Marshall Neilan honored at Giornate del Cinema Muto

The Giornate del Cinema Muto festival in Pordenone is honoring American director Marshall Neilan with a screening of his 1927 film, ‘Her Wild Oat’, starring Colleen Moore. The film, a comedy of errors featuring a working-class New York woman seeking social advancement, has been made available through a restoration by the Academy Film Archive.

Neilan was one of Hollywood’s highest-paid directors during the 1920s, known for his versatility across genres including westerns, melodramas, and comedies. While highly regarded by stars such as Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson, his career was complicated by his difficult personality, alcohol dependency, and professional conflicts with powerful producers like Louis B. Mayer.