Rob Byrne Only Has Two Eyes

It's impossible for any pair of eyes to view all of Frisco Bay's worthwhile film screenings. I'm so pleased that a number of local filmgoers have let me post their repertory/revival screening highlights of 2011. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from film preservationist and researcher Rob Byrne. He blogs at Starts Thursday!: The Art And History of Motion Picture Coming Attraction Slides

In no particular order:

Lois Weber's Shoes (1916) (7/17, Castro, SF Silent Film Festival)
I worked on the restoration, so how can it not hold a special place in my heart?

Rick Prelinger's Lost Landscapes of San Francisco (12/8, Castro).
Annually the "must see" archival show of the year.

Noir City 9 (1/21-30, Castro).
No specific title, just the whole damn thing.

The Great White Silence (1924) - (7/15, Castro, SF Silent Film Festival)
Also qualifies as too musical experience of the year. Matti Bye Ensemble and tinted polar footage are a match made in heaven.

The White Meadows (2009) (3/27, YBCA)
Presented by Global Film Initiative as part of Iran Beyond Censorship. Simply gorgeous film from filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, currently in Iranian prison sentenced to six years for “assembly, collusion, and propagandizing against the regime.”

Giorgio Moroder's Metropolis (1984) (10/27, Castro)
A guilty pleasure - like being unable to look away from a traffic accident. I love and hate it all at the same time.

Randy Habercamp Presents - A Century Ago: The Films of 1911 (11/2, San Rafael CFI)
Two thumbs up for Randy's annual 100 year flashback. Big hisses for CFI's inability to project film at anything other than 24fps.

L'inhumaine (1924) (2/24, PFA)
Architectural splendor presented in conjunction with The First International Berkeley Conference on Silent Cinema CINEMA ACROSS MEDIA: THE 1920s.

Lebanon (2009) (3/13, Orinda Theatre) Presented as part of East Bay International Jewish Film Festival
Powerful.

Silly Symphonies (PFA, 2/23) - Part of UCB Film 50 Series
Russell Merritt presents and interprets a Who's Who of Disney's Silly Symphonies (1931-37). What's not to like?