
The first thing that strikes you about The Belle and the Bill is how loudly it whispers. Bennett Cohen’s screenplay, lean as a bale-wire, lets the flicker of candleflame and the scratch of fountain pens do the talking; the film trusts that an audience can hear corruption without brass-band exposition. Shot on Eastman...


Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.

Horace Davey

Charley Chase
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" The first thing that strikes you about The Belle and the Bill is how loudly it whispers. Bennett Cohen’s screenplay, lean as a bale-wire, lets the flicker of candleflame and the scratch of fountain pens do the talking; the film trusts that an audience can hear corruption without brass-band exposition. Shot on Eastman stock that today looks like bruised pewter, this 1920 one-reeler distills the entire Progressive-Era cynicism into forty-three minutes of iris shots and hard glances. Bartine Bur..."
1920 · IMDb —
Charley Chase


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