WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched Svengali, I hadn't read the label on the DVD and my mind had told me that it was Lionel Barrymore who was the star, first I marvelled at how his makeup made him completely unrecogniseable as Svengali, in fact he looked more like John Barrymore. I'd read somewhere that an MGM photographer took a portrait of all three of the Barrymore's together and said that in the flesh they looked identical, so I thought that must be it. By the time he got Tribly in his power I realised that actually it was John, silly me.

This cleared up, I really enjoyed the film. Perhaps John Barrymore overplays a little for today's audiences but he had me hooked as well as Trilby. The story is certainly a precode story, couldn't imagine it being made in the same way after 1934. The sets are magnificent and the portrayals by both Marian Marsh and John Barrymore make for a compelling film.

Does anyone know was the story santised for Hollywood or adbridged?

[jdb1]

Alison, I can't recall if I've ever actually read the book itself, but I've read about the book. I know that the story was first published as a serial in a magazine in the 1890s. I think that the story deals more with the lives of the artists, since it reflects the author, Du Maurier's, experiences as an art student in Paris in the mid-1800s. I do know that James Whistler sued Du Maurier for defamation or something like it because one of the characters is considered a thinly-veiled version of Whistler. I think that there is much anti-Sematism in the book as well, in the very negative portrayal of Svengali as an unscrupulous and greedy predator.

Then there are those Trilby hats, which were popularized in the London stage version of the book (which, as you probably know, is called "Trilby," not "Svengali.")

[charliechaplinfan]

Yes, I thought there must have been a connection with the hats and the name.

What made me ask about the storyline is that I know it to be controversial although there is enough in the film to confirm that view, I wondered if there was anything in there that was too risque to put on film. Svengali in this production looked like various portrayals of Fagin that I've seen over the years, although in terms of portrayals that I've seen on film the Svengali character predates the versions of Oliver Twist that I've seen.

[myrnaloyisdope]

I love The Red Mill, it's a great vehicle of Davies, and I thought it very bold of her to appear sans make-up, thus making her transformation very striking. I don't think it was mentioned but the film was directed by Fatty Arbuckle under the pseudonym "William Goodrich", ironic given the Hearst connection. Also the TCM print is one of the best restorations I've yet seen.

I watched several films this past week:

Exit Smiling - After all the raves here, I decided to check this one out, and was very impressed. Bea Lillie is a sublime comedienne, a shame it's her only silent film, as her style was completely unique. Someone commented that she was like a female Buster Keaton, which is fairly apt. I love how she carries herself with such austerity and dignity, even as she is causing calamity after calamity. My favorite sequence: after finally becoming a vamp, Lillie makes her grand exit and pulls the curtains shut, only to have the curtain rod fall on her head, to which she responds by taking a couple of subtle yet very dignified bows as if to acknowledge the audience. It's brilliant. I really wish there was more of her work to devour.

Pollyanna - Continuing on with my budding Mary Pickford fixation, I checked this one out, and it's certainly watchable, but seems like a lesser work. I'm starting to appreciate Pickford's ability to play kids, and do so quite convincingly. She has the body and the mannerisms to do it. The film itself doesn't have much to recommend it save for Pickford, and the final 15 minutes are needlessly saccharine.

Little Lord Fauntleroy - More Pickford, though this one was more enjoyable. Pickford is a lot of fun in the dual role, and though she really isn't convincing as a boy, she's still engaging, and somehow it never distracts. I'm amazed at how skillful Charles Rosher is, the dual Mary scenes are so fluid, thanks entirely to Rosher's mastery of the double exposure. The set design of the film is quite striking too, Pickford really did go all out to make her films look good.

Mikael - The earliest Dreyer film I've seen, I was primarily interested in watching the film for its reputation as an early homosexuality-themed film, though I'm fond of Dreyer's work. The plot concerns a successful painter, The Master (Benjamin Christensen) who falls in love with his young protege/model Mikael (Walter Slezak). Things are smooth until Mikael falls for a vampish princess who has eyes on The Master's fortune. Death, corruption, unrequited love, these are all Dreyer-esque themes. But it doesn't real feel like a Dreyer film. Stylistically it's quite ordinary, and it plays like a standard drawing room drama. It's bleak, but not unrelentingly so, and as such it never quite reaches the depths of despair I expect from Dreyer.

White Fawn's Devotion- I've been trying to track down films that have designated for preservation by the National Film Registry, and so that's how I heard about this 10 minute film from 1910. It's reputedly the first film made by and starring Native Americans. Well, let's just say it's pretty bad. The camera is completely static, the acting is supremely melodramitic, and although there's a couple of cuts, the majority of the film takes place in front of a cabin, with one long, static shot and all the actors appearing in the one shot. It's interesting as curiousity, and well it's better than The Squaw Man.

[charliechaplinfan]

I loved Mary's performance as Dearest in Little Lord Fauntelroy, she captured the grace and sweetness of Dearest so well, quite the oppostie to Cedric. I had heard that Mary employed extremely tall people on this film to bring even greater authenticity to the age of Cedric.

[charliechaplinfan]

Just had a lovely treat, I spent 90 minutes watching The Wind complete with Carl Davis score. I think this is my favorite Lillian Gish film, even if the ending is tacked on because the public wanted a happy ending. Personally I think it would be too bleak if she went out into the wind and never came back, even if that was the original ending, they way they did it was a little cheesy but I love the end shot.

I found the music remarkable, this is a film that could be runied by the wrong soundtrack but the Carl Davis score really compliments the crushing wind outside. Lillian's performance is amazing, she's totally convincing as the girl from Virginia who gets more and more scared to the point of hysteria about the wind. She's childlike too, not seeming to realise what her marriage means in terms of love and work. Lars Hanson compliments her so well and gives a great performance, slowly changing as he falls in love with Letty and sees her being destroyed by the wind. It is an artistic masterpiece, it's one of the truly great silents, today the wind would be done by CGI in 1928 it was Lillian and Lars up against unbearable temperatures and 8 wind machines driving the sand relentlessly onwards. I don't think anyone had a ball making that film but what a film.

Now comes the question, geography not being my strong point, if Letty was travelling from Virginia to stay with her cousin, where colud she have been going in the USA that has such difficult weather? I always forget that America is so much bigger then the UK and the weather variation can be vast.

[silentscreen]

Alison,

Letty moves to West Texas. I think everything was extremely exaggerated in the film, but West Texas is pretty much the armpit of the state. I live in north central Texas, and when the wind gets up, it's so flat here there's nothing to stop it. Of course the part about all the sand seems OTT to me. The film was shot in the Mojave desert in California though, and they used big wind machines.

[Gagman 66]

I'm really surprised that No one here has mentioned this impending DVD release on July 7th from Flicker Alley since it was officially announced a couple weeks back? LOST FILMS OF JOHN GILBERT/ If you pre-order now there is a $10.00 discount. BARDELYS THE MAGNIFICENT (1926) will feature 2 scores. The new one just recorded in March by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, and the Antonio Coppolla piano score from France 3 last October, which was quite good. MONTE CRISTO (1922) is also featured. Plus a fresh 30 Minute Min-documentary on John Gilbert. The major significance of this release is that BARDELYS will be the first ever King Vidor Silent out on official DVD. It is also highly worthy of note that this film was considered lost for 70 years! All prints had been believed destroyed in 1936, the same year that John Gilbert died. Until an incomplete print was uncovered in France in 2006. That's an incredible story on it's own. Here is the direct link. And Flicker Alley accepts Paypal.


http://flickeralley.com/fa_btm_mc_01.html


In a related note, We learned from David Shepard that the contract to broadcast BARDELYS THE MAGNIFICENT is still in the negotiations stage. So I don't know when we might be seeing it run on TCM? Maybe not even until next year sometime? Who knows? I was wondering if anyone had additional details on another rare Gilbert movie? I recently ran across this highly intriguing Lobby-Card with Jack Young and Handsome in Military attire. This looks like it may have been one of his major Fox Features? A forgotten movie entitled "HONOR FIRST (1922)" The film is probably lost today? Most of his Fox tenure is considered long gone. Sadly, almost all of the films were burned up in the great 1937 Fox Studios Vault Fire that year. However, I recently ran some reviews that seem to be from people who had actually seen the film?

Gilbert plays a dual-role as Twins! One Mean and twisted the other a hero. Probably the only film in which Jack had such a part. On top of that Renee Adoree is his leading lady! Probably for the first time in her career. Somebody find this movie! John and Renee prior to THE BIG PARADE in a another World War 1 Drama! There is probably a print sitting in some old library someplace or in Argentina in Roberto Di Chiara's old Archive? The people now in charge likely have no idea what it even is???? Remember Kevin Brownlow said that there must be many, many lost Silent films sitting around in old film cans all over the globe, because the titles just don't register with anyone??? Just to clarify, I shrank this image as much as I could to meet SSO guidelines. It's still probably to big, but I can't do anything about it. So please understand.




HONOR FIRST (Fox, 1922) Vintage Lobby-Card.

[moira finnie]

Thanks for the reminder about the forthcoming Bardelys the Magnificent (1926). I hope that an upcoming broadcast of the film on TCM will occur too. You mention that two scores, one by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, and the other a piano score by Antonio Coppolla piano score have been recorded and characterization of one as "quite good" indicates that you've heard it, Gagman. Have you also had a chance to see the film in whatever restoration stage it had been prepared?
Thanks again for the heads up, Gagman.

[Gagman 66]

moirafinnie,

Yes, I have seen BARDELYS THE MAGNIFICENT and it is an excellent feature, despite the missing 3rd reel. The film ran with the Coppolla Piano score on France 3 last October. I managed to harness a copy through the generosity of a friend there. Sad to say, we have lost touch. But i still try to reach her from time to time. Anyway, this movie dramatically exceeded my expectations. Especially considering that King Vidor didn't hold it in high regard. Gilbert and Eleanor Boardman or a more romantic couple than Gilbert and Garbo. Although, I still think Renee Adoree was Jacks best leading lady.

I hope that TCM will run the movie too. But right now no agreement has yet been made between TCM and Flicker Alley to broadcast the film. :'( I just asked for a John Gilbert Night last week. We should all do the same. To be frank, I don't really know if TCM will show MONTE CRISTO at all? But BARDELYS THE MAGNIFICENT is an MGM Silent still under copyright, and technically Warner's property. The problem is that the longer that things drag on after the DVD release, the less likely that it would receive a Prime-time premier. Hope they at least mention the release on the July report next month. That would be nice.

:-[ Maybe they will wait until after the new version of THE BIG PARADE is ready to be aired before running BARDELYS? Who knows when that might be? The project has been placed on the back burner year after year, and this seems to have happened yet again? Apparently, it just didn't fit into this years budget. That in-spite of more promises about a year ago that THE BIG PARADE would definitely be one of several MGM Silents on official DVD for the first time to celebrate MGM's 85th Anniversary in 2009. With the year better then half over, and nothing apparently in production at all, it looks like the chances of this still happening appears remote at best.

Eventually Warner's might give in, and abandoned plans for the major MGM Silents not yet on DVD. Make them available on-line through Warner Archive instead. I doubt it though. The Carl Davis and Robert Israel scores making the prospect all the more unlikely.

The most likely Gilbert Silent to receive a newly commissioned score that doesn't have one yet is probably TWELVE MILES OUT. If for no other reason then Joan Crawford. I mean they scored ACROSS TO SINGAPORE, despite the surviving print being in very sub-par shape, and William Haines SPRING FEVER, as well, strictly because both had Joan in them. At least in my opinion. I haven't seen TWELVE MILES OUT at all. So it would be a good choice from that angle. If they intend as announced to make the entire library available eventually, they can't do that if they don't keep scoring more Silents.

As much as I would like to see THE COSSACKS, or MAN, WOMAN & SIN,, anything with Crawford figures to take precedence. They even scored THE BOOB and Crawford was barely in it. Not a very good movie either. The fact that Warner Archive hasn't put out OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS might indicate that they intend to re-master that picture. And certainly it could use it, get that Hair out of the Telecine for goodness sake! I think OUR MODERN MAIDENS looks fine though.

[phil noir]

The night before last I watched The Affairs of Anatol (1921). Underneath all the aspirational clothes and furnishings, it was a pretty sour story of matrimonial cross and double-cross. I was interested to see Wallace Reid for the first time, and he reminded me of a character from Scott Fitzgerald - handsome but somewhat raddled and weary (and he was only thirty at the time). The problem I had was that his character was so unsympathetic. At best he was a bit of a chump; at worst...

In the film, he and Gloria Swanson were newly weds, yet he insisted on helping other women to the detriment of his relationship with Gloria. Apparently in the original play, his character had affairs with these other women, and by removing this detail, I suppose the film-makers intended both to circumvent censorship and to make his part more likeable. For me, it didn't really work. The first woman he helps is Wanda Hawley, an old friend from school, now the mistress of an industrialist. He wants to raise her up from her 'fallen' status, but when he finds out she has tricked him and has gone back to her protector, he is furious and smashes up her flat and all the furniture in it. This scene is really protracted and uncomfortable to watch, and I couldn't help thinking (a) what is the audience meant to think of him for doing this? and (b) his actions would make more sense if he had been having an affair with Wanda, and was venting his sexual jealousy.

I had always understood that Cecil B. de Mille's silent films were more stylish and sophisticated than his sound films, and I suppose the story was; yet the camera seldom did anything very interesting except to record the beautiful people and clothes and settings. Occasionally something fresh was tried - one character spying on another by watching her in the mirror of her compact; the silhouettes of an illicit couple thrown onto a curtain - but mostly it wasn't. Agnes Ayres and Monte Blue had smallish roles as a farmer and his dishonest wife, and I thought they were quite funny; but the funniest thing about Bebe Daniels' character was her name - Satan Synne. From this, I would have to say I don't think de Mille was a very good director of comedy: there wasn't much spark from any of the large and famous cast. Still, I was very glad to have seen it and did enjoy it - and you can't love every silent film as much as Sunrise or City Girl or Sherlock Junior or... etc.

[MichiganJ]

phil noir wrote:

Last night I had the pleasure of watching Marion Davies in The Red Mill (1927), which I thoroughly enjoyed. For eighty minutes I sat with a smile on my face except for when I was laughing out loud. She is such a clever comedian

Phil Noir, I totally agree with your review of The Red Mill. It had many laugh out loud moments and Davies proves herself, yet again, to be quite the comedian. I really enjoyed the mud-pack scene, too, but thought Davies' 'non-made-up' face was adorable. All those freckles!

Other highlights for me were the slapstick episode with the ironing board. I thought it was worthy of Lucille Ball and howled when Marion and the board were flat on the floor and Marion attempts to "sneak up" on it. The frozen Marion was a hoot, too, especially when she smiles, breaking the ice around her mouth.

I didn't realize the film was directed by "William Goodrich", aka Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and he did a terrific job. I loved the way he moved his camera, particularly during the ice skating sequence and he captures some real menace at the film's climax (loved what happens to Seigmann). Arbuckle's staging of the "Romeo and Juliet" balcony sequence is perfect, with just the right amount of romance and comedy (I love how he focused on Davies' hands during the kiss). The only thing Arbuckle missed is a coda with Ignatz.

It's fascinating that Arbuckle directed a film for Davies (apparently at her insistence), considering it was Davies' "boyfriend", Hearst, whose newspapers contributed enormously to the outrage that was Arbuckle's "scandal", leading to his banishment from Hollywood. Judging by this film, Arbuckle would have easily balanced the knock-about slapstick he was known for (pre-scandal), with real story and character development and had a long career in front of as well as behind the camera. What a loss.

[JackFavell]

Thank you thank you for that review of The Red Mill! I have it, just haven't watched it yet.... but now it has moved to the top of my list, because I had no idea that it was Will B. Good who directed.... I agree, what a loss.... I have always thought Roscoe would have gone on to do some great movies had this overblown scandal not destroyed the man and his career.

[phil noir]

The only thing Arbuckle missed is a coda with Ignatz.

I know! I was waiting for that too.

It's fascinating that Arbuckle directed a film for Davies (apparently at her insistence), considering it was Davies' "boyfriend", Hearst, whose newspapers contributed enormously to the outrage that was Arbuckle's "scandal", leading to his banishment from Hollywood. Judging by this film, Arbuckle would have easily balanced the knock-about slapstick he was known for (pre-scandal), with real story and character development and had a long career in front of as well as behind the camera. What a loss.

That is a paradox, isn't it? I suppose Hearst did know who was directing the film? Perhaps he was back East when The Red Mill was being made, and the pseudonym was enough to fool him. (Although I suppose gossip would have got back; or he would have had his spies on set.) Or maybe Marion Davies wanted to make some small amends to Arbuckle and was able to insist. I have read that she was very generous to many of the people she worked with.

JackFavell, you will love the Red Mill, I'm sure. Have you seen The Patsy? It's on a par with that, I'd say.

[JackFavell]

No, I am woefully behind on my silents, and especially with Marion Davies. Thanks for the heads up, I think I have a copy of The Patsy as well.