The Countryman and the Cinematograph

Singin' in the Rain

April 1952 •English

In 1927 Hollywood, a silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.

The Rink

December 1916 •English

After amusements working in a restaurant, a waiter uses his lunch break to go roller skating.

The Pawnshop

October 1916 •English

A pawnbroker's assistant deals with his grumpy boss, his annoying co-worker and some eccentric customers as he flirts with the pawnbroker's daughter, until a perfidious crook with bad intentions arrives at the pawnshop.

The Count

September 1916 •English

A tailor's apprentice burns Count Broko's clothes while ironing them and the tailor fires him. Later, the tailor discovers a note explaining that the count cannot attend a dance party, so he dresses as such to take his place; but the apprentice has also gone to the mansion where the party is celebrated and bumps into the tailor in disguise…

The Impossible Voyage

November 1904 •French

Using every known means of transportation, several savants from the Geographic Society undertake a journey through the Alps to the Sun which finishes under the sea.

Snowbound

May 1927 •English

Assuming he is marrying a wealthy girl, Peter Foley passes a fraudulent check. To save him from jail, Julia Barry poses as his wife. Peter is actually in love with Alice Blake. He encounters complications with motorcycle cop Bull, who is engaged to Julia. A friend of Alice adds to the mix-up. All wind up snowbound together in a mountain lodge.

Wade in the Water

October 2012 •Spanish

Gimme

January 1923 •English

A young woman borrows money from her boss for her wedding dress. After the marriage he asks to be repaid, and she--not liking to ask her husband for money--writes a check on her husband's account. When he discovers that his wife has written a check to another man and not told him, complications ensue.

The Tramp

April 1915 •English

The Little Fellow finds the girl of his dreams and work on a family farm. He helps defend the farm against criminals, and all seems well, until he discovers the girl of his dreams already has someone in her life. Unwilling to be a problem in their lives, he takes to the road, though he is seen skipping and swinging his cane as if happy to be back on the road where he knows he belongs.

Gestures

August 2017 •Portuguese

Anna works at a bookstore. Lucas is suddenly very interested in books. A romantic comedy in which Chaplin meets the Nouvelle Vague.

The Caiman

March 2006 •Italian

Bruno Bonomo was a famous producer of B-movies in the ‘70s. After a long hiatus, Bonomo offers a screenplay to RAI centered on the figure of Italy’s prime minister and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, a subject so controversial that even the public television broadcaster refuses to produce it

Show People

November 1928 •English

Hollywood hopeful Peggy Pepper arrives at a major studio, from Georgia, to become a great dramatic star. Things don't go entirely according to plan.

The Cameraman

September 1928 •English

A photographer takes up newsreel shooting to impress a secretary.

Eso te pasa por barroco

January 2011 •Spanish

Lifetime of Comedy

January 1960 •English

Compilation of comedy sketches from the comedy kings Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Danny Kaye & Bing Crosby.

A Sporting Chance

June 1919 •English

John Stonehouse (William Russell) checks into a hotel, intending to commit suicide. But instead he winds up helping a girl, Gilberte Bonheur (Fritzi Brunette), out of a jam. He finds her bending over a man who she has apparently killed, and since he's about to kill himself anyway, he offers to assume the blame. Throw a valuable emerald into the works, and the fact that the dead man suddenly comes back to life, and Stonehouse -- not to mention the audience -- becomes thoroughly befuddled by it all. Everything clears up, however, when Gilberte gives him a theater ticket -- it turns out that everything he went through was the plot to a stage play, enacted in real life by the actors. The critics roasted the play, saying it wasn't true to life, and this was their proof that the situations really could happen. Gilberte retires from acting when Stonehouse proposes.

King of the Circus

May 1924 •German

Max suffers from drunkenness, but gets serious after he falls for the daughter of a circus director - who forbids her romance with an outsider.

I Was Born, But...

June 1932 •Japanese

Two young brothers become the leaders of a gang of kids in their neighborhood. Ozu's charming film is a social satire that draws from the antics of childhood as well as the tragedy of maturity.

Spacemen, Go-Go Girls and the True Meaning of Christmas

December 2004 •English

Aliens have come from the planet Uranus to steal Earth's resources. Its up to a group of Go-Go dancing Private eyes to stop them!

Kings of Comedy: Masters of the Silent Screen

December 2007 •English

A documentary about some of the comedians of the silent era featuring clips from their films and biographical information.