WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[charliechaplinfan]

I knew you'd like it

[Ann Harding]

Yesterday, I watched Regeneration (1915) By Raoul Walsh. I have always been curious about this early Walsh feature because of its subject dealing with gangsters in the slums. The film follows the fate of Owen born in slum, soon orphaned and adopted by a couple who exploits him. Later, he becomes a 'bad guy', but in this kind of social evironment, it isn't surprising. His regeneration will come from meeting a society girl who had decided to dedicate her life to the poor.
The film hasn't got any trace of sentimentality. Like in later Walsh pictures, the leading lady (here Anna Q. Nilsson) is no sob sister. She acts and tries her best to improve the life of the poors. She even falls in love with Owen in spite of his background. It's pretty obvious that Walsh learned his trade with Griffith. We have the same kind of attention to details, but Walsh brings his own clear eyed view of people's life.
Very interesting silent!!!

[drednm]

I watched THE YANKEE CLIPPER (1927), which Kevin Brownlow had recommended to me. He was showing the film recently on some tour of Ireland.

Standard drama but I enjoyed the well-done scenes of the clipper ship in a raging storm. Very well done.

William Boyd starred as the captain. Elinor Fair was the leading lady in massive hoop skirts. Junior Coghlin was the cabin boy, and John Miljan and Walter Long were the bad guys. Aside from the sea storms, the best scene was when Long chased the kid up the mast and out onto the yard arm.

Walter Long was probably one of the great villains of the silent screen.

[Ann Harding]

Yesterday I watched Von Sternberg's Underworld (1927) with Evelyn Brent, George Bancroft & Clive Brook. This is probably one of the first real gangster picture of the history of cinema: violent shoot out, bank robbery and ganster's molls abound! This splendid silent shows what a great director Joseph von Sternberg already was in the silent days, in his pre-Dietrich years. Bull Weed (G. Bancroft) is harden criminal living solely on his loot, robbing banks and jewellers. His moll, the beautiful Feathers (E. Brent) likes the easy life she gets out of it. Until she meets 'Rolls-Royce' (C. Brook), a pal of of Bull who has become a bum and an alcoholic. Bull gives him some money to give him a chance to regain his dignity. Slowly, Feathers is attracted to 'Rolls-Royce'....
First of all, the real shock I got in this movie was that Clive Brook can actually ACT!!!! I have seen him in so many films where he was so incredibly wooden... Here, as Rolls-Royce, he actually comes alive! Evelyn Brent is already the perfect Sternbergian heroine: cool, smart and sensual. George Bancroft is the perfect coarse gangster. I wouldn't be surprised if Hawks didn't remember the final shoot-out for Scarface...
Great picture!!!! Thanks Jeffrey.

[Gagman 66]

Christine,

UNDERWORLD was a hugely popular film at the time of it's release. Other gangster pictures soon followed such as WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS, and THE RACKET. So it definitely started a trend.

Bancroft is very good in the few films I have seen him in. I am a big Evelyn Brent fan, and she is great in this movie. Yes, Clive Brook was a very good actor in Silent's. Wait until you see his performance opposite Pola Negri in Rowland V. Lee's BARBED WIRE (Also 1927) A film that I think is among the great overlooked Silent's of the 1920's.

I added the musical score to UNDERWORLD from vintage recordings. I was happy with most of it. I would love to see an official DVD release in the future though. John has indicated that Paramount might finally be ready to start issuing some of it's Silents? Let's hope so anyway! Von Sternberg's THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK, and THE LAST COMMAND are both a must! As are James Cruze Epics such as THE COVERED WAGON, and OLD IRONSIDES. And what about Herbert Brennon's BEAU GESTE?

[charliechaplinfan]

This post should follow on quite nicely. I watched The Last Command last night.

Directed by Von Sternberg and starring Emil Jannings, Evelyn Brent and William Powell. Emil Jannings plays a cousin of the Czar, a general in command of the Czar's army. He has escaped to America and is living in Los Angeles. He's name is in a list of extra's that is being looked through by a director, Powell. He is asked to report the next morning and is given a general's uniform to wear. With much dignity, he pins his medal from his days serving the Czar on to his uniform. Then we get the flashback. We see the general inspecting the troups and we also see the director and Evelyn Brent. They are revolutionaries, they are helping to overthrow the regime. I'm not going to spoil the plot, it needs to be watched. I didn't imagine that Emil Jannings would ever bring tears to my eyes but he did. It's his best performance.

[feaito]

Yesterday I watched "Liliom" (1930)

The two things that most impressed me about this film were the art direction - the use of perspective and of shadow and light is simply superb- and the amazing expressionistic art-déco sets (or so I perceived them).

I’d never seen any of the other films based upon Molnar’s play; neither the 1956 smash-hit musical “Carousel” nor the 1934 French film starring Charles Boyer.

Charles Farrell manages to give quite an energetic performance, but he doesn’t succeed in the role; his voice is absolutely wrong for Liliom’s character. I have liked him more in the Silents I’ve seen him perform (“Seventh Heaven” (1927), “Street Angel” (1928) and “The River” (1929)), but then, this is the first sound picture of him that I have ever seen. I think that some critics have been extreme to say that he was totally wrong for the role though.

Farrell’s acting style is very different to Rose Hobart’s, whose stage experience is apparent. She gives a sensitive, subdued performance, but I would not say either that her performance as Julie is totally successful. She has very fine moments and she’s a good actress though.

I must say that the two leads’ relationship was quite reminiscent of Trina & Bill of Borzage’s “Man’s Castle” (1933)

Notwithstanding some marvelous sequences (especially the “train to heaven” segment) and shots in exquisite perspective, sadly, the early talkie stiffness, lack of camera movement and of incidental musical (which would have been ideal for this particular film) affects the movie.

In all, a very worthwhile, unique chance of watching a very rare Borzage film, in which we can see his transition from Silent to Sound Pictures; it’d been much successful a Silent, unless Borzage would have filmed it around 1933-1934 when he mastered the Sound technique completely.

Thanks Christine for giving me the privilege of watching this ultra-rare Borzage .

[drednm]

THE LAST COMMAND is a magnificent film and as you say, CCF, probably Janning's best performance. Certainly on of the great screen performances....

[charliechaplinfan]

The Last Command is so moving, I don't know if others have found it to be so.

Last night I watched The Divine Lady the story of Emma Hamilton starring Corinne Griffth (beautiful) and Victor Varconi as Nelson. I'm used to the version with Larry and Viv however this pictures has it's merits, particularly the views of Naples and the scenes filmed at sea. Corinne Griffith is another star of the era who isn't known that well today. She should be.

[Ann Harding]

Fernando: I have seen the Fritz Lang version of Liliom. It's also somewhat disappointing in my memory though Boyer is certainly better suited in the title role. I just found Molnar's story a bit hoary and hard to swallow....nevertheless, like you say, it's interesting for its set design.

I too watched The Last Command (1928). I would rate it among the best silents I have ever seen. Sternberg manages to blur reality and fiction in the most amazing way. Evelyn Brent looks like an earlier image of Marlene Dietrich: same oval-shaped face, cool and collected exuding sexiness. William Powell is his usual excellent self in a supporting part and Emil Jannings suprised me greatly, like CCFan, he was indeed very moving. The kind of humiliation he has to go through as an extra in Hollywood is just incredible...and probably very accurate: extras were indeed cattle in those days! Truly an amazing film! I hope Paramount will release it at some point!!! Thanks a lot Jeffrey!!!

[Synnove]

I have been watching Napoleon in installments, thanks to Jeffrey! Now I'm finished, and I have to say, this is an amazing film. It is not overrated. I agree with everything already said about it.

It's tantalizing, and a bit frustrating, to think that there is more of the film available than shownin the Coppola edit.

[bdp]

As far as von Sternberg's films, I much prefer The Docks of New York to The Last Command. Last Command seems to almost have a sort of comic book quality to it as far as the revolution/spy aspects of the story.

[Ann Harding]

That's funny Kyle, but that's precisely the 'comic-book' quality of the Revolution scenes which gave the film its edge I feel. By the end of it, you are left wondering if reality was in the scenes during the Revolution or on a Hollywood stage. Jannings manages to show his courage only in front of a camera, replaying his life so to speak. I don't know, but I found the whole concept absolutely amazing.

Yesterday I watched Two Arabian Knights (1927) by Lewis Milestone with William Boyd, Louis Wolheim and Mary Astor. This is an amusing buddy comedy starting in a POW camp from where the two heroes escape, before travelling on a ship to Arabia...
I read what Mary Astor had to say about this picture in her excellent book 'A Life on Film'. She describes the appalling conditions of the shooting of the scene where she drowns and the two men come to her rescue."We worked on a freighter out on San Pedro harbor and the water was cold, murky and oily. Bill, Wolly and I had to go into the water for medium shots and close-ups. And they were a lot of them. I was about to drown, literally, from the metal cloth weighing me down and the veil under my nose clung to my face and cut out most my air. We had to do the whole thing in very short bits or we would have sunk and after each shot we had to be hauled aboard and warmed up and given a shot of brandy, for San Pedro's waters in the spring are just this side of ice. We were all-drunk, half-frozen and half-nauseous by the taste and smell of oil and salt water." The film has its nice moments, even if Astor hasn't got much to do. Milestone is still a director I am a bit puzzled about. He produced this masterpiece All Quiet on The Western Front, but he also made some very tepid comedies.... nevertheless, I enjoyed the film if only for Wolheim's mugging and quirks!

[charliechaplinfan]

I liked the 'comic book' feel to the scenes in the Revolution. I think Jannings played the General superbly especially in the scenes were he was cast as an extra and when he comes face to face with William Powell after all those years, well it's extremely underplayed, especially for Jannings. I never thought a Janings performance would have me on the edge of tears.

Thanks for the excerpt of Mary Astor's book, it's very interesting. She's quite a good raconteur. I've only read the bit were she talked about kissing Clark Gable and the way she tell's it, it's so funny and so unromantic.

[MissGoddess]

I recorded The Bitter Tea of General Yen (which I have seen, years ago) and Mary Stevens, M.D. (which I have not) and I'm taking both with me on my trip so I can watch them on the plane.