Beverly of Graustark(1926) Kickstarter from Undercrank Productions

[StarDestroyer52]

Kickstarter link:

Greetings!

…and welcome to my 10th Kickstarter!

I'm running this project to fund the production and release of the silent film Beverly of Graustark (1926), starring Marion Davies. This silent era rom-com has never been available on home video and is loads of fun. The film will be presented in a new digital scan from an archival 35mm nitrate print preserved by the Library of Congress. I will create and perform a new musical score on theatre organ for the project.
The Project

Backers will get a Blu-ray copy of the finished product, and the project will be limited to 150 backers, USA-only.

Why? – because I have another really cool Kickstarter waiting in the wings, one that will be open to an unlimited number of backers and will have room for add-ons and stretch goals. And so, this one will (ideally) be short and sweet, so I can have a less-lengthy production turnaround and so I can jump in to the next one.
The Film

Beverly of Graustark is loads of fun, and if you've seen Marion Davies' films from 1922-1925, I can tell you this one more closely resembles the fun and style of her later silent films you may already know, Show People and The Patsy.

Beverly of Graustark was released in April 1926 by M-G-M, and was expertly directed by Sidney Franklin. Ms. Davies is supported by a great cast that includes Antonio Moreno, Creighton Hale, Roy D'Arcy and Albert Gran.

To add to the excitement, the archival 35mm nitrate print being sourced and scanned, from Ms. Davies' own collection, has its original 2-color Technicolor ending.

The finished project will be made available commercially on both DVD and Blu-ray later in 2022, via my home-video label Undercrank Productions.
Join the Fun

I hope you'll join in helping me bring this unseen soon-to-be-classic 1926 comedy/costume picture from film cans to classic film fans.

Thanks!

Ben Model

Silent Film Accompanist, Historian, Presenter...and Home-Video Producer/Distributor silentfilmmusic.com

When Knighthood Was in Flower was an excellent release which I pre-ordered when it came out, so if this is anything like that release it should be another stellar release.

[larryg137]

And the 150 copies are already gone.

[movieben1138]

So then...how does it have 156 backers?

**Nevermind...I see now that you can back it without a reward. Answered my own question.

[MifuneFan]

This is getting a release on April 12th.

Product Notes
In the gender-bender comedy "Beverly of Graustark" (1926), Marion Davies is an American co-ed whose cousin Oscar (Creighton Hale) is a Prince and heir to the throne of Graustark. In a twist of fate, she must switch places with him in order to prevent the conniving General Marlanax (Roy D'Arcy) from becoming King. Along the way, Beverly (as Oscar) meets goat-herd Dantan (Antonio Moreno), hires him as her bodyguard... and winds up falling for him. There are mistaken identities, intrigue, clothing swaps, a chase, a swordfight and more - and in the end Beverly winds up with the goat-herd, cousin Oscar becomes the new King, and there's a big fancy ball. •• Marking a stylistic shift from Marion Davies' earlier features, "Beverly of Graustark" - ably directed by Sidney Franklin - is more akin to her 1928 rom-coms "Show People" and "The Patsy" (both 1928). •• "Beverly of Graustark" is presented here in a brand new 4K restoration by the Library of Congress from archival 35mm elements, and includes the film's original 2-color Technicolor ending. New musical score composed and performed on theatre organ by Ben Model. Blu-ray is NTSC, Region-free.

ImportCD's has it for just $14.52, which is much lower than anywhere else

https://www.importcds.com/beverly-of...k/745808099732

[Vixen of the Night]

I placed an order. Thanks! I need to see more silent movies, and a friend of mine is a huge fan of Marion Davies and silent films. So, I'm taking a chance.

[UndercrankProd]

I think you'll really like this one. Marion's great in it, and the film's really well made.Thanks for ordering!

Ben
undercrankproductions.com

[Vixen of the Night]

Originally Posted by UndercrankProd

I think you'll really like this one. Marion's great in it, and the film's really well made.Thanks for ordering!

Ben
undercrankproductions.com

I watched it tonight with my friend and we both enjoyed it. Great job with this release! I'm now looking forward to other Davies films and seeing what's out there in the silent world(beyond Buster Keaton and Chaplin, who I'm well aware of and seen most of their films).


One thing I should warn people of is, despite ordering the blu-ray release and it arriving in a blu-ray case. a DVD-R was in the case itself. That was the only downside to this entire thing, and importdvds, as far as I know, is similar to deepdiscountdvd where I ran into problems when it came to faulty product in the past.