kaanal neer ( english : mirage ) is a 1961 indian tamil-language film written and directed by p. s. ramakrishna rao .

the film stars a. nageswara rao and p. bhanumathi in the lead .

it was simultaneously filmed in telugu as batasari .

kaanal neer

kaanal neer <EOT> en kanmani unna paakkaama . . | album - kaanal neer | wp status . .

this short film ' kaanal neer ' ( tamil ) . . . - we dream creations | facebook

kaanal neer - tamil comedy short film ( full hd ) - by kavin david - s . b . k college _ aruppukottai

kaanal neer means " mirage " and this story is about a " mirage " that gives a false hope of existence of water and how the illusion is broken and for a movie based on heartfelt emotions , kaanal neer has a bigger backup in form of music and one song sequence is deeply touching .

a successful cinema or a touching cinema need not be a result of grandeur or high - end vfx but , it can just be two people pouring their hearts out in a single room . kaanal neer reiterates the above statement and makes viewers relate and emote with the characters .

this a small scene which is taken in one take without any cuts . this a story of a couple who are meeting after 3 yrs of their breakup . direction - ramya , cinematography - sai , music - britto cast : - adith arun as vivek . regina as sandhya kaanal neer ost urltoken

this a small scene which is taken in one take without any cuts . this a story of a couple who are meeting after 3 yrs of their breakup . direction - ramya , cinematography - sai , music – britto cast : - adith arun as vivek . regina as sandhya kaanal neer ost urltoken

when you lookup the roads in summer , you will find the neer , that is water some distance away , but when you actually reach there you find nothing .

technically , for a short film made 7 years ago with shoelace budget , kaanal neer is fantastic and a point to note is that the entire short film is made in a single shot without any cuts . music by britto deserves a special mention as described earlier and ramya ananthi deserves applause for the way she made this simple concept a neat and instantly likable short film .

mirage is an optical illusion caused by weather conditions . the appearance of water like bodies at a distance in deserts or hot places due to air layers near the surface being heated up by sun , and the refraction of light by the air layers of varying densities to be precise . this is a scientific explanation of mirage . so scientifically it translates to “kaanal neer” / “கானல் நீர்” .

this page hosts a weekly slideshow related to tamil movies . each slide includes a picture and some description about that picture . all the slides will have a recurring theme . people looking for actress stills , actress images , actor stills , actor images , movie stills , movie images , and other interesting topics , relevant issues in tamil cinema will find this page useful . kaanal neer | 17 short films that are totally worth your time .

chinni jayanth has earned a reputation for his comical roles on silvers screen . but the actor has opted to go the opposite way in his directorial venture kanal neer . he has rendered a serious film that dwells on friendship . besides wielding the megaphone , the veteran comedian has essayed the lead role in the movie and has come up trumps .

p . bhanumathi , a . nageswara rao , sowcar janaki , ‘calcutta’ n . viswanathan , ‘javert’ n . seetharaman , m . r . santhanam , p . s . gnanam , suryakantham mohana , ‘kottapuli’ jayaraman , ‘appa’ k . duraiswami , ‘baby’ kanchana and b . r . panthulu

p . bhanumathi is rightly hailed as one of the most important icons of south indian cinema . she was not only a brilliant actor ( who featured in tamil , telugu and hindi films ) , she was also a screenwriter , music composer , film director , producer and more . the versatile actor could handle any kind of role with ease .

the superstar of telugu cinema and also a top star for many years in tamil , a . nageswara rao played the lead . he was supported by sowcar janaki , ‘javert’ seetharaman , and ‘calcutta’ n . viswanathan , a brilliant character actor . also in the cast were multilingual actor devika , veteran p . s . gnanam , leading telugu star suryakantham , noted character actor ‘appa’ duraiswami , and old timers m . r . santhanam and ‘kottapuli’ jayaraman .

the film was based on badi didi ( elder sister ) , a well - known novel by bengali literary icon sarat chandra chatterjee . he wrote this story as a two - part magazine serial when he was not yet famous . this story brought him recognition and made him a cult figure of bengal . his novels and stories have been made into movies with great success in bengali and adapted with success in languages such as tamil , telugu , hindi and others .

the book’s theme was around early widowhood in a woman of means , her love for a rich zamindar and the problems in her life . it explored the traditional lifestyle of the landed gentry of the bygone decades and emotional struggles of a young widow who cannot openly declare her love for the man , who , to keep up tradition , marries another woman .

suren ( nageswara rao ) hails from a zamindari family , and not able to get permission to pursue his studies , he leaves home and reaches madras , hiding his identity . a rich man engages him to teach his younger daughter pramila ; his elder daughter madhavi ( bhanumathi ) has become a widow at a young age . hearing about the goodness of the teacher , she gets drawn to him though she has never met him . later , due to mischievous relatives , she begins to dislike him and dismisses him . suren is involved in a horse - carriage accident and admitted to a hospital , after which his father takes him away . suren , unable to forget madhavi , names a village in his zamindari after her . to please his parents , he marries a young woman ( sowcar janaki ) but he cannot forget madhavi . a conspiracy is hatched by evildoers to get madhavi’s property . to fight for her rights , she goes to meet the zamindar not aware that he is suren ! unable to neither forget her nor go against tradition , he pines away and dies in madhavi’s arms .

bhanumathi and nageswara rao gave great performances . there were dance sequences by l . vijayalakshmi and lakshmi rajam . lyrics were by kannadasan and ku . ma . balasubramaniam , and the music was by bhanumathi , who also sang many of the songs .

despite the many plus points , the film failed at the box - office mainly because story content was considered too highbrow by moviegoers of the period . for her performance in the telugu version , bhanumathi won the ‘filmfare award’ .

remembered for the excellent performances of the lead pair and the story depicting the lifestyle of landed gentry .

guys this ia an awesome short film i hv ever seen in ma lyf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . just watch it and dont forget to subscribe and pls leave a comment . sai kumar music - brito cast - adit arun as vivek & regina cesandra as sandhya . . . " ramya ananthe kalingarayar " " sai kumar " brito " adit arun " . . .

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the literal meaning is an “optical illusion” or “something that appears real or possible but is not in fact so” .

so an optical illusion can be translated beautifully into “kaatchi pizhai” / “காட்சி பிழை” - a faulty visual scene literally and also metaphorically .

it ' s nothing but illusion . most appropriate word in tamil is , கானல் நீர் காட்சி மாயம் பேய்த் தேர் பொய்த்தோற்றம்

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in short , this movie is about two estranged lovers meeting after few years and trying to justify the reasons behind why none of them tried calling the other . this love short film then ends with a twist .

the best part of this short film and its maker ramya ananthi is that she understands that cinema is a visual medium and her script stands as the testimony of her understanding . especially for the scene where you need to establish the fact that the lead characters are estranged lovers , instead of a flashback sequence , she has the lead female character ( played by regina cassandra ) think about it with a one line dialogue of the past . that ' s actually a brilliant usage of this particular art form and also , an efficient usage of the minimal time for a short film .

in addition to that , there are plenty of scenes which is filled with small gestures which blend with the emotions of the characters , holding hands during a phone call and withdrawing it when the truth strikes and hesitation before hugging are two scenes of note .

few dialogues have a gautham menon like patterns and may be vinnaithaandi varuvaaya which released in the same year as the short film impacted the director in some ways and the simplicity and english dialogues in between which are perfectly natural to the scene also look like a tribute to gautham menon .

both adith arun ( of inidhu inidhu & thangamagan fame ) and regina cassandra ( trending currently thanks to yembuttu irukudhu aasa song ) make a neat performance and to see these established actors at a young age gives you a unique surprise .

neethane - mersal singers : sherya ghosal , a r rahman music : a r rahman lyrics : vivek second single song audio saavn . . .

bigg boss season 2 steps into third week and the new leader contest is made as the person who gets most hugs is the winner . current lead . . .

bigg boss housemates fight against keeping ponnambalam in jail while yashika and aishwarya are left alone . see below video for more de . . .

on nenappu - kathanayagan singer - anirudh ravichander music - sean roldan lyrics - gkb director - tha . muruganantham . . .

neethane neethanae - mersal singers : a . r . rahman , shreya ghoshal music : a r rahman lyrics : vivek cast : thalapathy vijay . . .

bigg boss season 2 has completed 3 weeks and 2 contestants , ananath vaithyanathan and marathi are already out . and this new promo for 9t . . .

bigg boss season 2 is getting interesting as days pass and we could see lots of things happening in the house opposed to previous weeks . . . .

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though it is a beaten - to - bush story , chinni jayanth , with lesser known artistes around , has tried his best to come up with an engrosser .

j k ritheesh , grand son of state minister subha thangavelan , makes his debut in the movie . playing chinni ' s friend , ritheesh has donned a macho - man ' s role in the movie . newcomer manisha plays the heroine .

the movie revolves around pari ( chinni jayanth ) , the only heir to a rich and influential zamindhar ( devan ) in a village . his parents die in a mishap and he is take care by his greedy and evil uncle durai singam ( ambuli ) . with an ulterior motive to enjoy pari ' s wealth , durai singam ensures that pari turns lunatic .

a mentally deranged pari grows up with his friends rajavel ( ritheesh ) and sakthi ( sarathjith ) . rajavel and sakthi take care of pari and spend all their time with him . sequence of events results in durai singam planning a conspiracy to get pari married to lakshmi ( manisha ) , a young girl living in the village , only to ensure that he continues to enjoy the wealth . the rest is how lakshmi , rajavelu and sakthi join hands to cure pari of his mental illness and teach durai singam a lesson .

chinni jayanth has played similar roles in his earlier films kizhakku vasal and chinna pulla . having utilized the opportunity , chinni has come up with right emotions . ritheesh has made a good beginning . he is at ease in the stunt sequences .

also in the cast includes sathyapriya , alex , pandu , suja and scissor manohar . suresh and bobby have come up with some hummable tunes .

urltoken is the place where you can get all the short films in one place .

unarranged ( a short story ) | hindi shortfilm two strangers from different cities having absolutely opposite personalties are made to tie . . .

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listen to ninaivellam nithya ( original motion picture soundtrack ) [ deluxe version ] now .

forever gold : k . j . yesudas - tamil film songs vol . 1 & 2

theri ( original background score ) | vijay , samantha , amy jackson | atlee | g . v . prakash kumar - youtube

urvashi urvashi - remix | dj hassan | a . r rehman | bollywood songs | latest hindi remix songs 2017

theri official trailer | 2k | vijay , samantha , amy jackson | atlee | g . v . prakash kumar

theri - official teaser | vijay , samantha , amy jackson | g . v . prakash kumar | atlee

mix - theri ( original background score ) | vijay , samantha , amy jackson | atlee | g . v . prakash kumar

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movie buffs may be aware that most of the films released this new year have no big star cast . the only high budget movie is the rs . 6 - crore unnale unnale , directed by jeeva and produced by oscar ravichandran . though the movie cast is full of new faces , tickets have sold like hot cakes .

another interesting aspect is that tickets for a special show at satyam theatre in chennai have also been sold out . generally , only movies with high star value are showcased in special shows . with unnale unnale receiving the high - end treatment all eyes are eager on how this movie will fare . mayakannadi is another much - awaited movie with cheran donning the lead role . this film has evoked huge expectations due its high publicity and illayaraja ' s music . but the film has received lukewarm response in terms of ticket sales . the youthful chennai 600028 , directed by venkat prabu and produced by spb charan and jk saravana , and with a huge star cast full of new faces has also not sold out as anticipated . jithan ramesh starrer , madurai veeran directed by r . k . vincent selva and chinni jayanth ' s kaanalneer have received not much of a reception . both the movies are banking on good word - of - mouth reports to push them further in their first week of release . arputha theevu , a downright children ' s film , in which 400 dwarfs have acted has not made any impact despite projecting malavika in a different vein resulting in a deviation from the children ' s movie image .


two arabian knights ( 1927 ) is an american comedy film , directed by lewis milestone and starring william boyd , mary astor and louis wolheim .

a silent film , two arabian knights was produced by howard hughes and was distributed by united artists .

the screenwriters were james t. o'donohue , wallace smith , and george marion jr . the film won an academy award for best comedy direction .

two arabian knights

two arabian knights <EOT> two arabian knights - - ( movie clip ) all the way . . .

receives pilots license , makes the silent comedy two arabian knights with director lewis milestone .

fortunately , two arabian knights debuted on tcm so there was no need to kill anyone after all .

divorced from ella rice , two arabian knights wins an oscar for best director of a comedy picture .

looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing two arabian knights near you .

caption : a german prison camp scene in " two arabian knights " , a united artists feature directed byh lewis milestone , in which william boyd and louis wolheim appear as doughboy adventurers . " two arabian knights " is the initial offering of caddo productions , a new united artists unit .

two years later he directed two arabian knights , for which he later won the first and only academy award for best direction of a comedy picture . ( in 1930 the comedy and drama categories were merged . )

caption : fighting men of seven or more nations appear in " two arabian knights " , with william boyd and louis wolheim , a comedy drama in which a german prison camp provides one of the most interesting settings . a united artists feature , produced by caddo procudtions , " two arabian knights " has lewis milestone as director .

i saw two arabian knights on tcm a while back and really enjoyed it . this film was considered to be lost at one time until a print was found in howard hughes ' personal film collection after his death .

june 20— two arabian knights ( 1927 ) , 1 : 30 a . m . a silent film where two american soldiers fight to escape the germans while squabbling over a beautiful harem girl during world war i . cast includes william boyd ( later hopalong cassidy ) , mary astor and louis wolhiem .

opening scenes , soldier phelps ( william boyd ) and sergeant mcgaffney ( louis wolheim ) in world war i france , think they ' re about to die , in director lewis milestone ' s silent service comedy two arabian knights , 1927 .

opening scenes , soldier phelps ( william boyd ) and sergeant mcgaffney ( louis wolheim ) in world war i france , think they ' re about to die , in director lewis milestone ' s silent service comedy two arabian knights , 1927 . >

two arabian knights was one of several films that launched the hollywood career of howard hughes . classics like hell’s angels and scarface would follow . the wild ride would come to a sorry end with the conqueror ( john wayne as genghis khan . enough said . ) some thirty years later . but it was fun while it lasted . two arabian knights is one of the cuter action comedies of the later silent period , the sort of thing douglas fairbanks produced so well in the ‘teens . see it if you get the opportunity .

restored by the ucla television and film archives , it has now been brought to dvd in a splendid two - disc special edition by the specialty distributor flicker alley , which in collaboration with blackhawk films and david shepard’s film preservation associates has re - introduced the public to long - unseen films like “two arabian knights” and “bardelys the magnificent . ”

" two arabian knights " has the distinction of winning one of the first two oscars given for best direction . in the academy ' s first year , 1927 - 28 , the best director award was split between dramatic and comedy categories , and " two arabian knights " won the latter . indeed , it ' s only the first of two films in oscar history - - the second being " the divine lady " the following year - - to win a best director oscar without being nominated for best picture , but since that first year was the only one in which two directing awards were given , it isn ' t an apples to apples comparison with other years . lewis milestone , who certainly deserved to win an oscar for something and would become the first person to…

caption : ballet skirts ? no . the robes worn by william boyd and louis wolheim are arabian burnooses , frozen stiff from immersion in a pond of water into which boyd and wolheim are plunged while escaping from a german prison camp in " two arabian knights " , a comedy drama of two doughboys ' adventures in france , germany and arabia . the picture , filmed by caddo productions as a united artists special , has lewis milestone as director .

escaped from their german captors , american private phelps ( william boyd ) and sergeant mcgaffney ( louis wolheim ) on an arab steamer , entranced by princess mirza ( mary astor ) , in lewis milestone ' s two arabian knights , 1927 , art direction by william cameron menzies . >

caption : a romantic scene between william boyd and his leading lady , mary astor , in the post - war comedy drama " two arabian knights " , filmed by caddo productions as a united artist feature , with lewis milestone as director . louis wolheim is the third featured player .

adventures of two american soldiers who escape from german captivity and end up in arabia .

two arabian knights may not be the best of lewis milestone ' s films that i ' ve seen ( that title still goes to the astonishing all quiet on the western front ) , but it ' s certainly his most watchable and enjoyable ; a very charming comedy bolstered by two terrific performances by william boyd and louis wolheim , with handsome sets and a refreshing comic innocence .

two arabian knights was one of the fortunate rediscoveries and its reappearance was hailed for several reasons . first , it is among the earliest surviving howard hughes - produced film . second , it is the film that won director lewis milestone the first and only oscar for best direction of a comedic film .

the reviews of the time for howard hughes ' second production effort seemed to all agree that " two arabian knights " ( 1927 ) was good comedy . viewing today supports that opinion ; however , don ' t be led to believe it comes anywhere close to the chaplin - keaton - lloyd caliber of comedy .

caption : a narrow escape ! william boyd and louis wolheim in one of the many thrilling scenes of " two arabian knights " , a united artists feature in which these two , doughboy " buddies " , flee from a german prison camp only to be drawn into greater complication in the land of harems . the producing organization is a new united artists unit , caddo , productions , and the director is lewis milestone .

caption : william boyd and louis wolheim , in the foreground , as " private phelps " and " sergeant o ' gaffney " , in " two arabian knights " , a new united artists feature supervised by john w . considine jr . and filmed under the banner of caddo productions , new united artists unit . the director is lewis milestone .

theseus , duke of athens , imprisons arcite and palamon , two knights from thebes ( another city in ancient greece ) . from their prison , the knights see and fall in love with theseus’s sister - in - law , emelye . through the intervention of a friend , arcite is freed , but he is banished from athens . he returns in disguise and becomes a page in emelye’s chamber . palamon escapes from prison , and the two meet and fight over emelye . theseus apprehends them and arranges a tournament between the two knights and their allies , with emelye as the prize . arcite wins , but he is accidentally thrown from his horse and dies . palamon then marries emelye .

two american soldiers are captured by the germans on the western front during world war one and escape a pow camp only to stumble into further life - threatening adventures when they come across an arabian king ' s daughter while on the lam .

" two arabian knights , " the current picture at the paramount theatre , is a genuinely clever comedy in which the principals scorn the usual fractious tactics and rely on intelligent acting . the two actors who supply the fun in this bright piece of work are william boyd , the hero of demille ' s " volga boatman , " and louis wolheim , a stage and screen portrayer of choice villainy who figured as captain flagg in the play , " what price glory . " view full article in timesmachine »

two arabian knights weirdly makes unquestioned heroes out of people who , during the first world war , both abandon loyalty to their country to fight for preservation of self ( very bold for a film released less than a decade after that war actually ended ) and insult multiple countries and cultures along the way ( icky ! , especially when you throw in the whitewashing of actors in roles of color ) .

with this film , frank lloyd became one of only two directors to win the best director oscar without their movie also being nominated for best picture . the only other film to win a directing oscar without a best picture nomination was two arabian knights ( 1927 ) , which won the only oscar ever given for comedy direction to lewis milestone . both lloyd and milestone won additional best director oscars for directing best picture winners , lloyd for cavalcade ( 1933 ) and milestone for all quiet on the western front ( 1930 ) .

uddy comedies do not come better . during the great war , two squabbling soldiers are captured by the germans . they escape , rescuing an arabian princess in the process . cute film with a strong cast and a lively pace . one of the early silents produced by howard hughes .

“these films have incredible significance within the history of american film , ” said professor francisco menendez , unlv film department chair . “ the racket is considered to be the first feature - length gangster film and two arabian knights received its academy recognition when the oscars still split up comedy and drama . professor hart wegner worked for several years to bring the hughes collection to unlv , and we see it as the cornerstone for a serious film research facility . ”

in this silent film , two american soldiers fight to escape the germans while squabbling over a beautiful harem girl during world war i .

masino noted that the films were in " fairly rough condition , " ( 6 ) and although " two arabian knights " is excellent quality throughout most of the film , there are a few instances where mild mottling is apparent and a couple of scenes where the mottling does interfere with the viewing . as usual , robert israel ' s orchestra score is superb . you ' ll particulary like the lovely melody during boyd ' s and astor ' s lovemaking scenes .

caption : william boyd and louis wolheim in a scene from " two arabian knights " , united artists production . boyd and wolheim , in this film , are a carefree team of doughboys who wade through a series fo hilarious situations and adventures in arabia after escaping from a german prison . mary astor is the heroine of the story , which was filmed by caddo productions , new united artists ' unit , under the direction of john w . considine , jr .

director lewis milestone ' s 1927 comedy follows the exploits of two american soldiers during wwi . starring william boyd , mary astor and louis wolheim .

splits rko into two entities : rko pictures inc . and rko theatres corp . he sells rko pictures to a subsidy or general tire and rubber .

the emir orders the americans killed for daring to despoil his daughter . shevket , who hated phelps at first sight , is ready and willing to carry out the order personally . so phelps and o’gaffney are alone in arabia with prices on their heads . what do they do ? if you guessed “squabble” , you are absolutely correct ! two arabian knights is a darling comedy with nary a false step . the plot is sheer nuttiness , the acting is pitch perfect and there is just enough slapstick to keep things interesting .

the films , which have not been seen for more than 50 years , are digitally restored through tcm funding by special arrangement with flicker alley . each has a new score by composer robert israel . two arabian knights ( 1927 ) , which won the only academy award given for best comedy direction , is about a pair of roughnecks who pose as arabs to escape from a world war i prison camp . the racket ( 1928 ) , nominated for best picture , is an expose of chicago gangsterdom . the mating call ( 1928 ) includes many typical hughes touches .

two arabian knights is the oldest surviving film produced by howard hughes . it was thought lost for many decades , until a print was found in hughes ' vaults after his death ( unfortunately , the print is badly decayed in some scenes ) . none other than a young boris karloff has a small part as the purser on the russian ship that takes phelps and o ' gaffney to arabia . this film won an academy award for " best director , comedy picture " for lewis milestone . this award was never given again , instead being fused with " best director , dramatic picture " to form a single best director award .

: there may be no marriage . mirza ' s servant has told me strange things of two americans - - he has even said she unveiled her face before one of the infidels .

( 1926 ) . ( the two films share a common writer , james t . o ' donohoe , and , in each , the two male leads enjoy the same bickering relationship . ) according to higham , hughes not only agreed to produce the picture but eventually put $ 500 , 000 of his own money into it . he cast louis wolheim , william boyd ( later to play hopalong cassidy ) and mary astor in the leads and made a deal with jesse l . lasky to release the film .

relates the adventures of a sergeant ( wolheim ) and a private ( boyd ) who are captured by the germans and escape by disguising themselves as arabs . dispatched to the middle east , both doughboys fall for a beautiful arabian princess ( astor ) , but must deal with a gang of cut - throats led by her father .

during world war i , soldier w . daingerfield phelps iii ( william boyd ) and sergeant peter o ' gaffney ( louis wolheim ) are captured by the germans . initially at odds , the two prisoners of war bond and plot an escape . the white robes they use as camouflage in the snow - covered landscape make them look like arabs . taking advantage of their disguise , the two men sneak onto a cargo ship bound for arabia , where they both fall for mirza ( mary astor ) , a soon - to - be - married harem girl .

the next day a boat arrives at the ship to take mirza home . this is the first encounter between phelps and mirza ' s betrothed - shevket ben ali - played handsomely and threateningly by ian keith . no words are exchanged - the two simply glare at one another - no words necessary .

it seems to me this snappy and sexy late silent — it opened in new york in december 1927 , two months after “the jazz singer” — is a much superior film to not only its suprisingly threadbare oscar - winning successor , but is also better than william wellman’s nonmusical remake “roxie hart” ( 1942 ) .

it is on the ship that we encounter the beautiful and very young ( she was 21 at the time ) mary astor as the arabian princess mirza . why she is on a small boat with a makeshift sail alongside this freighter , we do not know . however , the small boat capsizes dumping her and several others into the ocean , and phelps and o ' gaffney dive in to rescue her .

in september 1928 warner bros . pictures purchased a majority interest in first national pictures , and from that point on all " first national " productions were actually made under warner bros . control , even though the two companies continued to retain separate identities until the mid - ' 30s , after which time " a warner bros . - first national picture " was often used .

two subsequent plays flopped , and watkins went to toil as a hollywood screenwriter — her most notable co - credit there was the classic newspaper comedy “libeled lady . ” she moved to florida in 1940 , became a reclusive christian scientist , and died in 1969 . it was only after this that bob fosse was able to obtain rights for his stage musical from her heirs .

when the lover moves to dump the grasping roxie , she plugs him in a moment of passion . and it’s up to her chump husband to keep roxie from the electic chair . intrestingly , the role is played not by a nebbishly actor as in the two later movies — george chandler in 1942 and john c . reilly sixty years later — but by the handsome victor varconi , who is far more attractive than the wealthier pallette .

princess mirza ( mary astor ) is engaged to shevket ben ali ( ian keith ) but she finds phelps much , much nicer . however , she is obedient to her father and will go through with her marriage . two problems present themselves . first , phelps is not a guy who gives up easily . second , mirza’s servants have seen her canoodling with phelps and have reported the unseemly goings - on to her father and her fiancé .

mary astor , who could be a powerhouse when given the chance , is pretty much there for window dressing . she’s a lovely , if not exactly authentic , arabian nights princess complete with veil . oh and boris karloff ? he is in the film for about 12 seconds as the purser of the russian ship . keep your eyes peeled , blink and you miss him . the exotic locales are pretty much by the book and fodder for gags with no real character to them . no matter , because cast and audience are having a ball .

the host pokes fun at the cook , riding at the back of the company , blind drunk . the cook is unable to honor the host’s request that he tell a tale , and the manciple criticizes him for his drunkenness . the manciple relates the legend of a white crow , taken from the roman poet ovid’s metamorphoses and one of the tales in the arabian nights . in it , phoebus’s talking white crow informs him that his wife is cheating on him . phoebus kills the wife , pulls out the crow’s white feathers , and curses it with blackness .

one of the first things howard hughes built was a motorized bicycle , using parts from a dismantled steam engine . well , no pressure , our bikes are manual and we don ' t have any dismantled steam engines lying around , but what we do have are miles and miles of trails to take you to the ocean or as far inland as your heart desires . just show up at the toy box , also known as building 18 , sign your name , don your helmut , and you ' re off . a skid or two ' s ok , but no wheelies , please .

private phelps and sergeant mcgaffney , who are constantly scrapping until they meet a common foe , are taken prisoners by germans during the war , and failing many attempts to escape , they succeed in slipping out in arab disguise . finding themselves on a steamer bound for jaffa , mcgaffney , phelps , and the ship ' s captain discover themselves rivals for mirza , an arab girl of rank . young phelps makes progress with her by sign language , even to the point of making her remove her veil . in jaffa , a spying servant informs shevket , her fiancé , of her acquaintance with the american , and her father , the emir , plots to imprison them , but they are saved by the american consul . the emir makes the soldiers knights so that phelps can fight a duel with shevket ; but in a series of escapades , the boys foil their enemies and abscond with the girl .

the merchant reflects on the great difference between the patient griselde of the clerk’s tale and the horrible shrew he has been married to for the past two months . the host asks him to tell a story of the evils of marriage , and he complies . against the advice of his friends , an old knight named january marries may , a beautiful young woman . she is less than impressed by his enthusiastic sexual efforts , and conspires to cheat on him with his squire , damien . when blind january takes may into his garden to copulate with her , she tells him she wants to eat a pear , and he helps her up into the pear tree , where she has sex with damien . pluto , the king of the faeries , restores january’s sight , but may , caught in the act , assures him that he must still be blind . the host prays to god to keep him from marrying a wife like the one the merchant describes .

because he also does carpentry , the reeve takes offense at the miller’s tale of a stupid carpenter , and counters with his own tale of a dishonest miller . the reeve tells the story of two students , john and alayn , who go to the mill to watch the miller grind their corn , so that he won’t have a chance to steal any . but the miller unties their horse , and while they chase it , he steals some of the flour he has just ground for them . by the time the students catch the horse , it is dark , so they spend the night in the miller’s house . that night , alayn seduces the miller’s daughter , and john seduces his wife . when the miller wakes up and finds out what has happened , he tries to beat the students . his wife , thinking that her husband is actually one of the students , hits the miller over the head with a staff . the students take back their stolen goods and leave .

the events taking place on the ship provide several entertaining moments . unconscious , mirza is taken by the despicable turkish captain to a cabin . his intentions are made clear by the panning of the camera from her feet , along her body , to her head - so the viewer may see how the skipper is talking a lustful view of his unexpected passenger . of course , phelps and o ' gaffney are soon vying to be the first to see her without her veil , and their shenanigans to outsmart each other provide some of the film ' s most humorous moments . for example , the two are waiting for their clothes to dry after their rescue plunge - both intending to go check on mirza as soon as the clothes are wearable . o ' gaffney gets the idea that he will go into the bath , close the door , and soak phelps ' uniform in the tub so he can get out the door faster . phelps catches on , and once o ' gaffney is fully dressed to go , he pushes the sergeant into the tub full of water .

the host is dismayed by the tragic injustice of the physician’s tale , and asks the pardoner to tell something merry . the other pilgrims contradict the host , demanding a moral tale , which the pardoner agrees to tell after he eats and drinks . the pardoner tells the company how he cheats people out of their money by preaching that money is the root of all evil . his tale describes three riotous youths who go looking for death , thinking that they can kill him . an old man tells them that they will find death under a tree . instead , they find eight bushels of gold , which they plot to sneak into town under cover of darkness . the youngest goes into town to fetch food and drink , but brings back poison , hoping to have the gold all to himself . his companions kill him to enrich their own shares , then drink the poison and die under the tree . his tale complete , the pardoner offers to sell the pilgrims pardons , and singles out the host to come kiss his relics . the host infuriates the pardoner by accusing him of fraud , but the knight persuades the two to kiss and bury their differences .

americans sgt . peter o ' gaffney and one of his soldiers , privileged " pretty boy " w . daingerfield phelps iii ( who is always drawing caricatures ) , are captured and interred at a pow camp in northern germany near the end of wwi . their relationship has always been an antagonistic one based on what phelps sees as o ' gaffney pushing him around . o ' gaffney ' s rank is despite being wanted by the police back home as a con man . it is because of these differences that their resulting friendship at camp is so unlikely , the friendship based on both having the nerve to attempt to escape . on a snow covered day , they do manage to escape , in part by stealing white robes to camouflage themselves against the snow . in their adventures and misadventures on the outside in trying to get to safety , those adventures which include being mistaken for arab prisoners , they find themselves as stowaways on board a cargo ship headed to arabia . it is there that they meet a beautiful arab woman named mirza , who they save from drowning . they are both immediately smitten by her , which is why they are so disappointed to learn that she is betrothed in an arranged marriage to the ruthless shevket ben ali . as the two try to reach the safety of an american consulate , they also decide to try and liberate mirza , which may be more dangerous than fighting in the trenches in the battlefields of france .

a growing source of silent era film information . this listing is from the progressive silent film list by carl bennett . copyright © 1999 - 2018 by carl bennett and the silent era company . all rights reserved .

cast : william boyd [ private w . daingerfield phelps iii ] , mary astor [ mirza / anis bin adham ] , louis wolheim [ sergeant peter o’gaffney ] , ian keith [ shevket ] , michael vavitch [ the emir of jaffa ] , m . visaroff ( michael visaroff ) [ the ship captain ] , boris karloff [ the purser ] , dewitt jennings [ american consul ] , nicholas dunaev [ mirza’s man servant ] , jean vachon [ mirza’s maid servant ] , denis d’auburn [ the emir’s advisor ]

survival status : print exists in the university of nevada , las vegas , film department film archive ( howard hughes collection ) .

references : film credits , film viewing : dowd - vidor pp . 88 , 289 ; nollen - karloff p . 34 ; vermilye - twenties p . 16 : clasim - 302 p . 12 : website - imdb .

early women filmmakers : an international anthology ( 1902 - 1943 ) . films by blaché , weber , dulac and more ! available from amazon

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lakeith stanfield and his sorry to bother you director boots riley discuss the stress of filming sex scenes .

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an honest police captain vows to bring down a powerful bootlegger who is protected by corrupt politicians and judges .

the story of the romance between emma , lady hamilton , and british war hero admiral horatio nelson .

a street cleaner saves a young woman ' s life , and the pair slowly fall in love until war intervenes .

a woman on the run from the law finds her past catching up to her just as she is on the verge of true happiness .

boisterous gangster kingpin bull weed rehabilitates his former lawyer from his alcoholic haze , but complications arise when he falls for weed ' s girlfriend .

in czarist russia , a peasant officer , resented by the aristocrats , falls in love with a princess .

a charming , happy - go - lucky bandit in old arizona plays cat - and - mouse with the sheriff trying to catch him while he romances a local beauty .

min , the owner of a dockside hotel , is forced to make difficult decisions about the future of nancy , the young woman she took in as an infant .

the story takes place in milwaukee during the early 1900s with a bank clerk named august schiller who is happy with both his job and his family . he is tasked with transporting $ 1 , 000 in . . . see full summary »

a young woman reunites with her estranged father and falls in love with a sailor , but struggles to tell them about her dark past .

prime minister of great britain benjamin disraeli outwits the subterfuge of the russians and chicanery at home in order to secure the purchase of the suez canal .

americans sgt . peter o ' gaffney and one of his soldiers , privileged " pretty boy " w . daingerfield phelps iii ( who is always drawing caricatures ) , are captured and interred at a pow camp in northern germany near the end of wwi . their relationship has always been an antagonistic one based on what phelps sees as o ' gaffney pushing him around . o ' gaffney ' s rank is despite being wanted by the police back home as a con man . it is because of these differences that their resulting friendship at camp is so unlikely , the friendship based on both having the nerve to attempt to escape . on a snow covered day , they do manage to escape , in part by stealing white robes to camouflage themselves against the snow . in their adventures and misadventures on the outside in trying to get to safety , those adventures which include being mistaken for arab prisoners , they find themselves as stowaways on board a cargo ship headed to arabia . it is there that they meet a beautiful arab woman named mirza , who they save . . .

drop in tonite and see the greatest soldier comedy ever filmed - much better than rookies . ( print ad - the leader - courier , ( ( elk point , sd ) ) 1 march 1928 )

in december , 2004 , the film was aired on television for the first time on turner classic movies with a newly - commissioned musical score .

when o ' gaffney has his feet up on the table , and is told that per local custom he ' s insulting others present by doing that , he takes his feet down twice .

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the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .

movies and tv shows are certified fresh with a steady tomatometer of 75 % or higher after a set amount of reviews ( 80 for wide - release movies , 40 for limited - release movies , 20 for tv shows ) , including 5 reviews from top critics .

this film details the exploits of eternally - squabbling sergeant louis wolheim and private william boyd . captured by the germans during wwi , our heroes escape by disguising themselves as arabs . this clever masquerade wins wolheim and boyd free passage to arabia , where they go about rescuing a fetching harem girl .

donald mcgibney , james o ' donohue , wallace smith , george marion jr .

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this story was better than lethal weapon 4 . . interstellar and the last 5 johnny depp movies combined .

i enjoyed watching this silent movie . there were only a few places that this film was blurry but other wise the quality was good and clear . it is a fun . . .

leonard maltin classic movie guide , copyright 2005 , 2010 . used by arrangement with penguin group ( usa ) inc .

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at west point , 1857 , in the conceit of wally kline and . . .

father barry ( karl malden ) with a fiery sermon in the hold . . .

just the top of the " yankee doodle boy " number from george . . .

blob , the ( 1958 ) - - ( movie clip ) do . . .

jobless vin ( steve mcqueen ) blows his stake at the saloon , . . .

this is how they did it , the transition in which the . . .

12 angry men ( 1957 ) - - ( movie clip ) . . .

wounded zack ( gene evans ) and sidekick " short round " . . .

in the town for which the movie is named , sheriff shaw . . .

cop dave ( joe partridge ) puzzles over a series of women . . .

blinding plot speed as hildy ( pat o ' brien ) , who really is . . .

still from the opening scene , lord henry ( george sanders ) . . .

the movie debut of albert finney , at work in the raleigh . . .

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eventually phelps and o ' gaffney make friends and escape from the pow camp . they are recaptured and ( because they are wearing bathrobes from the showers to blend into the snow ) placed in a column of arab prisoners of war . they escape again , jumping from a moving train into a haycart , which promptly loads its hay onto a ship bound for arabia . while on the ship , they meet an arab princess , mirza ( mary astor ) . mirza and phelps fall in love , but she has already been pledged to marry an arab prince .

arranged marriage : mirza has been pledged in marriage to an arab count . she likes phelps a lot better .

bar brawl : o ' gaffney starts one in a bar because he ' s irritated at a local that keeps staring at him .

bedlah babe : when phelps and o ' gaffney find mirza again , she ' s wearing the stereotypical bra and harem pants .

bilingual backfire : when mirza reveals that she speaks english , phelps and o ' gaffney are embarrassed by the crude comments they made in her presence .

exact words : our heroes ask the emir , mirza ' s father , for a reward and protection on the streets . the emir ' s servant says " follow me and you will never be bothered on the streets again . " the emir has ordered that phelps and o ' gaffney should be killed for dishonoring mirza .

literal ass kicking : o ' gaffney kicks phelps in the behind while mustering him and the other soldiers in the pow camp .

love triangle : unsurprisingly , mirza picks young , handsome phelps instead of older , grizzled o ' gaffney .

meet cute : phelps and o ' gaffney meet mirza when her rowboat overturns and they have to dive into the ocean to save her .

vitriolic best buds : phelps and o ' gaffney are introduced trading punches in the middle of a battle . they make friends in the pow camp , but they still snipe at each other .

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home media availability : this film has never been released on dvd or made available via streaming .

the discovery of a film that had been presumed lost is always a joyful experience for fans of classic cinema . too many wonderful movies have fallen victim to neglect , decay and , unfortunately , outright vandalism .

and then there is the cast . william boyd and mary astor star with a then - unknown boris karloff in a bit part . hopalong cassidy romancing brigid o’shaughnessy with frankenstein supporting ? plus the always wonderful louis wolheim ? who do i have to kill ?

the tale concerns the adventures of a wwi soldier and his sergeant . w . dangerfield phelps ( william boyd ) is an old money smart aleck who is constantly harassed by the thuggish sgt . peter o’gaffney ( louis wolheim ) . the pair carry their squabbling onto the battlefield and even keep it up when they are captured by the germans and sent to a pow camp . in the face of a common problem , o’gaffney and phelps bury the hatchet ( though not too deeply ) and plot a jailbreak . they finally succeed by donning burnooses and posing as arabs . from there , the unlikely allies catch a russian ship bound for arabia .

en route , o’gaffney and phelps rescue a shipwrecked princess who is returning home to arabia . all bets are off . o’gaffney and phelps bicker about who gets to flirt with the young lady .

louis wolheim is particularly fun as the endearingly crude sgt . o’gaffney . with his smashed nose ( courtesy of football injuries ) and burly build , he is the classic movie tough but he exudes a winning charm that makes him almost cuddly . he and william boyd have great comedic chemistry as a pair of frenemies in the what price glory mode . ( wolheim had starred in the stage version . )

bad news here : copyright issues are holding this film back from home video release . it does air occasionally on tcm so set your recorders .

safety last ! is one of the most iconic silent comedies and the criterion collection does it proud with a fully loaded release that includes three harold lloyd shorts : take a chance ( 1918 ) , young mr . jazz ( 1919 ) , and his royal slyness ( 1920 ) .

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hollywood then and now by rosemary lord . a beautiful look at hollywood’s past and how it compares to the modern city . includes lots of movie studio and movie - related images .

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cast : william boyd ( w . dangerfield phelps iii ) , mary astor ( mirza ) , louis wolheim ( sergeant peter o ' gaffney ) , ian keith ( shevket ) , michael vevitch ( the emir ) . m . visatoff ( the skipper ) , boris karloff ( the purser ) , dewitt jennings ( american consul )

photoplay said , " this is a real comedy . " ( 1 ) the new york times called it a " genuinely clever comedy , " ( 2 ) and harrison ' s reports simply began their review with " good ! " ( 3 )

boyd is w . dangerfield phelps iii , of a wealthy philadelphia family , and wolheim is peter o ' gaffney , who , we learn , is a small - time crook who apparently has found refuge in the army . the film gets off to a rousing start as we are shown a very realistic nighttime battle scene , rain pouring and nothing but mud all around . phelps jumps into an unusually deep bomb crater and find another soldier lying unconscious , covered in mud . he goes to help him , but when he realizes it is sergeant o ' gaffney , he pushes the sergeant ' s face back down angrily and throws mud in his face . of course , when o ' gaffney awakes , they end up in a fistic battle that continues until o ' gaffney , lying on his back , looks up and sees a proportionately spaced circle of germans around the top of the hole , guns and bayonets extended in perfect unity . milestone framed an excellent shot from o ' gaffney ' s perspective looking up at the imposing sight . the added touch of a flare bursting overhead makes the shot all the more impressive .

later , we see phelps on deck with mirza and o ' gaffney inside the cabin in his tunic and long johns looking for his pants . later we find out that phelps was wearing his own pants and o ' gaffney ' s !

the final section of the film involves the boys ' efforts to get to mirza . the captain of the ship has gone to the american consulate because o ' gaffney " rolled " ( as in " robbed ) his purser , so they can ' t go there for help . shevket tells mirza ' s father that the " infidels " have seen mirza without her veil , so the father declares that they must dies . however , the boys unwittingly and blithely walk up to palace for an audience with the father thinking he will reward them for rescuing their daughter .

mirza sees them at the gate from a balcony overlooking the courtyard and quickly throws them a note . at the same time , the gates are opening for them , so they decide to read the note later . after meeting the father , they think they are being escorted toward some reward when phelps pulls the note out to read which reads , " do not enter - death ! " the boys barely escape , but now they are fugitives in the town . of course , o ' gaffney wants to leave , but phelps refuses to leave without mirza .

there are some neat turns and twists as they make their way back to the palace , and phelps is caught by shevket and his guards in mirza ' s room . a particularly neat surprise has been built into the story when shevket offers to have a duel with phelps - with the winner taking mirza . the duel is with pistols , but , as shevket explains , one has a real bullet - the other a blank cartridge .

1 . photoplay magazine . november 1927 . 2 . the new york times . october 24 , 1927 . 3 . harrison ' s reports . october 29 , 1927 . 4 . the new york times 5 . photoplay 6 . king , susan . " putting howard hughes ' films back on the radar . " los angeles times . december 15 , 2004 .

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an oscar oddity , winning in the comedy directing category that became defunct after the first year ( frank borzage was noted for his dramatic directing in " 7th heaven " , a classic of the silent era ) . lewis milestone will revisit the world war i trenches in " all quiet on the western front " to heartrending effect , but here the laughs come quick . for the most part . . . yeah . . . there are a few good gags , though the premise is paper thin .

but director lewis milestone , along with cinematopgrahers tony gaudio and joseph h . august , really know how to shoot a film . dynamic and fluid camerawork and interesting lighting that take advantage of the constantly changing set designs that come from the ambition to make this a true globe - trotter .

enjoyed this buddy comedy about a soldier and his sergeant as they escape a pow camp in wwi , fall for the same woman aboard a ship , and have to duel her brother for her hand . silly , light on its feet , great chemistry , good fun .

every film that has ever been nominated for an academy award in any category . enjoy !

complete list of dan sallitt’s favorite films . films are listed in chronological order and then ranked within each year . refer…

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has said , and his novels enact and display that fragmentation with terror and glee . his new book assures us that reality has lately been crumbling more colossally than ever , and is about to come completely unglued . the climate destabilisation we are experiencing is only a foretaste of advancing chaos , which the author describes with considerable relish . eschatological lightning strikes , oracular infants and local failures of gravity will become the norm , as the dark ifrits , the mischievous forces of disorder , begin to take advantage of the weakening of the fabric of the everyday .

the cumbrous title transcribes a certain number of days into years and months , but not the four weeks that would naturally complete it , because the word “nights” is needed to suggest the original thousand and one . rushdie is our scheherazade , inexhaustibly enfolding story within story and unfolding tale after tale with such irrepressible delight that it comes as a shock to remember that , like her , he has lived the life of a storyteller in immediate peril . scheherazade told her 1 , 001 tales to put off a stupid , cruel threat of death ; rushdie found himself under similar threat for telling an unwelcome tale . so far , like her , he has succeeded in escaping . may he continue to do so .

at the idea of trying to summarise the plot , i shriek and fall back fainting on my seraglio couch . rushdie has a fractal imagination : plot buds from plot , endlessly . there are at least 1 , 001 stories and substories , and nearly as many characters . all you need to know is that they’re mostly highly entertaining , amusing and ingenious . a good many of the characters are in fact genies . the jinn live in their own world , peristan . but the dilapidation of reality in our world , intensifying since the second millennium , has affected the wall between us and peristan , leaving slots and slits through which they can slip .