WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

feaito · Post by **feaito** » January 24th, 2009, 6:56 pm

Thanks to Christine and Alison I watched back-to-back "Sadie Thompson" (1928) and "Rain" (1932).

"Sadie Thompson" is a masterpiece in my opinion; Gloria Swanson is brilliant, lively, absolutely believable as the title character; in fact I think that it's one of her better performances ever. She conveys perfectly all the character's traits and she looks radiant on screen. Lionel Barrymore is also superb as the Reformer, giving a mesmerizing performance and Raoul Walsh is perfect as "Handsome" O'Hara. A truly powerful film. I feel that the story was very well adapted to the Silent scren and in fact I think it's the best screen version up to this day.

"Rain" (1932). Is a good Pre-Code, but not up to the level of the 1928 film. Joan Crawford is good as Sadie. William Gargan is blander as "Handsome" O'Hara. Walter Huston's performance, an excellent actor as he was, is not as successful as Barrymore's. It's kind of strange, but I felt that the lack of dialogue and the importance of the images in the case of the 1928 Silent version, added to its benefit and made the story stronger and much more powerful.

It was a very interesting Double Bill!

feaito · Post by **feaito** » January 24th, 2009, 9:01 pm

I can't believe it! "The Story of Temple Drake" (1933) is available in its entirety in youtube and I have just finished watching it.

It's a great Pre-Code! One of the raciest I've seen, which such a great cinematography, use of light and shadows, symbolism, close-ups and facial expressions. Miriam Hopkins is superb as the loose title character and Jack La Rue is equally top-notch as the sadistic Trigger. His expression when he looks at Hopkins is more telling than a thousand X rated scenes. William Gargan is very fine as Hopkins' suitor and Florence Eldridge demonstrates her wide range as Ruby.

This should be on DVD to fully appreciate its cinematography.

Ann Harding · Post by **Ann Harding** » January 25th, 2009, 9:40 am

Thanks for the info Fernando!

I have just finished watching G.W. Pabst's Die Freudlos Gasse (The joyless street, 1925) with Greta Garbo & Asta Nielsen.
This is a very grim and dark look at Vienna in the 20s. We are in Melchior Gasse, a very poor area of Vienna where women queue all night long to get hold of a piece of meat at the local butcher. Grete (Greta Garbo) is the daughter of a poor civil servant. She struggles with her father to feed her younger sister. Meanwhile, Marie (Asta Nielsen) is living with her parents in a sordid basement flat. She is thinking of a young man she loves and hoping he will rescue her from this predicament...
G.W. Pabst hired Greta Garbo fresh from her success in Gösta Berling's Saga to star in his picture. But, we shouldn't miss the performance of another great Scandinavian star in the film: the Dane Asta Nielsen. She was an icon of cinema at the time. I saw her in Hamlet (1920) where she plays the title role in the most amazing way. Here her destiny parallels that of Greta. They are both so poor and desperate that they are ready to sell their body to get hold of some food. Pabst offers a terribly dark view of Vienna: on the one side, the rich speculators who love to slum it up with girls in dingy nightclubs while poor people are literaly dying of hunger under their windows. The film was heavily cut by censors at the time. I saw a print restored in 1998 which lasts 2h30 min. It's probably the longest available, but it's obvious that some more footage is missing. Greta is very youthful looking and is slimmer than in Gösta Berling. Worth investigating.

drednm · Post by **drednm** » January 25th, 2009, 2:46 pm

I watched LILIOM (1930) starring Charles Farrell and Rose Hobart.

Absolutely visually stunning. The print is immaculate and the set design is outstanding and almost overpowers the story. Farrell, never a favorite of mine, is quite good in possibly his best performance, as Liliom the callous carnival barker who falls in love with an innocent girl (Rose Hobart in her film debut) but commits suicide. The latter part of the film centers around his attempt to get back to earth to see his daughter (Anne Shirley).

This film, based on a play by Molnar, is the source material for the musical CAROUSEL which I have never liked. But this film is quite stunning. It was remade in 1934 starring Charles Boyer.

Aside from Farrell and Hobart (who is excellent) there are three terrific supporting performances: Estelle Taylor as the carousel owner, Lee Tracy as a rabble rouser, and H.B. Warner as an angel.

The visuals and surreal atmosphere will leave you breathless. This film was recently released on DVD in a set devoted to FW Murnau and Frank Borzage.

feaito · Post by **feaito** » January 25th, 2009, 6:33 pm

I also liked very much "Liliom" Drednm; the sets and expressionistic atmosphere is incredible.

I watched "The Black Pirate" (1926) and I found it a totally entertaining adventure-swashbuckler film. The Two-strip Techinicolor is a treat and the stunts and action scenes are fantastic, especially when you realize that the star did most of the stunts! When you compare this Pirate film with most of the Pirate films made during the 1950s, one realizes how tame, unrealistic and "glossy" that decade's films look in comparison with this Silent movie. The pirates here look more real and their meanness and violence is more menacing than in most of the '50s stuff. A great action film, with not a great plot, but with fantastic visuals and action scenes.

charliechaplinfan · January 26th, 2009, 8:30 am

Fernando, have you seen Gene Kelly's take on it in The Pirate? It's worth catching.

Thanks to Christine I got to see the splendid La Vie Mervielleuse de Jeanne D'Arc. This film starts way before the Dreyer film and although I don't have a very good understanding of French, it was easy to keep up with the story. Simone Genevois was only 16 when making this film, she brings the right level of valour and vulnerability to the role. The music especially during the trial and execution is very moving. I'm so pleased that I got to see this rare film.

feaito · Post by **feaito** » January 26th, 2009, 11:01 am

Alison,

Gene Kelly's "The Pirate" (1948) used to be one of my favorite musicals, but I have not seen it in many years.

Now that you mention it Gene's pirate costume in that one was almost identical as Doug's.

charliechaplinfan · January 26th, 2009, 3:15 pm

It is, I have good memories of watching Gene being Doug. I agree with your assessment of The Black Pirate, Fernando, it's done much better than some of the later pirate movies.

I'm glad you liked seeing the two adaptations of Somerset Maugham's Sadie Thompson. I didn't watch them back to back. My thoughts are that Gloria's performance was the better but Joan's grittiness belied a real vulnerability in her character. I'd have problems deciding between Walter Huston and Lionel Barrymore, both strong and differing performances. I'm just glad to have seen both of them.

myrnaloyisdope · Post by **myrnaloyisdope** » January 29th, 2009, 2:32 am

I think Sadie Thompson is the better film, though it's been a while since I've seen it. I actually just won the Kino disc off ebay, so I'll be re-watching it soon.

I remember liking Rain too, and perhaps the one edge it has over Sadie Thompson, is that the transformation of Crawford's Sadie from sinner to repentance felt more fluid. I remember Swanson seeming almost catatonic in the latter section of Sadie Thompson, as if she were no longer alive. It rang a bit hollow to me.

Anyone care to comment on Rita Hayworth's version?

As for Temple Drake, well I just rewatched that one after reading Feaito's comments, and it's a simply great, yet forgotten film. I would love to see a quality restoration of it, as it's a great looking film, filled with atmosphere.

I also managed to watch Michael Curtiz's God's Gift To Women from 1931. Of course my main reason for watching was the presence of Joan Blondell, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Louise Brooks' name in the credits. I mean Lou-Lou and Joan in the same picture...hubba hubba

. The film is probably most noteworthy for being one of Frank Fay's (the former Mr. Barbara Stanwyck) few films, and with good reason...he's not very good.

The premise of the film is that Fay's character is some sort of Casanova, who finally meets the girl of his dreams in Laura La Plante, only to discover that he has a weak heart, and any pleasures of the flesh will cause him to die. It's a flimsy plot at best, but it's hindered by Fay coming off like a simpering fool lacking in any sort of charm or charisma. I'm not sure why he would get cast as a great lover (even for laughs), as he's clearly in over his head. Maybe he could pull of the wise-cracking sidekick.

The film still has a couple of cute moments, and one real highlight, that being a catfight between Lou-Lou and Joan, with Yola d'Avril thrown in for good measure. That pretty much makes the movie a must-see...

drednm · Post by **drednm** » January 29th, 2009, 7:17 am

Frank Fay was a big name on Broadway but on screen he's totally unappealing... even his makeup in GOD'S GIFT TO WOMEN seems harsh, seemingly an attempt to make him look younger?

My copy of TEMPLE DRAKE is rather dark but the film is watchable. This might be Miriam Hopkins' best film performance. Like all versions of RAIN, TEMPLE DRAKE ran into all sorts of censorship problems.

Synnove · Post by **Synnove** » January 29th, 2009, 9:33 am

I saw No Man of her Own thanks to Alison. It's a great little precode. I liked Carol Lombard's chemistry with Clark Gable, it's real of course. I liked her right away, but I'll admit it took me a while to warm up to Gable. Here he plays a similar character to Rett Butler in Gone With the Wind, or at least it seems that way to me, although it has been a long time since I saw that film. It's not surprising that he was the obvious choice for that Rett, if he built up his career playing characters like this one. He's charming, and handsome in a goofy way, although a bit of a bad guy. The movie is a gem.

I also saw The Cameraman's Revenge, a doll movie from 1912, featuring real insects which have first been killed, poor things, and then animated to perform a classic movie melodrama satire. I loved the meta-film ending with the insects watching themselves on screen, and I'm curious to know how it was done in 1912. Great movie! Insects are ideal for stop-motion animation, since they don't have troublesome facial expressions.

Jezebel38 · Post by **Jezebel38** » January 29th, 2009, 9:44 pm

RE: Temple Drake

I checked out the Youtube clips, and they look like the bootleg copy I got about a year ago. However, I did see this film twice on the big screen, at The Stanford in Palo Alto, and they often get original nitrate prints. In the print I saw, the cinematography was just stunning, and added greatly to the impact of the story, especially when the scene shifts from the glamorous house party to the run down roadhouse - quite a contrast. I hope TCM can get ahold of this someday.

drednm · Post by **drednm** » January 31st, 2009, 1:23 pm

I watched THE LIGHTS OF OLD BROADWAY, starring the great Marion Davies in a dual role. She plays a set of twins separated at birth. One becomes Anne, a society girl in New York; the other is Fely, an Irish toughie who somehow lands on the musical stage. She meets the suave Dirk (Conrad Nagel) who is Anne's half brother. Anne's family also owns the slum in which the Irish families live.

As with Davies' terrific LITTLE OLD NEW YORK, this story is also set against an historical background, involving the story of the coming of electricity to the city. So along with show biz figures like Tony Pastor, Weber and Fields, etc we also see Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Edison. Anne's family has a lot of money in gas, but somehow Fely's father has stock in electricity. The snooty family tries to keep Nagel away from the low-born Fely.

Davies is terrific playing the blonde Fely (she does a few stage numbers) and the dark-haired Anne. Davies make a solid comic entrance as Fely (minus a tooth) balancing herself on a stack of tables and chairs and defying the mob the city kids.

Nagel is fine as the hero. Both Karl Dane and George K. Arthur show up in small parts.

feaito · Post by **feaito** » January 31st, 2009, 1:54 pm

I watched a very good Pre-Code with the Barrymore brothers "Arsene Lupin" (1932). I just loved this sexy, witty film in which John Barrymore is simply superb as the suave, aristocratic crook. He's so debonair and ironic. The dialogue is very sophisticated. Lionel is very good as the policeman who's trying to capture Lupin and their scenes together are most powerful. In spite of the fact that I like "Grand Hotel", I think that in this film both Barrymores are better, more relaxed and at leisure & their thespian rapport is superior. But what surprised me the most was Karen Morley's wonderful impersonation of the sexy Sonia. She was an actress that was wasted many times in small or bland roles, unworthy of her talents and here she is at her very best. Sexy, coquettish, playful, falling in love, etc. A real joy to watch Ms. Morley in a substantial role. Thoroughly recommended Pre-Code.

Synnove · Post by **Synnove** » January 31st, 2009, 2:58 pm

That does sound like a great film for Barrymore. I always liked him better in his more sophisticated early 30's roles than in his romantic melodramas of the 20's.

Today I finally watched The Thief of Bagdad with my brother. It's an enchanting fairytale movie with, for its period, great special effects. The flying carpet is especially well done. I also thought the music was superb, definitively the best of the scores in the Kino Fairbanks DVD-set.

Itis probably best to watch this movie together with a person who enjoys the bizarre. If I hadn't watched this together with my 14-year-old brother I wouldn't have enjoyed it half so much. I can sometimes lapse into a state of humourlessness, and it's very possible that I wouldn't have noticed how funny the concept of a collapsable gigantic jar-disguise is if it hadn't been for my brother. I'm pretty sure it must have been Fairbanks's intention for this to be a fun movie, and as usual, silent films of this kind are best enjoyed together with an audience. For me that's quite important.

Also, best. Ending. Ever.

A couple of days ago I went to the Stockholm film house again and saw Thomas Graal's Best Child (Thomas Graals Bästa Barn, 1918). Stiller made three comedies of note before he made Erotikon, and Thomas Graal's Best Child is considered to have paved the way for that classic movie.

Erotikon is regarded as a classic as I said, and a lot of people who bought the DVD were disappointed with it. That probably has to do with the bad music score, but there is also the audience aspect. Again, this type of comedy should definitively be seen together with an audience, and on a big screen. That is the best way to see any film, and in this case there are also a number of things that seem to go missing when it's transferred to a small screen. I know that I wouldn't have found Thomas Graal's Best Child half so enjoyable if I hadn't been viewing it together with an audience (am I getting repetitive?).

Anyway, it's not entirely politically correct. And I don't mean that in a good way. I don't mean that it's the kind of film that "dares to speak the truth" in the face of a repressive demand for inoffensiveness. I mean that this film is truly insulting, or it would be, if it weren't for two things: the fact that it's nearly a century old, and the tongue-in-cheek way that Karin Molander plays the wife. The story has a "daddy knows best" type of conclusion which is enough to make me gag: the husband Victor Sjöström manages to convince his newly turned flapper wife to get back to dressing in a corset and high-heeled shoes, and begs her to act "like a child." However, the ending is given a twist, somewhat, by the fact that Karin Molander as the wife seems to take it all with a grain of salt. She sees it all as a big joke. And that makes it funny. Actually, Victor Sjöström's Thomas Graal is the one character who has been acting like a child throughout the film, as Mauritz Stiller of course knows. He always keeps his ironic distance from the characters. This movie has very witty title-cards in the same style as Erotikon, although here they struck me as much more funny - possibly because the presence of an audience and the quality of the music score finally set the right tone for Stiller's comedy.

The Silver Screen Oasis

The Silver Screen Oasis

WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?