Six questions with . . . film historian Jeffrey Vance

Film historians Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta are special guests at this 
year's San Francisco Silent Film Festival

By Thomas Gladysz
SF Silent Film Examiner

Jeffrey Vance is an archivist, producer, lecturer and the author of a handful of recommended books on early film greats. He has written on Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin, among others. His latest book, Douglas Fairbanks, was recently published to wide acclaim by the University of California Press.

Vance will introduce The Gaucho on the opening night of this year’s San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Vance and writing partner Tony Maietta will also sign copies of their new book on Douglas Fairbanks before and following Friday nights’ screening.

Recently, examiner.com had a chance to speak with the film historian about his long-time work in the field of early film.

Examiner.com: You’ve written books, worked as an archivist, contributed commentary to DVD’s, and lectured about silent film. What draws you to the art form?

Jeffrey Vance: I’ve been watching and collecting silent films from a very early age, so they’ve always been a part of my life. I had many interests while at college, but I decided at that time that silent film needed more friends. There’s a mystery and allure to silent films that I find very appealing. They sparkle in a way that Hollywood films of today do not. I suppose a great part of their appeal for me is that with silent films one is a part of the creative process. The viewer is interpreting the images on the screen. Silent cinema is like opera and ballet in this respect. What is not provided, the viewer provides with their imagination. As a result, I believe one is emotionally more involved with silent cinema than with other types of films. They mean more to the viewer.

Chaplin is - in my estimation - the best of the silent cinema. To experience his body of work is not only a great joy, but it also heightens one’s own understanding of the meaning of beauty, the nature of cinema, the function of humor, and the wisdom of compassion.  I have other favorites, of course. I adore Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd’s The Kid Brother is perfection. As a body or work, however, Chaplin is king.

Examiner.com: Your earlier work examined silent film comedians. Now, you’ve written about an actor largely known as an action adventure hero, a swashbuckler. How was it that you came to be interested in someone like Douglas Fairbanks?

Jeffrey Vance: I became interested in Fairbanks as a result of my interest in Chaplin. Fairbanks was Chaplin’s great friend and partner in the United Artists Corporation. He was a Hollywood superstar along with Chaplin and Mary Pickford. I wrote Mary Pickford a fan letter at the end of her life. She responded with an encouraging letter. It was hard to track down and see any of her feature films besides Sparrows. I had an easier time pursuing my interest in Fairbanks as his best films were more readily available. I immediately fell under his spell with The Iron Mask and later The Thief of Bagdad and The Black Pirate. He was, as a French critic wrote in the 1920s, “a tonic.” But more than that, Fairbanks’s great action adventures of the 1920s were beautifully mounted works of art.

Examiner.com: There seems to be something of a Fairbanks revival going on. Along with your new book, Flicker Alley has released a set of Fairbanks’ early movies - and lately, Fairbanks’ films like The Gaucho are being screened around the country. Why Fairbanks, and why now?

Jeffrey Vance: That’s no coincidence! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences commissioned me to write Douglas Fairbanks. They wanted to honor Fairbanks - the first president of the Academy - with a book. Once the agreements were made with the Academy and the University of California Press, my writing partner - Tony Maietta - and I began immediately to plan the book’s launch. The Douglas Fairbanks: A Modern Musketeer DVD box set, the Museum of Modern Art retrospective, the Academy exhibition, the Academy screenings both in Los Angeles and New York City, and the new MoMA print of Douglas Fairbanks as The Gaucho (at the risk of pedantry, that’s its complete title) were all part of this effort to celebrate Fairbanks in conjunction with the release of the book. The only thing that wasn’t timed with the book was the unveiling of the Douglas Fairbanks statue on the campus of USC. That was just one of those wonderful things that reveal itself when you are on the right path.

Examiner.com: One of the points you make in your book is that Fairbanks was more than just a popular actor – he was also an innovator, and a pioneer.

Jeffrey Vance: Douglas Fairbanks was one of the first Hollywood superstars. He was also one of the most creative producers in American film, and among the industry’s great leaders. While history has appropriately acknowledged Chaplin and Pickford, Fairbanks remains underappreciated. In fact, he’s close to forgotten in the new century. And that’s why the book was written.
What didn’t Fairbanks do? He was a Broadway star, screen satirist, screen swashbuckler, civic leader, independent producer, first president of the Academy, and developer of the first film school – USC - in America. He also helped pioneer Technicolor cinematography and original film scores. He was at the forefront of film preservation. He has proven to be a great inspiration to other talents. His films - such as his The Mark of Zorro - inspired the creation of the Batman character. And what was the most commercially successful film last year? The Batman film The Dark Night. And, of course, Johnny Depp draws from Fairbanks films generally and The Black Pirate in particular for his Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Fairbanks is still relevant.

Examiner.com: Along with your recent Fairbanks projects, you had a hand in the just released “Lost Films of John Gilbert” Bardelys the Magnificent DVD. You wrote its accompanying booklet, and also produced the filmed interview with Leatrice Gilbert Fountain, John Gilbert’s daughter. How did that come about?

Jeffrey Vance: Tony Maietta, with whom I’m professionally partnered, and I have written a play on John Gilbert and hope to produce a full length documentary film on him through our production company, Silent Partners. David Shepard knew of our interest in Gilbert and approached us to provide added material for the Flicker Alley DVD set The Lost Films of John Gilbert. We had a shoestring budget - silent films on DVD aren’t big sellers - but we did manage to do a commentary track for Bardelys the Magnificent, a booklet, and a polished mini-doc of Leatrice Gilbert Fountain. The raw interview footage - and budget - told us what we had to do: make a simple and direct film to showcase the charming interview Leatrice gave us. The finished piece serves as a John Gilbert primer for the two films included on the DVD set.

Examiner.com: What’s next for Jeffrey Vance? Word has it that you have already started on a new project with your writing partner, Tony Maietta.

Jeffrey Vance: Well, the best way to answer that question is to direct you to our blog, www.twomodernguys.blogspot.com. We keep it updated with our latest professional endeavors, as well as events and screenings that we will be appearing at or are of interest to the classic film lover. (We have a website as well, www.twosilentpartners.com, that is currently being developed).

As I mentioned earlier, a full length documentary about John Gilbert is a goal - as is producing Silenced Idol, our play about him. Immediately on our plate are a few books, one involving the pioneering direct cinema documentaries of Albert and David Maysles (Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter) as well as a collaboration with Jerry Lewis. Tony and I still make time for DVD audio track commentaries. I believe the next one of ours to be released will be for the Milestone DVD release of Sparrows. I was thrilled to do this as it is my favorite Pickford film and one of the first silent films I ever saw. I’ve come full circle.