Pup, a.k.a. Pal, the Wonder Dog, the beloved American Staffordshire Terrier that starred in Hal Roach’s Our Gang comedies from 1924-1930, takes center stage in his own light-hearted story of love and betrayal. When his owner Joe (Joe Cobb) develops a young crush on Clarabelle (Annette De Kirby), Pete feels left out, becoming so dejected that he decides to end it all — to the delight of the local cats and kittens. Of course, Pete’s never in any real danger and a climatic race to the rescue ultimately set everything right.
DCP, b&w, silent, 31 min. Director: Robert A. McGowan, Charles Oelze. Screenwriter: H.M. Walker. With: Joe Cobb, Annette De Kirby, Jackie Condon.
Sweetie (1923
In this rags-to-riches tale, an orphaned and destitute Baby Peggy (a.k.a. pioneering child star Diana Serra Cary) enlists the aid of a mischievous performing monkey to seek restitution for an elderly violinist. After an epic chase, she is adopted by a wealthy couple — then steals the spotlight at the evening social.
DCP, b&w, silent, 21 min. Director: Alfred J. Goulding. Screenwriter: Alfred J. Goulding. With: Baby Peggy, Jerry Mandy, Louise Lorraine.
Man and Wife (1923)
The Perkins sisters are a study in contrasts: Dolly thrives in the rural setting of the family farm, while Dora chafes against it and restlessly dreams of a move to the big city. Following an argument with her father, Dora leaves for the beckoning metropolis, sparking a storyline replete with deception, bigamy, madness and, finally, reconciliation. Norma Shearer who plays Dora would soon become a major star at MGM under the guidance of legendary producer Irving Thalberg. “A wild tale, wildly done on the screen,” as per Variety’s review at the time, Man and Wife is silent melodrama at its most satisfying.
DCP, tinted and toned, 54 min. Director: John L. McCutcheon. Screenwriter: Leota Morgan. With: Maurice Costello, Gladys Leslie, Norma Shearer.
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