The Silent Era Through to Sound

Move musings on the dawn of cinema, the forgotten founders of film and the coming of the talkies

The Immortals: Florence Lawrence – The Star System Is Born

by Martyn Conterio 23 April 2013

Florence Lawrence is largely forgotten today even among established icons of the early years. Yet she deserves hallowed status. Miss Lawrence was the first of a well-known kind: the movie star. She was both a pioneer and a subsequent victim of Hollywood. That such a path could unfold from the off is almost spooky. A [...]

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The Immortals: Rudolph Valentino in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

by Martyn Conterio 28 March 2013

Was Italian-born screen sensation, Rudolph Valentino, the original metrosexual? According to a vehement tabloid attack by Chicago Tribune, in July 1926, Rudy’s appreciation of cosmetics and fashion were tantamount to the fall of masculinity. The report notes masculinity all but ended when dudes quit the straight razor for the new-fangled type with a safety guard. [...]

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Issue 9: Now Available For Order

by Helen Cox 6 March 2013

What would happen if King Kong went on a dating show? Now you know thanks to our talented cover artist Dan Havardi.

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Issue 7: Our Horror Special – order yours today!

by Helen Cox 23 October 2012

What do Linnea Quigley, Bette Davis and killer telephones have in common? All three appear in our spooky horror special which is out at the very end of October. Other treats for readers include an exclusive interview with Richard Bates Jnr on his new psychological horror: Excision, an exposé on the role of distributors in [...]

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Issue 6.1 Is Here!

by Helen Cox 22 October 2012

The second digital edition of the year is here! Our front cover is illustrated by Rory Mitchell and inspired by the unforgettable body horror: Videodrome. New Empress Magazine’s Minema titles are a mini-digi-dose of film commentary, interviews and flashbacks. Inside this issue our writers have examined the way brands, TV, music and other elements of [...]

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In Review: Blackmail, the silent cut

by Helen Cox 2 August 2012

Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail (1929) is the film adaptation of a play by Charles Bennett. It was a picture produced on the cusp of the sound revolution and consequently, although originally conceived as a silent film, both a sound and a silent edit were produced. This was not in anyway conventional but Hitchcock, sensing the shift [...]

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In Review: Martyn Jacques: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

by Helen Cox 26 July 2012

Last night a full house gathered around the basement stage of the Soho Theatre, brimming with anticipation. A preview screening of the canonical horror The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) was soon to commence and the film would be accompanied by Martyn Jacques – an Olivier award winner and founding member of the punk-cabaret band [...]

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In Review: Traitor Spy

by Helen Cox 27 May 2012

Walter Summers’ Traitor Spy [sometimes referred to as The Torso Murder Mystery] is based on a T.C.H. Jacobs novel of the same name. The story follows Detective Inspector William Bernard [Edward Lexy playing one of Jacobs' most popular characters] and Beverley Blake [Romily Lunge] – a secret agent masquerading as an intrepid newspaper journalist – [...]

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The British Silent Film Festival: A Couple of Down and Outs

by Helen Cox 29 April 2012

A Couple of Down and Outs [1923] is the second known film to be directed by Walter Summers, a man who went on to direct a further 36 pictures between 1923 and 1941. Anyone who thought Steven Spielberg’s War Horse was lacking a certain je ne sais quoi should definitely give this film a look [...]

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The British Silent Film Festival: The Bohemian Girl

by Helen Cox 25 April 2012

The Bohemian Girl [1922] , directed by Harley Knoles, is a film based on William Balfe’s nineteenth century operetta of the same name. The story follows a young Polish soldier named Thaddeus [Ivor Novello] who is on the run from Austrian soldiers.

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The British Silent Film Festival: Animal stars of the silent screen

by Helen Cox 24 April 2012

Last Saturday morning myself and a modest assembly of kids big and small gathered at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse on the promise of witnessing some of the fluffier stars of the silent screen in action. The event was part of the 15th Annual British Silent Film Festival and was presented by silent pianist and composer [...]

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