Smouldering Fires (1925)
(Clarence Brown, US 1925, 80 min., 35mm)
Universal Pictures made the most films of any major studio during the silent era, but later decided to destroy nearly all their silent prints and negatives to save on storage costs. However, some remarkable Universal silent films are unexpectedly reappearing in new restorations, such as this tale of a determined forty-ish woman factory owner (brilliantly played by stage legend Pauline Frederick) finding romance and facing realities with courage and wisdom. This early masterpiece by Clarence Brown (Greta Garbo’s favorite director and also responsible for such iconic films as Ah, Wilderness!, The Human Comedy, National Velvet, and The Yearling) is sophisticated and insightful, with Brown almost channeling Ernst Lubitsch’s elegance in handling fellow players Malcolm MacGregor, Laura La Plante, and an unusually touching Tully Marshall (as Frederick’s longtime advisor “Scotty”). We will present the Packard Humanities Institute’s gorgeous new restoration of this deeply heartfelt film.
Live piano accompaniment by Philip C. Carli.