The San Francisco Silent Film Festival recently offered audiences a chance to wonder just how well they knew two classic tales which, over the years, have acquired so many cultural imprints and branding opportunities that people assume they know these stories upside down and inside out.

Once upon a time, Hollywood stars were worshipped like gods and goddesses. No photographers were trying to snap pants-less crotch shots as someone stepped from a car. Nor were they terrorizing people in traffic and threatening the lives of innocent bystanders with their self-aggrandizing stunts.

The opportunity to experience works like Woyzeck, The Threepenny Opera, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, and The Beggar's Opera in an extremely intimate theatre like the 100-seat Ashby Stage make them far more gritty and accessible.

Starring Freida Pinto as a poor, young Indian woman working at a hotel whose physical beauty catches the eye of the spoiled, wealthy son of an Indian businessman, Trishna rests on a painful foundation of rigid caste distinctions, male privilege, and the limited opportunities.

Most creative talents have a professional bag of tricks they like to employ in the course of creating art. From alliteration to asymmetry, from pointilism to pizzicato, these gimmicks help startle an audience and add to an artist's personal style.

During the final 20 minutes of silent film Napoleon, theatre's organ joined forces with the Oakland East Bay Symphony to acoustically anchor an unforgettable cinematic experience.

The San Francisco Bay area has such a vibrant arts community that prioritizing events can become a mind-numbing exercise. Here is a slideshow of the 11 most thrilling events I attended in 2011.

In many ways, The Artist resembles A Star Is Born. One film star's career begins to crash and burn while another's takes wing against a background of tremendous churn in the film industry.

Originally intended as a military propaganda film, The Nail in the Boot's basic message is that sloppy workers are capable of sabotaging a country's national defense. Where have similar issues appeared in the news?

The cost of maintaining a family secret often turns out to be far more dramatic than previously imagined. This summer, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival screened two classics that showed the devastating effect such secrets can have on a family.

How do we honor the dead artistically? In some cases, we commission artists and architects to erect monuments to the memories of those we have lost.

The parade of film festivals through San Francisco's arts calender offers a constant source of entertainment. But if I had to choose one, my favorite would undoubtedly be the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

One of the joys of watching a great comic at work is his mastery of the material he has crafted for himself. Whether one is a performance artist or a stand-up comic, whether one is working with movement or text, a great performer's confidence in his craft allows him to take risks required by unexpected events and improvise when an opportunity suddenly presents itself.

HuffPost Arts' Haiku Reviews is a weekly feature where invited critics review exhibitions and performances in short form. Some will be in the traditio...

The Bay Area has a large and loyal base of silent film fans, many of whom will descend on the Castro Theatre this weekend for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival's annual winter event.