C.B. DeMille Silents

[Ann Harding]

We are having a full C.B. DeMille retrospective at the moment. I took advantage to catch some rare silents as well as some famous films on nice 35 mm prints from GEH. Here are some notes about the films I have seen so far.

Rose of the Rancho (1914) with Bessie Barriscale, Jane Darwell, Dick la Reno & Jack W. Johnston

California has just become part of the United States. Some crooks take advantage of the fact that Ranchers have to register their land to take possession of them. A governement agent, Kearney (J.W. Johnson) is sent there to protect them. He meets the very proud and capricious Juanita Castro (B. Barriscale)...

This very early DeMille was shot on locations. But, alas, the acting is still very stagey. It's an adaptation of a play by Belasco and allt he actors seemed to be performing on stage rather than for the camera. Alvin Wyckoff, DeMille's cinematographer, creates some nice effects with dapple shade under the trees. If the acting is disappointing, the narrative is equally laboured. It's amusing to recognise a young Jane Darwell, already playing a mother.

The Warrens of Virginia (1915) with Blanche Sweet, House Peters, James Neill & Dick La Reno

Agatha Warren (B. Sweet) is suddenly separated fromt he man she loves (H. Peters) by the Civil War. her Father, General Warren is with the South while he joins the North. They will meet again in tragic circumstances as the fate of the South will be in the balance...

What a contrast with the previous film! Only one year apart, but the acting is now understated and modern. Blanche Sweet, Griffith's actress is superb. And the best scenes of the film show her with House Peters. The story offers an intricate deception as Peters carries a fake dispatch to fool the South. He tries desperately to keep it away as he knows that it means the end of the South and because of his love for Blanche. There are a few white actors in 'black face' like we can see in Griffith's films of the time, though, here, the problem of slavery is not even discussed. The film has the perfect balance between battle scenes and intimate ones. The original play was the work of CB's brother, William C. de Mille.

What's His Name? (1914) with Max Figman & Lolita Robertson

Nellie (L. Robertson), the baker's daughter marries Harvey (M. Figman) the local soda jerk in Blakeville. She gives birth to a daughter. Their quiet life changes when Nellie becomes a Music Hall star. Her husband is left alone with the child to care for...

This proves to be a charming 'backstage' comedy where the wife has become a terribly vain creature who spends all her time with millionaires. The acting was very good. Some scenes were very funny as when the husband decides to commit suicide. He opens the gas and lies on his bed. Alas, unbeknown to him, it has been switched off by the gas board!

Kindling (1915) with Charlotte Walker, Thomas Meighan & Raymond Hatton

Maggie et Heine Schultz (C. Walker et T. Meighan) live in the slums of Hell's Kitchen. Maggie is terrified when she discovers she's pregnant. She doesn't want to give birth in such a place. She decides to help a burglar (R. Hatton) to get hold of the $100 needed to go West...

A brilliant social drama showing the sordid living conditions of the slums of Hell's Kitchen. The opening scenes show some young kids stealing, eating in rubbish bins or drinking hard liquor. The print was gorgeous and showed A. Wyckoff's work at his best. The film highlights the contrast between the super rich of the time where the landlady spends vast sums on her dog while renting slums for a lot of money. Hatton is very good as the bad guy, so are Meighan and Walker. Certainly one of the best DeMille pictures I have ever seen.

The Golden Chance (1915) with Cleo Ridgely, Wallace Reid and Raymond Hatton

Mary Denby (C. Ridgely) married to violent drunk, accepts a job as seamstress for the Hillarys. The Hillary couple are trying to get a millionaire Roger Manning (W. Reid) to sign a contract. To do so, they hire Mary to appear at dinner...

This is one of my favourite DeMille. It's available on DVD from Image Entertainment, but alas the print is nowhere as good as it should be. I saw a very nice 35 mm from GEH. On a big screen, Cleo Ridgely shines even more; her performance as Mary is truly superb. She is moving and understated. Wally Reid has a lot of charisma as well. The whole film is superbly built and never relent. Again the cinematography is absolutely paramount in this film with its shadows (many years before expressionism) and its glorious close-ups. Fabulous picture!

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1916) with Thomas Meighan & Charlotte Walker

A Tax Agent (T. Meighan) is sent to Virginia to curb the alcohol traffic among the moonshiners. He falls into a trap and becomes prisoner of the Tolliver clan. June Tolliver (C. Walker) has to look after the prisoner and soon falls for him...

Walker and Meighan are paired again after Kindling in this film. It's shot on locations and offers some breathtaking view of forests and mountains. Thomas Meighan is excellent, but Walker tends to overact. Still, the film has some fascinating scenes like when she has to spoonfeed the prisoner as his hand are attached. The murder of one of the Tolliver clan is also startling. The film has a great feel of authenticity about it. The print was nicely contrasted and very good quality.

A Romance of the Redwoods (1917) with Mary Pickford, Elliot Dexter and Tully Marshall

Jenny Lawrence (M. Pickford) moves to California to meet her uncle. Alas, he has been killed by Indians and an outlaw, Black Brown (E. Dexter) stole his indentity. Jenny ends up in his cabin, terrified, though her feelings for the outlaw will change slowly...

It was wonderful to see this film on a big screen after watching a rather ugly looking DVD. Pickford is really a wonderful actress. She brings to her Jenny, determination, stamina and humour. Her best scenes with Dexter brought the house down. Even the harden Cinémathèque goers had to admit that she was after all a really good actress (it just shows the amount of prejudice she is still suffering from!). The whole film is wonderfully built with humour and action in equal measure. A real winner!

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched a rather ugly looking DVD of Romance of the Redwoods too. Everyone has their preferences for which films to get a quality DVD release this is at the top of mine. The storyline is grown up and quite daring even for the time and it's a pity my DVD isn't clear enough to get the full nuances of the actors performances. It's films like this that showed me that Mary Pickford was a great actress and a daring one.

I must have got the bug too because I put on Why Change Your Wife, part of the reason this film delights me so is for the fashions and the home interiors, the actors are almost secondary. It's a good job DeMille chose to use Gloria Swanson, Thomas Meighan and Bebe Daniels all actors of considerable reknown here at the beginnings of the career.

Thanks for posting the clips Christine.

[Ann Harding]

I am so glad the site is up and running again. I was suffering withdrawal syndroms.... I have seen another DeMille silent on a big screen.

The Little American (1917) with Mary Pickford, Raymond Hatton and Jack Holt


This film follows Angela (M. Pickford) in her travel to France after her liner, the Veritania, is sunk by a German U-Boat. She is in love with a French man (R. Hatton) and a German man (J. Holt) but WWI is separating them...

This is an excellent Mary Pickford vehicle at the time when the US was on the verge of joining the conflict in Europe. It has an element of propaganda, in showing how a liner such as the Lusitania (here called Veritania!) full of civilians was sunk by the Germans. But, overall the film is very well told and avoid being too obvious. I was lucky enough to see a gorgeous tinted print from UCLA Film & TV archive. It makes such a difference from the nasty B&W and incomplete prints floating around! Mary fills the screen with her stamina and charisma. Some scenes just leap out of the screen: when Mary is being attacked by a German officer in the dark and when the light is turned on she discovers it's Jack Holt, the man she loved. Also, another stunning scene (tinted red) shows Mary walking through rubbles and falling at the feet of a statue of Christ which had lost its cross, giving a deep impression of desolation and despair. If you can catch a screening somewhere, it's well worth the effort.

[feaito]

If you can catch a screening somewhere, it's well worth the effort.

Not a chance here in Santiago!

It surely sounds like a great picture Christine. Thanks for posting the review.

[charliechaplinfan]

Not a chance in Lancashire either, thanks for posting.

[intothenitrate]

I have a nice boxed set of DeMille silents that I started re-watching. The earliest two are The Squaw Man and The Virginian, both from 1914. I guess you could say that they were "better than an Edison," but they are sooo primitive. A lot of pointing and chest beating going on. The editing is erratic and it's sometimes hard to follow from one jump cut to the next. The next one is Carmen from 1915 and it's amazing how much improved it is...almost like going from one medium to another in the space of a year.

[Ann Harding]

You know, Intothenitrate, I had exactly the same feeling when I saw the DeMille double Rose of the Rancho (1914) still very crude and The Warrens of Virginia (1915) looking so sophisticated in comparison. So 1915 was definitely a turning point in DeMille's career.

[intothenitrate]

Thanks AH. As I continue to work my way through the set, I watched Joan the Woman (1915-1916) and the technique seemed to have taken a step backwards--with the stagey composition, abrupt cutting and overly-gesticualed acting. It felt more more like the two Farnum vehicles than the version of Carmen that wowed me so much. Geraldine Farrar plays the lead in both. [She is very talented!]

I noticed that the screen adaptation for Carmen was written by William DeMille. Perhaps the synergy between the two brothers accounts for its more highly-evolved style.

When I try to explain my appreciation of silent films to "moderns," it's primarily the spirit of discovery and innovation that seems to come through. Some techniques have persisted and become part of the filmic language, while others exist only in these early flickering gems.

[MichiganJ]

As I continue to work my way through the set, I watched Joan the Woman (1915-1916) and the technique seemed to have taken a step backwards--with the stagey composition, abrupt cutting and overly-gesticualed acting. It felt more more like the two Farnum vehicles than the version of Carmen that wowed me so much. Geraldine Farrar plays the lead in both. [She is very talented!]

As an early DeMille film, I really like Joan the Woman. While not a fan of the framing device, the Joan story is handled pretty well, and includes a lot of the things DeMille would soon be known for (namely his not-so-subtle symbolism, scenes of debauchery and even some sex--albeit a bit more tastefully than in some of his later productions.) Farrar does over-emote, but even that's forgivable as she was a grand opera diva at one time. I really like the chaos in the battle scenes and in Image DVD edition includes the hand-colored torch that lights Joan's pyre, which is quite effective.

When I try to explain my appreciation of silent films to "moderns," it's primarily the spirit of discovery and innovation that seems to come through. Some techniques have persisted and become part of the filmic language, while others exist only in these early flickering gems.

That's one of the aspects that appeals to me as well. I'm always amazed at how fast the language of film was developed and accepted by audiences. Moving cameras, cutting, continuity, all that and more is fascinating to see as it develops. And the movies are pretty great, too!

[intothenitrate]

Duplicate post.

[intothenitrate]

Hear hear. (Or is it Here here--I never was sure)

Just another note about Farrar. Being somewhat spoiled by all of the luminous "screen beauties" that came along after her, I was at first pretty underwhelmed when she first came onto the screen in Carmen. She seemed rather matronly and plain-looking. Yet when she was cued to "be sexy," I was totally smitten. Funny that. And also to your point, there's a great cat-fight in the cigarette factory that goes on a little longer than it might have needed to.

Both Spielberg and Scorsese described DeMille's approach to film "operatic," so I guess that all comes together in these early examples, stylistically and literally.

[Gagman 66]

Christine,

I have a fine recording of a very nice print of THE LITTLE AMERICAN from George Eastman House that aired on AMC in 1996. Why this film has not been released by Milestone in a restored version I am not sure? They are releasing POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL, and THE HOODLUM soon, which both premiered on our TCM last month. Each delightful movies. The newly restored 2006 restoration of SPARROWS with Jeffry Mark Silverman score is also forth-coming hopefully in the early Spring. But I still hold out hope for a well produced DVD of LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY. I would like to see Milestone get to LITTLE POPPINA, JOHANNA ENLISTS, and yes, ROMANCE OF THE REDWOODS as well. Incidentally, THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE was remade in 1923 with Mary Miles Minter as June. That version is probably lost today, though I sincerely hope not. Who knows what that Russian Archive has?

Hey, please talk to me already OK? Still holding a grudge over a little misunderstanding after nearly 2 years is silly, pointless and counter productive.