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Rare Gems on DVD

Our users have spoken, and we have listened. You want to see rare and hard to find films, and we have created for you the Silent Gems Collection, available on eBay. This DVD collection includes rare and for the first time available films with our stars, as well as other silent masterpieces. These are high quality films that are hard to find anywhere else. Please click on this link to see the collection: Silent Gems Collection

Important Update:

You don't have to leave our website in order to obtain the films from our Silent Gems Collection. These gems are now available to our users as a reward for donation. For details click here.

 Out Yonder 1919The Woman God Forgot 1917That Model from Paris 1926For Better for Worse 1919Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall 1924

 

OUR DOCUMENTARY

    We are proud to present to all silent film lovers our multiple award-winning documentary! In March 2015 it won the distinction "Award of Merit" at the San Francisco Film Awards. In May it won the Silver Award at the 2015 International Independent Film Awards. In September 2015 it won the Award of Recognition at the Accolade Global Film Competition. Of equal merit is the inclusion of the documentary in the Official Selection of the San Jose International Short Film Festival in October 2015. In December the documentary won the extremely prestigious Diamond Award at the 2015 California Film Awards. The amazing run of recognition for our documentary continued in 2016. In February it was included in the Official Selection of the Buffalo Niagara International Film Festival.

 San Francisco Film Awards newInternational Independent Film Awards newAccolade Global Film Competition Award newSan Jose International Short Film Festival newCalifornia Film Awards small new

Marceline-Day-and-Henry-Walthall-in-The-Barrier-2

   Marceline Day and Henry Walthall

 

Directed by               George W. Hill
Written by                Harvey Gates
Based on                   The Barrier by Rex Beach
Starring                     Lionel Barrymore
                                   Marceline Day
                                   Norman Kerry
                                   Henry B. Walthall
Cinematography      Max Fabian, Ira H. Morgan
Distributed by          Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date              March 21, 1926 (United States)
Running time           70 mins.
Country                     United States
Language                   Silent, English intertitles

 

We have included this film in our program to illustrate the work and contributions of our star Marceline Day.

 

"The Barrier" is a powerful drama and romance about the Northern Frontier starring Marceline Day (together with three renowned male actors) in her first leading dramatic role, for which she earned glowing critic reviews.  Silent Era lists this film as "survival status: unknown".  It is not available for viewing, so we have to rely on newspaper articles from the 1920ies.  If you have any information about a surviving copy of the film please let us know.


Here are just a few of the reviews for this film:

A rousing, red-blood melodrama of early Alaskan days.  This is a vivid, rugged love story, outlined against spectacular backgrounds, dealing with a girl of half-Indian blood, brought up in ignorance of her parentage, the discovery of which nearly results in total separation between her and the Army officer to whom she is betrothed.

The film starts off with a terrible gale at sea, and plunges into one stormy physical action-episode after another, terminating with the hero and heroine's escape from a ship being crushed by giant icebergs.  This last scene is remarkably well filmed and a real thrill-knockout.  (Motion Picture News)

Seasickness played havoc with production schedules when Director George Hill's Company put out to sea on a sailing ship for the filming of scenes in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer screen adaptation of Rex Beach's novel "The Barrier," an adventurous story of the snow swept wastes of Alaska.  Not one of the players escaped the pains of nausea, but many magnificent storm scenes were secured, and the picture has thus been given a remarkably realistic effect.

Norman Kerry, Lionel Barrymore, Henry B. Walthall, and Marceline Day, the four principal players, suffered considerably, but insisted on going through with their work in spite of distressing nausea and dizziness. (Border Watch)

In its adaptation to the screen of Rex Beach's famous novel, "The Barrier," Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has made a noteworthy contribution to the great motion picture creation.  The cast is headed by Lionel Barrymore, H.B. Walthall, Norman Kerry, and Marceline Day.  Barrymore, as the brutish sea-captain gives a picturesque and forceful characterization, and Walthall Is ideally cast in a sympathetic role. Miss Day makes a charming Necia, and she is shown very attractively as an actress of real merit.  The virile power of Rex Beach's novel is not lost In its translation to the screen, and the greater range of the camera has given the thrills, with which the story abounds, a definite touch of realism. (Sunshine Advocate)

A stirring virile story or the far North of Alaska, with an under-current of delicious humor as a fitting foil to its tense dramatic nature, comes to the screen in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picturization of Rex Beach's novel, "The Barrier".  It was directed by George Hill, with a distinguished cast including Lionel Barrymore, Norman Kerry, H. Walthall and Marceline Day.

The theme of Rex Reach's novel is well known.  A young army officer is transferred to an Arctic outpost and there falls in love with a beautiful girl,  whom he supposes to be the daughter of the village factor.  His discovery that she is a half caste Indian and the arrival of her father, a villainous seaman, after an absence of twenty years, leads the story to its terrific climax, when the girl's sweetheart fights a tremendous battle with the enraged skipper on his ship, while it is slowly crushed between towering mountains of ice.  This scene is one of the most remarkable in screen history.  Added to the enthralling nature of the story are spectacular photographic scenes and hair-raising incidents that are a tribute to this masterly production.  "The Barrier" is an achievement of the screen. (Cairns Post)
 
"The Barrier" has a distinguished cast, including Lionel Barrymore, Norman Kerry, H. B. Walthall and Marceline Day, and the brilliant character studies of this quartette are drawn with artistic insight.  (Kalgoorlie Miner)
 
Marceline Day, the heroine, who has just stepped out of comedies and westerns into a leading woman role, is a lovely and convincing Necia. Her performance augurs well for her future in the films. (Bakersfield Morning Echo)

As Necia Marceline Day is responsible for some brilliant acting, and gives a faultless characterization of a difficult role. (Press)

Marceline Day is not only exceedingly attractive as the girl, but gives an excellent portrayal of the emotional scenes. (Moving Picture World)

Marceline Day won generous recognition through her role in "The Barrier." (Sunday Times)

Marceline Day has scored a triumph as the heroine of "The Barrier." (Herald)

Marceline Day delivers a distinguished performance. (Recorder)
 
Marceline Day has just completed ''The Barrier" for Metro-Goldwin and the critics hailed her work as one of the outstanding feminine portrayals of the year. (Salt Lake Tribune)


Click to enlarge

 

  Marceline-Day-in-The-Barrier-1926

   Marceline Day

 

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