The White Hell Of Piz Palu (1929) ****

Co-directed with G.W. Pabst, this is among the best of Arnold Fanck's "mountain films" starring Leni Riefenstahl. Impressive cinematography.

Queen Kelly (1929) ****

Erich von Stroheim's most entertaining film, starring Gloria Swanson as a young schoolgirl seduced by a dashing officer and whipped by a jealous queen.

The Cocoanuts (1929) ****

Groucho is a hotel manager in Florida. His guests include Chico and Harpo, but the only paying guest is the incomparable Margaret Dumont. The funniest sequence is the legendary "why a duck" routine. The first reprise of "When My Dreams Come True" begins with an overhead kaleidoscopic pattern that certainly inspired Busby Berkeley. An excellent musical score by Irving Berlin includes:

"Florida By The Sea" **
"When My Dreams Come True" **
"Monkey-Doodle-Doo" **
"When My Dreams Come True" (reprise) **
"The Tale Of A Shirt" **
"When My Dreams Come True" (reprise) *

Spite Marriage (1929) ****

Fast-paced, hilarious, exciting and totally unpredictable comedy starring Buster Keaton.

Blackmail (1929) ***

Hitchcock's first "talkie" and of the first film to use sound in a creative and dramatically exciting way.

Welcome Danger (1929) ***

Uneven, but often impressive Harold Lloyd farce.

Condemned (1929) ***

Ronald Coleman stars as a convict on Devil's Island who falls in love with the warden's wife and tries to escape with her help.

The Broadway Melody (1929) ****

The first backstage musical, but also a good melodrama about two sisters in love with the same man. Acting is uneven, but the film has a rough edge. Musical numbers:

"Broadway Melody" **
"Harmony Babies" *
"Broadway Melody" (reprise) **
"Love Boat"
"You Were Meant For Me" **
"Truthful Parson Brown" *
"The Wedding Of The Painted Doll" **
"The Boy Friend" *
"Harmony Babies" (reprise) *

Diary Of A Lost Girl (1929) ***

A companion piece to "Pandora's Box" (1929), again starring Louise Brooks.

Hallelujah (1929) ****

King Vidor directed this all-black musical featuring many negro spirituals. Songs include:

"Swanee River" *
"At The End Of The Road" **
"Swanee Shuffle" **
"Old-Time Religion" *
"Going Home" *

The Iron Mask (1929) ***

Douglas Fairbanks' last silent film is a fast-paced adventure film about D'Artagnan saving the King of France from his evil twin.

The Hollywood Revue Of 1929 (1929) ***

The first all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing all-star musical revue, produced by MGM.

Their Own Desire (1929) ***

Excellent MGM melodrama starring Norma Shearer in an Oscar-nominated performance, probably the best of her career. It's not a musical, but among its highlights are two memorable musical numbers: an expressionistic dance sequence and a jazzy song:

"Blue Is the Night"  **
"She's Got The Boy Friend Blues"  **

Rotaie (1929) ***

Rabmadár (1929) ***

I Graduated But (1929) ***

Only a 12 min fragment survives from this Ozu's film about a college graduate trying to find a job. Screenplay by Yoshirô Aramaki, based on a story by Hiroshi Shimizu.

Eternal Heart (1929) ***

Very different from other Hiroshi Shimizu's films, something of a wild and ambitious exercise in style, with many visually striking sequences and innovative images. Narratively, however, it's a rather conventional effort, like almost all of his silent films. The script by Tokusaburo Murakami, based on a story by Kan Kikuchi (who also wrote Kenji Mizoguchi's "Miyamoto Musashi" and Teinosuke Kinugasa's "Gate Of Hell").

Happy Days (1929) ***

Sally (1929) ***

Musical numbers include: 

"Look For The Silver Lining" (song) **

"Sally" **

"Look For The Silver Lining" (dance) **

"If I'M Dreaming Don't Wake Me Too Soon" **

"All I Want To Do Do Do Is Dance" **

"Wild Rose" **

"If I'M Dreaming Don't Wake Me Too Soon" (reprise) **

The Godless Girl (1929) ***

Glorifying The American Girl (1929) ***

Dynamite (1929) ***

Unbelievable film about a rich heiress marrying a death row inmate because she is in love with a married man whose wife needs money to divorce him, but another man confesses to the crime and the rich heiress ends up living with her husband in a mining village and learns how to cook and clean.

La Femme et le pantin (1929) ***

The Blacksmith Of The Forest (1929) ***

The earliest partly preserved film directed by Hiroshi Shimizu. There is almost 19 minutes of footage, including some visually striking fragments. Written by Tokusaburō Murakami.

Erotikon (1929) ***

Cagliostro (1929) ***

Days Of Youth (1929) ***

Ozu's earliest surviving film gives a modest hint of the cinematic glories to come. It's a story of a pair of students so caught up in pursuing the same girl that they ultimately fail their final exams.

Picadilly (1929) ***

Flashy silent melodrama about interracial love, murder and revenge.

The Valiant (1929) ***

Classy melodrama starring Paul Muni as a murderer who confesses his crime to the police, but refuses to reveal his real name.

The Leatherneck (1929) ***

Fighting Friends (1929) ***

Only a 14 min fragment survives from this early Ozu's comedy about two friends who rescue a homeless woman.

Rio Rita (1929) ***

Charming musical with a superlative musical score. The "Out On The Loose" number (photo) probably inspired Busby Berkeley. Songs and dance numbers:

"Jumping Bean"  **
"River Song"  **
"Rio Rita"  ***
"Siesta Time"  **
"The Rangers' Song"  **
"You're Always In My Arms"  **
"Spanish Shawl"  **
"Out On The Loose"  ***
"Poor Fool"  *
"If You're In Love You'll Waltz"  *
"Over The Boundry Line"  *
"Sweetheart We Need Each Other"  **
"You're Always In My Arms" (reprise)  *

Old And New (1929) ***

Sergei Eisenstein's drama about land reform in Soviet Union. The use of the "harmonic montage" is particularly impressive.

The Divine Lady (1929) ***

Impressive historical romance about the great love affair between Admiral Horatio Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton. One of the last Hollywood silent films. It won an Oscar for Best Director (Frank Lloyd).

The Show Of Shows (1929) ***

Earlier, MGM had "The Hollywood Revue Of 1929". And later, there would be "Paramount On Parade" (1930) and finally the best - Universal's "King Of Jazz" (1930). But in between, Warner Bros. had their own all-talking, all-singing and all-dancing musical revue. And a very good one, too, with Winnie Lightner performing the best songs. Major musical numbers:

"What's Become Of The Floradora Boys?"  **
"If I Could Learn To Love"  **
"Pingo Pongo"  ***
"Lady Luck"  *
"The Only Song I Know"  **
"Meet My Sister"  **
"Singing In The Bathtub"  ***
"Just An Hour Of Love"  **
"Chinese Fantasy"  **
"Your Love Is All I Crave"  *
"Lady Luck" (reprise)  ***

Sunnyside Up (1929) ***

Pleasant musical about a young girl from a poor New York City neighborhood (Janet Gaynor) and a rich guy from Southampton (Charles Farrell). It features a great selection of hit tunes of the era:

"I'M A Dreamer" **
"You Find The Time, I'll Find The Place" *
"You've Got Me Pickin' Petals Off O'Daisies" **
"Sunnyside Up" **
"Turn On The Heat" **
"If I Had A Talking Picture Of You" **
"I'M A Dreamer" (reprise) *
"It's Great To Be Necked" *
"I'M A Dreamer" (reprise) *
"If I Had A Talking Picture Of You" (reprise) **

The Letter (1929) ***

Jeanne Eagels gives a memorable performance as a murderous adulteress in this seedy melodrama set in Malaysia. Almost as good as its 1940 remake starring Bette Davis.

The Virginian (1929) ***

A surprisingly well made early talkie western starring Gary Cooper as a rancher and Walter Huston as a cattle thief. Many amusing vignettes and an effective shoot-out finale.

Thunderbolt (1929) ***

A criminal known as Thunderbolt is imprisoned and facing execution. Into the next cell is placed Bob Moran, an innocent man who has been framed and who is in love with Thunderbolt's girl.

Laila (1929) ***

Alibi (1929) ***

Memorable gangster film nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The Wild Party (1929) ***

Somehow, old-fashioned morality is easier to swallow when it is seasoned with a small dose of feminism and a large dose of erotic sex-appeal. The former is delivered courtesy of feminist film director Dorothy Arzner, the only female helmer in Hollywood at the time. The latter comes courtesy of the inimitable Clara Bow, the most vivacious “flapper girl” actress of the 1920's. Unfortunately, unlike in several of her other films (like “Hula”, “Wings” and “Call Her Savage”), she doesn't push the enveloppe and flash her assets. But the film, a story of a college student who falls in love with her teacher, is definitely worth a peek.

Applause (1929) ***

Musical melodrama about an aging burlesque actress (Helen Morgan).

Arsenal (1929) ****

Impressive Soviet drama about the revolutionary struggle in the Ukraine.

Madame X (1929) **

Classic, but dated, melodrama about a son defending his mother from a murder charge without knowing that she is his mother.

Disraeli (1929) **

Dated early talkie about the famous British Prime Minister.

Quartier Latin (1929)

Samurai Town: Story 2 (1929) **

Far less exciting than "Samurai Town: Story 1" (1928), but preserved intact.

Tokyo March (1929) **

Only 24 min survives from this silent Kenji Mizoguchi's film.

The Last Of Mrs Cheyney (1929) **

Early talky with some fine dialogue, but much too static and stagy.

Bulldog Drummond (1929) **

A mystery movie with Ronald Colman helping a damsel-in-distress.

Coquette (1929) **

Mary Pickford won an Oscar for her performance in this dated, but very moving melodrama about a coquetish girl, her suitor and her stern, old-fashioned father.

The Trespasser (1929) *

Hopelessly dated, ridiculous melodrama about millionaires, secretaries, wives, out-of wedlock babies and scandals.

Turksib (1929) *

Soviet documentary about the construction of a railway line from Turkmenistan to Siberia (hence the title). Director Victor Turin isn't Dziga Vertov - the film is conventional, quite heavy-handed and needlessly didactic (a more poetic approach would have certainly worked better). Still quite impressive as a historical document and a good example of Communist propaganda.

Woman In The Moon (1929) *

A dreadful sci-fi movie from Fritz Lang - boring, pointless and devoid of any visual qualities.

The Single Standard (1929) *

Boring Greta Garbo melodrama about the usual love triangles, infidelities, society's disapprovals etc.

In Old Arizona (1929) *

Early talkie western.