Expert: DM - 12/18/2008

Question
I've been searching for a copy of an old movie, shot in Ireland, starring Richard Hayward, released in 1936.
Do you know if it's available on video anywhere?

Answer
Dear Thomas,
Thank you for your interesting question. I am an authority on silent movies, and I do not know what retailers may carry the title you are seeking.

Below are several online resources for finding old movies on video or DVD. Best of luck to you with your search.

MOVIES UNLIMITED
http://www.moviesunlimited.com

GRAPEVINE VIDEO
http://www.grapevinevideo.com/

You might also pose your question to members of this Google group:
SILENT GOOGLE GROUP SITE
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.movies.silent/topics?hl=en

Sincerely,
David W. Menefee

Author Nonfiction:
Sarah Bernhardt in the Theater of Films and Sound Recordings (Foreword by Kevin Brownlow)
(http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-1636-3)


The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era
(http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/C8259.aspx)

The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era
(http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id131.html)

By the way, please visit our web site:
www.thegreatstars.com
for many other exciting films and recordings of great stars in great plays that I have located around the world. You're certain to find several you will want for your own library, or to give as a gift. If you purchase any additional titles before your package goes into the mail on xxxxxxxxxdate, there are no extra shipping charges. Just a few of these outstanding performances are:

Camille starring Sarah Bernhardt.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Queen Elizabeth starring Sarah Bernhardt
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Sarah Bernhardt in Performance
18 restored recordings on one CD,
plus the Sarah Bernhardt 101 Photo CD Album

Cenere, the only motion picture ever made
starring theater legend Eleonora Duse.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Madame X with Broadway legend Jane Cowl
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Pygmalion with Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Peg O' My Heart with Broadway legend Laurette Taylor.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

John Barrymore performing excerpts from Hamlet and Twelfth Night.
Restored audio recordings of America's greatest actor on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.  

The second edition of this exciting, new book is now available:

Sarah Bernhardt in the Theatre of Films and Sound Recordings
Foreword by Kevin Brownlow
Exhaustive research in every major archive of the world has created this compilation of information and images focusing on Bernhardt’s films and twenty early wax-cylinder and disc recordings. Detailed analyses of the motion pictures include plot synopses, casts, production notes, and contemporary reviews. Complete records of Bernhardt’s work on stage, in films, and recordings are annotated and indexed.

The book includes such rare items as dramatic readings by Bernhardt on early wax cylinders and 78rpm (transcribed in the original French and translated into English for the first time), as well as stills from a previously unknown film (depicting the death scene from the 1921 Daniel).

Available online from the publisher at:
www.mcfarlandpub.com

Available by mail from the publisher at:
McFarland Publishing
Box 611
Jefferson, NC 28640
USA

Telephone (336) 246-4460
Fax (336) 246-5018
or toll free Telephone Order (800-253-2187)

Also conveniently available online from:
www.amazon.com (free shipping)
www.borders.com    
www.barnesandnobles.com
www.walmart.com

In France or Europe, order from:

Eurospan

3 Henrietta St.

Convent Garden

London

WC2E 8LU United Kingdom

Or online from:

www.eurospanonline.com





People who enjoyed the Sarah Bernhardt book also enjoy this unusual new book:

The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era, rediscovers the fascinating lives and pioneering achievements of 15 women who dared to venture into early motion pictures, an industry dominated by men, and who not only succeeded but became the focal points of the industry. Each star earned a position at the height of her profession, and though many are largely forgotten today, made a lasting and significant contribution to early cinema. This entertaining and informative volume reveals these women and their signature roles, drawing on many original sources to show us how such actresses as Theda Bara, Sarah Bernhardt, Dorothy Gish, and Norma Talmadge were received in their time, and the many ways in which their influence remains important today.

Each profile contains a biographical treatment, an analysis of key films from her career, a discussion of the actress's influence on the medium, and selected filmography. Each also includes two photographs, most often one of the actress herself and a still from a film.

Actresses include Theda Bara, Beverly Bayne, Sarah Bernhardt, Pauline Frederick, Carol Dempster, Gene Gauntier, Janet Gaynor,
Dorothy Gish, Mae Marsh, Mae Murray, Alla Nazimova, Constance Talmadge, Norma Talmadge, Laurette Taylor, and Pearl White.

Order on-line from Greenwood Publishing at www.greenwood.com
or U.S. telephone 1-800-225-5800
or U.S. fax 1-603-431-2214
Order by email: orders@greenwood.com
Order by mail:
Greenwood Publishing
88 Post Road West
Westport, CT 06881-5007

Also conveniently available from:
Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com
Borders.com
Walmart.com




The first edition of this richly researched and handsomely illustrated new book is now available:

The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era,
Discover the captivating lives and groundbreaking accomplishments of fourteen men who dared to gamble their reputations by appearing in the first motion pictures, at a time when other actors in the “legitimate theater” scorned the industry. These amazing men not only defied the odds of success, but also received a place at the heights of a fascinating business that was a new form of art. Each made an enduring and important contribution to early cinema, although some are forgotten today. Exhaustive research in every major archive of the world has created this compilation of information and images. In this engaging and educational volume, David W. Menefee reaches into the vaults of history to withdraw countless, unusual details that tell how these men, their roles, and their influence were received in their time, and how their powerful impact still lingers today. The book includes 114 rare scene photos, portraits, reproductions of full-page film advertisements, and lobby cards.

Actors include: John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Richard Barthelmess, John Bunny, Francis X. Bushman, Lon Chaney, Jackie Coogan, William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Antonio Moreno, Jack  Pickford, Wallace Reid, Rudolph Valentino, and Crane Wilbur.

Available in a hard back Limited Collector’s Editon and a softback edition from:
Bear Manor Media
PO BOX 71426
Albany, GA 31708
Telephone: (229) 436-4265      
Fax :  (814) 690-1559