PODCAST

All the Movies Podcast

Greg Gioia

I"m watching my way chronologically through the history of cinema. allthemovies.substack.com

tv & film film history

All Episodes

3:16

The Fireman (Jun. 12, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2024/10/06

If you want a drinking game that will get everyone drunk in 20 minutes, agree to take a shot every time someone gets kicked in the butt in a Charlie Chaplin comedy short. Be sure to have a lot of liquor on hand, because there’s a whole lot of ass-kicking going on.And that’s about it. I know every time a Chaplin movie shows up I seem not to have much good to say about it, but really, his early shorts are very simple, repetitive, formulaic affairs. Sure, he’s good at falling down, but so were other

9:36

Going Straight (Jun. 4, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2024/10/02

Between 1910 and 1915 Norma Talmadge was featured in over 100 short films for the Vitagraph Company, none of which I’ve had the chance to see. Yet, I recognize her name. Like so many stars of the silent film era, Talmadge endures as little more than a shadowy phantom of a bygone day, her name ringing a distant bell in the minds of film fans. We may have seen her name listed among other stars— Marguerite Clark, Theda Bara, Pearl White— all of whom were massively famous in their day, but relegated to

5:43

The Floorwalker (May 15,1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2024/09/26

It’s another Charles Chaplin short. So far I’ve enjoyed his shorts, but not to the extent that I quite get yet how he became the legend he is today.When the movie started, Chaplin came onscreen and I was immediately shocked by how much better he looked. His hair was better, his acting less herky-jerky, he even seemed taller. He looked like he’d grown up in the six months span between this and the last film I’d seen him in. At last, I thought, I’m going to see what everyone else sees in Chaplin. And

9:22

Sherlock Holmes (May 15, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2024/05/22

This film began its life in 1899 as a play, also called Sherlock Holmes, written by William Gillette with the blessing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes’ creator. Gillette played Holmes in his play, and by the time Essanay Studios produced a film version, he’d played the role on stage over 1,300 times in the intervening 17 years.Long considered a lost film, a serialized version of the film from 1920 surfaced in France in 2014. Film curator Céline Ruivo discovered a print at the Cinémathèque

5:55

Shoe Palace Pinkus (May 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/12/13

I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed in this film, for though it is lacking punch overall, it does contain a couple subtle nuggets of enjoyment that offer a glimmer of insight into what the director would eventually be capable of creating. That said, it was a step down from his previous effort, Where Is My Treasure?, and not a film I imagine I will rewatch any time soon.The most disconcerting thing about the film is that Lubitsch, who again is both director and star of his film, is playing Pinkus, a

7:21

Sold for Marriage (Apr. 16, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/12/02

There isn’t much to this film, but it’s important to keep in mind that I’ve been on a run of some really solid films of late, and all things considered this one isn’t half bad. Compared to the average films of its era it’s probably a little bit better than average, but when stacked up against some of my recent entries, it’s a bit lacking The best thing it has going for it is Lilian Gish, but this is not her at her best.The story is straight-forward. It begins in Russia, where Marfa (Gish) is living

6:42

The Fire (Apr. 7, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/11/28

Giovanni Pastrone’s ground-breaking epic Cabiria has been one of the best films I’ve watched so far as a part of this podcast, so I was looking forward to seeing another film that he directed. I had no idea what to expect from this film, as even its title, The Fire, is vague. A film with that title could be about nearly anything. As it turns out, this one is about an incendiary relationship between a poet and a painter.The original Italian title of the film is Il Fuoco (la Favilla - la Vampa - la

2:36

My Baby (Nov. 14, 1912)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/11/14

This is a quick, fun film, and there’s not a lot to it. The story is simple. The film opens with a double wedding, at which two brothers have married. One marries Lillian Gish, in one of her earliest roles, which makes for a fun chance to catch a glimpse of her before she became a huge star. Her sister Dorothy is also in the film briefly, as a guest at the wedding, as is Mary Pickford’s brother Jack. Lionel Barrymore also shows up as a dinner guest, making this film a who’s who of future stars in

1:00

Some New Old Posts

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/11/10

I mentioned in the last episode that I would be going back and editing past posts to include the director in each episode’s subtitle. While doing so, I realized that a few episodes were inadvertently marked as viewable only by paid subscribers to my Substack. As I have no paid subscribers, that means they were invisible to one and all.Before I start putting up new episodes, I’m going to go back and fix those old ones and share them, so you will see some “new” posts that are actually old posts pop up

4:10

Season 2 Is Here!

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/10/28

Hello strangers! (And a few folks I know.) Season 2 of All the Movies is here, which means I am about to start putting up some more podcasts of the movies I’ve been watching. We left off in early 1916, and we’ll pick up there with an Italian film in the next installment, which will be the 59th film I’ve watched thus far.Before I put up that new episode, I’m going to edit the past posts to include the name of the director of each film. I usually mentioned the director, but it seems like something

7:30

Hell's Hinges (Mar. 5, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/05/16

William S. Hart continues to be the best discovery I’ve made so far during this project. I knew virtually nothing about him before I watched The Bargain, and by virtually nothing I mean his name was vaguely familiar to me as belonging to someone who acted in Westerns. I did not expect to enjoy his films, and in fact, didn’t have any on the original list I made the day I came up with the idea for this podcast. It was only after I’d started watching my way through the list that I came upon The Bargain

4:42

Where Is My Treasure? (Feb. 25, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/04/10

I watched this film entirely because it’s Ernst Lubitsch’s oldest surviving film. I’ve enjoyed a number of his talkies, and was excited to see some of his early work, and while this isn’t on par with his later efforts, it includes some clever moments.The story is fun, and you may find it familiar. We meet our protagonist, played by director Lubitsch, who lives with his wife and mother-in-law. One night, he leaves dinner early to participate in a game of chess. He’s in a chess club, and he is playing

5:49

He Did and He Didn't (Jan. 30, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/03/31

This is a Fatty Arbuckle film I’d not seen before. Granted, I’m very unfamiliar with his work, having seen but a few of his shorts in the past, but nonetheless, this isn’t the sort of role I’m familiar with for him. This is one of his earlier films, so perhaps he hadn’t yet gone the fully comedic route, though this short film is a comedy.The story is simple, at least at first. A married couple is getting dressed for dinner. They’re a wealthy couple, Arbuckle plays a doctor, so I suppose it makes

7:41

The Innocence of Ruth (Jan. 26, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/03/20

This is the second John H. Collins film I’ve watched, and as before, he did not disappoint. He and William S. Hart are without a doubt the biggest discoveries I’ve made so far in this podcast. I’d never heard of him when I started this podcast, but since watching Children of Eve I’ve been looking forward to the next time one of his pictures came up in the rotation. I wrote more about Collins when I wrote about Children of Eve, but the most notable fact, sadly, is that he died young, at age 28, in

10:52

Where Are My Children? (Jan. 16, 1916)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/03/10

I’m more than a little bit awed right now by just how good this movie is. I was expecting a heavy-handed morality lesson couched as melodrama, and instead got an artful, thought-provoking, emotional rollercoaster ride, filled with delightful visual effects.I must suggest that you leave your politics at the door when you watch this film, which touches on a number of subjects that are as controversial in 2023 as they were in 1916. If you can’t do that, then odds are you will be angered by some aspect

7:26

Civilization (Dec. 31, 1915)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/03/09

This is my least favorite of any of the films I’ve watched thus far. It’s 52nd out of 52. Which is not to say that I hated it, not by any stretch. There were some moments I enjoyed, but as a whole it is a heavy-handed, predictable platitude of a film.The film opens in the difficult-to-pronounce, and wholly fictional, kingdom of Wredpryd, which despite its phony name is clearly meant to represent Germany. Wredpryd’s king, a very Kaiser-like fellow, has been talked into declaring war by some of his

12:00

The Golden Chance (Dec. 30, 1915)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/03/08

This is the second film directed by Cecil B. DeMille that I’ve watched, and I’m even more impressed this time around. More so than even D.W. Griffith, DeMille demonstrated an almost immediate intuitive grasp of the potential of film. When I first began compiling the list of films I’m working through I saw that DeMille’s second directorial effort was the first film version of Brewster’s Millions, and I was keen to see it. Unfortunately, that film has been lost, so I will only ever be able to wonder

5:56

After Death (Dec. 29, 1915)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/03/02

This is one of the most unusual films I’ve watched to this point in the chronology. It’s a strange mix of dream sequences and fantasies, directed by Yevgeny Bauer. It’s a Russian film, and gave me a glimpse into what was happening cinematically outside the U.S. in 1915. It is definitely different than most of the American films I’ve watched. The only one so far that’s been similar is The Avenging Conscience, D.W. Griffith’s 1914 foray into the nascent horror genre. I’ve seen dream sequences in

10:20

The Cheat (Dec. 13, 1915)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/03/01

The Cheat is the 23rd film Cecil B. DeMille directed. That seems like a long career, but those films were released over a span of 22 months, meaning he had less than two years as a director under his belt when he made this movie. Despite being so new to the art, his talent is apparent. This is a beautifully shot film, and includes the most effective usage of lighting and shadow that I’ve seen thus far.The story opens with Richard, played by Jack Dean, sinking his entire fortune into an investment

6:27

A Night in the Show (Nov. 20, 1915)

All the Movies Podcast ·

2023/02/15

Try though I may, I’m still not seeing what others seem to see in Charles Chaplin. Granted, this, like the previous films I’ve seen from him, is an early effort, and I have hope that his later work will be better, but this feels like another forgettable film that is only worth watching because Chaplin starred in and directed it.The plot, so far as there is one, is that an obnoxious man goes to the theater for a night of Vaudeville acts, and acts disruptive. Why he isn’t thrown out we’ll never know,

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