Lost British Silent Masterpiece Rediscovered in Holland
HomeLost British Silent Masterpiece Rediscovered in Holland
Posted April 3, 2014 08:39 PM by Webmaster
The British Film Institute announced that the legendary missing 1923 film Love, Life and Laughter, considered by many one of the finest British films of its era, has been discovered at an archive in Holland. Directed by George Pearson, Love, Life and Laughter stars Betty Balfour (also known as Britain's "Queen of Happiness"), Harry Jonas, and Frank Stanmore.
According to the BFI, Love, Life and Laughter film was recently discovered in the archives of EYE, while being cataloged following its arrival at the archive in November 2012. The print is part of a collection of film cans that belonged to a local cinema in the small town of Hattem (near Zwolle). Cinema Theater De Vries, run by the De Vries family had only been active for three years, from 1929-32.
Bryony Dixon, curator, Silent Film, BFI National Archive said: "This is a major discovery featuring Betty Balfour, the biggest female star of the silent period. It is also a rare survival of the work of George Pearson, one of Britain's most talented directors of this time, whose First World War drama Reveille is another film on the BFI's most wanted list.
Contemporary reviewers and audiences considered Love, Life and Laughter to be one of the finest creations of British cinema, it will be thrilling to find out if they're right! We hope to be able to acquire some material from our colleagues at EYE soon so that British audiences can have a chance to see this exciting discovery."
Contemporary press reports hailed the film as a triumph, a screen classic and a masterpiece. For the Daily Telegraph the film was "destined in all probability to take its place among the screen classics", while the Manchester Guardian considered it "certainly the most ambitious [of Pearson's films], spectacular at times, lit and photographed with a beauty to dream of," concluding, "devotees have called it George Pearson's masterpiece, and so it is".
The BFI's announcement also notes that Betty Balfour was best known as the comic character Squibs, in a hugely popular series of films, also directed by George Pearson through the 1920s. She was much in demand as a popular foreign export and worked with leading directors in Germany, Austria and France including the great Marcel L'Herbier.
Photo courtesy of BFI
According to the BFI, Love, Life and Laughter film was recently discovered in the archives of EYE, while being cataloged following its arrival at the archive in November 2012. The print is part of a collection of film cans that belonged to a local cinema in the small town of Hattem (near Zwolle). Cinema Theater De Vries, run by the De Vries family had only been active for three years, from 1929-32.
Bryony Dixon, curator, Silent Film, BFI National Archive said: "This is a major discovery featuring Betty Balfour, the biggest female star of the silent period. It is also a rare survival of the work of George Pearson, one of Britain's most talented directors of this time, whose First World War drama Reveille is another film on the BFI's most wanted list.
Contemporary reviewers and audiences considered Love, Life and Laughter to be one of the finest creations of British cinema, it will be thrilling to find out if they're right! We hope to be able to acquire some material from our colleagues at EYE soon so that British audiences can have a chance to see this exciting discovery."
Contemporary press reports hailed the film as a triumph, a screen classic and a masterpiece. For the Daily Telegraph the film was "destined in all probability to take its place among the screen classics", while the Manchester Guardian considered it "certainly the most ambitious [of Pearson's films], spectacular at times, lit and photographed with a beauty to dream of," concluding, "devotees have called it George Pearson's masterpiece, and so it is".
The BFI's announcement also notes that Betty Balfour was best known as the comic character Squibs, in a hugely popular series of films, also directed by George Pearson through the 1920s. She was much in demand as a popular foreign export and worked with leading directors in Germany, Austria and France including the great Marcel L'Herbier.
Photo courtesy of BFI