Film Details

Two silent films by Lois Weber (1879-1939), the leading female director of early Hollywood, have been newly restored for their 100^th anniversary. The Dumb Girl of Portici is not only the first screen epic directed by a woman, it’s also the only film starring the legendary Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Anna Pavlova, one of the superstars of her day. Pavlova plays a mute girl, living in Spanish-occupied 17^th-century Naples, who is seduced and abandoned by a Spanish nobleman, sparking a revolution. Pavlova’s energy, face, and grace are something to behold, and the elaborate movie itself boasts original color tints and a new score by John Sweeney. Tonight’s second feature, Shoes, is considered Weber’s masterpiece. It’s the heartbreaking account of a hardworking shop girl—the only wage earner in her family of six—who contemplates prostitution in order to afford to buy a new pair of shoes. New score by Donald Sosin. Cleveland revival premiere. DCP. Total 168 min.