WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[charliechaplinfan]

Not yet, do tell us more.

I watched The Italian a film about Italian immigrants made by Thomas Ince in 1915 starring a well known theatre actor of the time George Beban. It's starts very interestingly, George Beban is seen taking down a book whilst sitting in a very pleasant room and takes us on the journey into the book. The first scenes aren't very compelling, they are set in Italy and set the structure of the story. Beppo and Annette want to marry but an old rich merchant wants to marry Annette. Annette's father gives Beppo a year to get some money together to support his daughter. Beppo goes to America and within a year he sends for Annette and marries her in his new country, very soon a child is born making their happiness complete. The film is a little over stated but for the time the acting is quite good and lots of extra touches are added by the director in terms of secondary characters and plot development. Happiness soons turns to tragedy as Beppo's child gets sick, money is needed for pastuerised milk but Beppo gets robbed before he can buy the milk, a fight ensues when Beppo stops the men who have absconded with his money. Beppo is sent to jail, very touchingly when he is released he finds his baby has died. The acting is as good as anything that has come since. Further developments take Beppo to the home of a rich politician whose baby is sick but who has aid to save his baby, Beppo plans to endanger the baby's life but as he gazes on the baby he cannot do it any harm.

The best thing about this film is the setting and the detail, the added touches, the feeling that it really is a window into the immigrant's world of the past and just how tough it was for the immigrants to make a place for themselves and provide for their family. This film was apparently used as research by Francis Ford Coppola when making The Godfather Part 2 to added realism to his flashbacks into Vito's life.

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched La Terre a French silent from Andre Antoine adapted from a novel by Emile Zola. It's the tale of an elderly farmer who, as he is too old to farm his land splits it between his three children who then turn into absolute monsters who become petty with their parents and turn into absolute monsters, the poor old farmer is left with nothing and apart from the farmer there is only one redeeming character in the whole film. It's bleak but at the same time not unremitting, it's a crisp film with a great score and looks a more modern silent in style.

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched Storm over Mont Blanc this weekend. I didn't really expect much storyline, I've seen The White Hell of Pitz Palu and was just mesmerised by the scenery. This was no different, I'm absolutely amazed by the scenes that are filmed. If you like to see the wilderness of the Alps from the comfort of your armchair this is the film to watch. Directed by Arnold Fanck who was known to put his stars through hell to get a good shot. Leni Reifenstahl stars in this like she did in the previous Pitz Palu, one can only imagine Hitler saw these films before he engaged her to make Triumph of the Will.

[MichiganJ]

Watched the laserdisc of the 1929 version of Show Boat, a part-talkie (with a substantial section missing all of its audio--although apparently since the laserdisc was released some of the missing audio elements have, apparently, been recovered). Like other part-talkies, the dialogue sequences seem to be from another movie entirely. The film's momentum stops dead once the gab starts, although, to be fair, editing partially hides the lack of camera movement, etc, which is prominent in the silent sequences. The missing sound, however, isn't really a problem, as subtitles appear for dialogue, and since much of the film was already silent, it isn't much of a distraction.

What is a distraction, however, is the film's plot. Based on Ferber's novel and not necessarily the famous Broadway show, the 1929 version simply ignores the racial elements in the novel's plot. Here, Parthy fires Julie simply because Parthy is jealous of her daughter Magnolia's devotion to Julie. Because of this change in plot, Parthy's motives are questionable, and she comes off simply as a cold, mean-hearted mother.

The rest of the story is pretty much the same and Laura La Plante is fine as a grown Magnolia. (Although, for my taste, the period hair-styles do little to show off her looks. Also, considering the time-frame the plot spans, La Plante never appears to really age.) Joseph Schildkraut is also quite good as Gaylord.

[drednm]

You need to see the 1933 talkie SOS Iceberg, which stars Riefenstahl along with Rod La Rocque and Gibson Gowland. My review from IMDb:

Amazing adventure film made in Greenland as a co-production of the USA and Germany. The film has a documentary feel to it and although filmed in both English and German versions, much of the film is silent.

Rod La Rocque stars as an explorer who gathers an expedition team to find the files and whereabouts of an explorer who died in the Arctic. Once there, they realize they are too late because the ice is melting and the explorer is likely on the other side on a vast fjord. So La Rocque sets out by himself and becomes lost as well.

The rest of the team then sets out after La Rocque. German actor Sepp Rist becomes the new leader of the team, which include famed silent actor, Gibson Gowland who starred in GREED.

After the team loses a sled carrying their food and most of the sled dogs (they fall in an ice cave) the men now face starvation as well as exposure to the elements. In an attempts to cross the fjord they end up on a giant iceberg that breaks away from the mainland. They a adrift.

They make radio contact just before their batteries die, and La Rocque's wife (Leni Riefenstahl--infamous German filmmaker and actress) sets out to rescue them. But as she approaches the ice berg, her plane crashes and she is stranded with them.

The story is quite good, but it's the real footage of Greenland that is totally amazing. The shots of the frozen north, the icebergs, and the freezing Atlantic serve as a spectacular backdrop for the story. The aerial shots of rescue planes are also stunning.

The filming of the iceberg as it breaks apart and rolls in the ocean as it seeks a new balancing point is a one-of-a-kind scene.

Despite the star status of La Rocque and Riefenstahl, Rist and Gowland steal the film, which is beautifully directed by Tay Garnett with lots of closeups. This is a must-see film!

[charliechaplinfan]

I'll have to look out for that one then, if the scenery is as stunning as in the previous films I've seen, it will be worth a look.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've just finished watching The Penalty, well it wouldn't get passed in the precode era never mind after. We have a man who gets away scot free with a murder, a nude model, a prostitute picking up customers and a deranged maniac. The storyline was quite refreshing and not at all expected, the storyline took second place to me looking at Blizzard played by Lon Chaney as I was thinking, 'How does he do that?' I think this has to be my favorite Chaney film so far. It's very chilling, more believeable than some of his characters, it is accompanied by a wandering sound track.

[charliechaplinfan]

This afternoon I watched Go West, the only Keaton feature I hadn't seen, this was probably as close as Keaton gets to Chaplin, playing Friendless . It was a pleasant film but by no means Keaton's best, it didn't seem to have the same intricacy ot attention to detail as some of his other offerings and I felt the character of Friendless was quite poorly drawn. Still the stampede scenes at the end were very funny. Couldn't help but think of Red River at some points. It's quite a mixed message at the end, he gets to keep Brown Eyes but ends up taking the rest to slaughter.

A couple of nods at Griffith, first the name Brown Eyes was reminiscient of names Griffith's would use and the second was Keaton propping his mouth up just as Lillian Gish does in Broken Blossoms.

[movieman1957]

I agree Alison. It is fun Keaton but it is not quite to the level of "Our Hospitality" and others. The first time I saw it I got a kick of how "Brown Eyes" was introduced. Some slick gags and the stampede was fun.

[feaito]

Yesterday I saw the Silent comedy “Two Arabian Knights” (1927) of which I did not expect much and I luckily I got much more in return, because the comedy is quite hilarious. The interaction of Bill Boyd and Louis Wolheim in this funny film is fantastic, quite reminiscent of Victor McLaglen’s and Edmund Lowe’s Quirk and Flagg characters. Lewis Milestone’s direction and the film’s pacing are very good. Sadly, there are many sections of the footage which are in very bad shape, but, on the other hand, thank God this film survived up to our days. Mary Astor has little more to do than looking fetching. Ian Keith plays an Arabic villain. A pleasant surprise!

[MichiganJ]

I agree feaito, Two Arabian Knights is very funny. Although the plot borrows (steals?) a lot from What Price Glory? I think this light-hearted romp is the precursor to the Hope/Crosby/Lamour Road pictures. Great fun.

[feaito]

Hi Michigan! I agree with you. I hadn't thought about the similarity with the "Road" Pictures.

Also, I forgot to mention the excellent Robert Israel score.

[JackFavell]

I love Two Arabian Knights, it is the film I would pick first to show someone who wanted to get into silents but hadn't actually seen one yet. It's so much fun.

Love the Hope/Crosby comparison!

[drednm]

I agree too. I don't like Victor McLaglen much but this was a delightful film, full of surprises.

I watched The Sky Pilot this weekend and Fig Leaves.

I liked the first film. Simple story, good actors (John Bowers, Colleen Moore, and David Butler), directed by King Vidor in 1921. The second film was a dreary dud despite George O'Brien, Olive Borden, and Phyllis Haver.

[charliechaplinfan]

I really like Victor Maclaglen, he's got to have been one of life's good guys. Note, I know nothing about him apart from his films and the fact he was a boxer, has a kind face and it's probably John Ford's take on him I like.

Chris, Go West would be at the bottom of my list of Keaton's features but I would watch it again, I get a kick out of watching Buster Keaton.