WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[charliechaplinfan]

Was this the basis for Bagdad Cafe (1987)? I just looked it up at IMDB, it's also known as Out of Rosenheim

CCH Pounder stars, along with Marianne Sägebrecht & Jack Palance. CCHP runs a cafe, motel and gas station, in the desert..

It could be, I've heard of Bagdad Cafe bit never watched it. The old films get reworked all over the place, can't imagine the cast being any better than in the original which was full of Warner's stalwarts.

[pvitari]

Re Where Are My Children, I'm assuming adoption wouldn't work if you're into "eugenic marriage."

Screencaps (and a brief journal entry) from Where Are My Children at paulasmoviepage.shutterfly.com

I've been on a Thomas Meighan kick the past few days, inspired by seeing The Racket on TCM. I rewatched Male and Female, Why Change Your Wife? and M'Liss. Meighan's an interesting case -- he's tall and handsome with the required dark curly hair, but has a flinty, edgy quality that keeps him from being one of the sweet dreamy boys like Charles Farrell or Richard Barthelmess. (I really liked the way he looked forward to mixing it up with Louis Wolheim in The Racket -- he likes a good fight.) And he's too straightfoward and practical to be a Latin lover type. But he's not stuffy or dull either.

[charliechaplinfan]

I like Thomas Meighan, he was as well matched with Gloria Swanson as he was with Mary Pickford. He died in 1936, never having cracked talkies, his last role was as the father in Peck's Bad Boy. It's a shame he's not remembered today.

[drednm]

I watched Three's a Crowd and The Chaser starring Harry Langdon.

I liked the first one, with terrific sets and a decent story, with Langdon playing a loner who rescues a pregnant woman and bonds with the baby. Eventually the father comes and claims his family. A little reminiscent of The Kid but with a Langdon twist. Several scenes are quite striking, including the long staircase up to his little 3rd floor room.

The second film, however, was a total dud with a dumb plot, with Langdon having to "play wife" and dealing with lecherous salesmen etc. The plot comes to a standstill when Langdon plays golf and frolics with some girls. Then he plummets down a hill in a car and crashes into his own kitchen.

[Gagman 66]

I finally finished watching Howard Hawks FAZIL (1928) the night before last. I had only seen the first 25 minutes or so before several times. I'm not really certain why I never watched the full thing before. Although, there might be a reel in the middle that is missing. We don't see where Fabianne becomes ill after the Prince returns to this Middle-Eastern homeland, unable to bridge the gap between cultures. Suddenly, he is back on the Desert sands, and it seems like something must be gone in between?

I can't figure out why people such as Kevin Brownlow and David Shepard don't like this movie? Kevin said that Charles Farrell strives to be to much like Valentino, but I don't see that at all. I think this is one of his better performances. Giving him a chance at a a very different role than in films such as SEVENTH HEAVEN, STREET ANGEL, or CITY GIRL.. Hawks direction is caustically dramatic, the antithesis of a comedy such as FIG LEAVES.

Greta Nissen's performance is fantastic and virtually flawless. She is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and photogenic of all Silent film actresses. Not an easy thing to say. To me, she is much better looking than that other Greta from Sweden was. A truly stunning woman on camera. The sequence where she seeks out her husband among the drove of scantily clad slave-girls adorning his harem, is played with a cool restraint that makes her subtle yet anguished reactions all the move effective. What else of this ladies films survives? Does anyone know?

Howard Hughes had Miss Nissen as the lead actress in the Silent production of HELL'S ANGEL'S, but when that film became a talkie She was replaced with Jean Harlow. To be honest, Jean has never really been among my favorites, and I probably would have preferred Greta in the part. Apparently, she just couldn't speak English well enough. Although Harlow's acting at this stage in her career was nothing to get excited about either. Knowing Hughes reputation one is inclined to ponder if He didn't catch a glimpse of Jean in a plunging neckline and that was the deciding factor. What ever the case, Nissen should have had a much bigger career.

My copy of FAZIL has the original Erno Rapee' Fox Movie-tone score up until about the last two-reels, where the tracks must not have survived? Long to see this film restored and in a complete print. The film is a classic tale of tragic romance. Much more gripping than it's reputation would suggest in my opinion. The haunting "Neapolitan Nights'' theme song just keeps playing in my head over and over. The cinematography is exceptional, and in a pristine nitrate print this must have been quite a sight on the big screen to behold. John Boles, and Mae Busch are part of the fine supporting cast.

So who else has seen this movie, and what were your impressions?

[moira finnie]

Greta Nissen's performance is fantastic and virtually flawless. She is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and photogenic of all Silent film actresses. Not an easy thing to say. To me, she is much better looking than that other Greta from Sweden was. A truly stunning woman on camera. The sequence where she seeks out her husband among the drove of scantily clad slave-girls adorning his harem, is played with a cool restraint that makes her subtle yet anguished reactions all the move effective. What else of this ladies films survives? Does anyone know?

I saw Greta Nissen in The Circus Queen Murder (1933) within the last two years when researching today's birthday boy, Dwight Frye. Greta was cast as Josie La Tour, a rather frowsy object of desire of just about everyone in a flea bag traveling circus but there was a vulnerability and fatalistic air about her that stayed with me after seeing the film. She had the saddest, loveliest eyes, even in this little programmer and despite the sometimes silly storyline. Her performance in this sometimes claustrophobic film (many of her scenes took place in a small caravan) that asked her to be languid in one scene and hysterical in another. Her performance was also better when she was allowed to move, which she did beautifully at moments, and was probably due to her ballet training. Your vivid description of her movement through the marketplace in Fazil sounds as though she made a similar impression on you.

I've also seen her as the exotic Countess Ilka in Ambassador Bill (1931), the Will Rogers film in which her accent was no problem and she had a chance to play a bit of comedy. Another film that she appeared in that plays occasionally on TCM is the Charlie Ruggles comedy, Melody Cruise (1933), but even though I've seen this, I honestly can't remember Nissen making a deep impression.

I didn't have the impression that her English was poor in any of these films, though she may have become more fluent by then or been coached to speak phonetically.

I'd love to see Fazil or any of Greta Nissen's silents, since I can imagine her being far more effective on screen then. (Besides, Charles Farrell was always cute). Thanks so much for writing this fine review.

[silentscreen]

I like Thomas Meighan, he was as well matched with Gloria Swanson as he was with Mary Pickford. He died in 1936, never having cracked talkies, his last role was as the father in Peck's Bad Boy. It's a shame he's not remembered today.

I like Meighan because he was a very naturalistic actor-never over the top, and very masculine without being typed in any way. He just seemed to be playing himself. Even as an older matinée idol, he was a believable romantic lead, but you never got the sense that he would have cared about giving that part up. He would have been a fine charater actor as well, and he started going that way before he died. He passed of pneumonia at the age of 57.

[drednm]

I love Hell's Angels and understand that the brothers (Ben Lyon and James Hall) were supposed to be British. But casting Jean Harlow as a brit was idiotic. She was from Kansas City and couldn't even pass for St. Louis. She had zero ability to alter her basic personality and voice. She's fine for what she was but she wasn't a great actress. Casting Greta Nissen would have been an improvement and I cannot remember WHY the female lead had to be British anyway.

I wish the print for Fazil was better. I also loved the harem scene. The original music was terrific. I also enjoyed John Boles, Mae Busch, and Dale Fuller in this one. I still find it odd that Charles Farrell had such a big career. In silents he was ok but he had a dreadful voice and he always strikes me a rather mousy.

[knitwit45]

She was from Kansas City and couldn't even pass for St. Louis.

believe me, around here, that's a GOOD thing!

[drednm]

I like Jean Harlow but she was totally miscast in Hell's Angels. Luckily she is not really central to the theme. Ben Lyon is excellent in the film and should have gotten an Oscar nomination. He does most of his own flying even though he plays a coward.

[pvitari]

I really enjoyed Fazil, not so much for the acting (though I liked Greta Nissen a lot -- what a beautiful woman) but for Howard Hawks' direction. There are some really excellent scenes in the film that are well worth studying. And if you'd like to have a look at them... yes, a few weeks ago I did Fazil screencaps, mostly from my two favorite scenes in the movie. (The one where Fazil and Fabienne first see each other from across the Venetian canal is especially well done.) http://paulasmoviepage.shutterfly.com/3693

Wasn't this shown at Cinecon a few years ago? What condition was it in? I bet it looked a lot better than whatever was the source of my DVD.

Re Meighan, perhaps his naturalism as an actor is the reason why he's not as well remembered as some of the more colorful personalities of the silent era, but it's actually one of the reasons why I find him so appealing.

Any speculation as to his schoolmaster's relationship with Mary Pickford's M'liss? How old is M'liss anyway? She seems to be at least into her teens, but she's still playing with a doll (a thing of unimaginable luxury and affection to a poor girl, so that's why I could go with her devotion to it even if she is in her teens). But even if she is a teenager, the schoolmaster would be old enough to be her dad. There was nothing overtly romantic between the two, but the relationship seemed to cut a lot deeper than than just teacher and pupil. At the end she's jumping into his arms. It was a little creepy. Or I'm just looking at this with 21st century eyes.

[charliechaplinfan]

I still find it odd that Charles Farrell had such a big career. In silents he was ok but he had a dreadful voice and he always strikes me a rather mousy.

That's partly because you can't see it from a woman's point of view, also he's wasn't the best actor in Hollywood but I've seen a fair few of his movies both silents and talkies, he wasn't bad.

[moira finnie]

No, Charlie Farrell didn't have a big range, but he had an unusually vulnerable quality as an actor that most men in film couldn't convey well but, in the hands of Borzage or Murnau, he could be quite effective. I wonder if he didn't suffer from over-exposure a bit from being cast 11 times opposite Janet Gaynor. I've always liked his voice and his accent, which might be best described as that of a "nicely brought up New England lad."

[charliechaplinfan]

The books I have are scant in knowledge about Charles Farrell. I agree with you about his vulnerability Moira, in his silents he often plays men with vulnerability, boys who are on the edge of becoming men, they retain some of that innocence. Maybe that's why he didn't achieve longevity on the screen, he grew to old to portray the innocent boy/man that haven't yet been jaded by life. The only film I've watched that he played against this type was in Liliom and he was right for the role.

[drednm]

Farrell was apparently from Wareham, Mass., on the edge of Cape Cod. His accent was ok but in early talkies he tended to sound like Walter Brennan. Farrell made his last film in 1941 but made a comeback on 1950s TV on "My Little Margie," of which I have fond memories. Other than in Lucky Star, his function in films with Janet Gaynor seems to have been as leading man to her star, kind of like the Bette Davis/George Brent teamings. As for Fazil Farrell's casting was fanciful but seems to work ok as long as he was a silent.