Auteur Rupert Hughes, an uncle of Howard Hughes, directed only six films, all silent, but he was famous enough to be one of only 19 Hollywood celebrities in a marvelous caricature in Vanity Fair in 1921 (shown at his Wikipedia entry).
As far as I can tell, "Souls for Sale" is the only of his movies available on DVD, and it's as lively and characteristic an intro to silent films as Keaton's "Our Hospitality" from the same year.
The subject is Hollywood itself, and a great deal is exposed about behind-the-scenes studio production. Highlights include: A revelatory look at the pressure of screen tests. A brief scene on the actual set of "Greed" with von Stroheim and Hersholt. An outdoor scene with Chaplin directing. A long scene (probably filmed at the Guadalupe Sand Dunes in Santa Barbara County, location of "The Sheik") which parodies Valentino's signature role, complete with camel close-ups. The dramatic ending of "Souls for Sale" is a conflagration on the set of a circus film (a popular genre in the 20s) that effectively uses color tinting for flames. But best of all, "Souls for Sale" has performances or cameos by about 80(!) celebrities of the era, from Aileen Pringle to ZaSu Pitts, and including the fabulous Snitz Edwards.
"Souls for Sale" is a also good intro because the whole sprawling plot is held together with a typical silent-era story, a melodrama with runaway bride, evil husband, handsome suitor, strict parents—and happy, sentimental, redemptive ending.
As far as I can tell, "Souls for Sale" is the only of his movies available on DVD, and it's as lively and characteristic an intro to silent films as Keaton's "Our Hospitality" from the same year.
The subject is Hollywood itself, and a great deal is exposed about behind-the-scenes studio production. Highlights include: A revelatory look at the pressure of screen tests. A brief scene on the actual set of "Greed" with von Stroheim and Hersholt. An outdoor scene with Chaplin directing. A long scene (probably filmed at the Guadalupe Sand Dunes in Santa Barbara County, location of "The Sheik") which parodies Valentino's signature role, complete with camel close-ups. The dramatic ending of "Souls for Sale" is a conflagration on the set of a circus film (a popular genre in the 20s) that effectively uses color tinting for flames. But best of all, "Souls for Sale" has performances or cameos by about 80(!) celebrities of the era, from Aileen Pringle to ZaSu Pitts, and including the fabulous Snitz Edwards.
"Souls for Sale" is a also good intro because the whole sprawling plot is held together with a typical silent-era story, a melodrama with runaway bride, evil husband, handsome suitor, strict parents—and happy, sentimental, redemptive ending.