MADEMOISELLE MIDNIGHT (1924)

[drednm]

Finally got around to watching this 1924 Mae Murray film, which I've had for years. I ran it through an editing software and lightened it and made it sepia colored so I could read the titles, then (badly) tacked on a music track.

Complex historical romance with Murray playing a descendant of the notorious Mademoiselle Midnight, her frolicking grandmother who got banished to Mexico from Napoleon's court. On the rancho, Murray's father is killed and she is forced to go live with her nefarious uncle who claims her mad (like her grandmother) and locks her up so he can steal the rancho. There's also some political stuff going on between Mexico and the USA. Monte Blue plays the American hero, and Johnny Arthur is the comic cousin.

Aside from the comic bits Murray does, such as a bull fight scene at the rancho and her Mexican hat dance at the big fiesta (these scenes seem speeded up quite a bit), she's surprisingly good in the dramatic scenes. She wears a black wig and often looks like Gloria Swanson. While I like her in The Merry Widow she seemed there more a personality than an actress. Mademoiselle Midnight is one of Murray's rare surviving 20s features available to the general public. Several are in archives; most are likely lost.

One story online has it that MGM bought out Tiffany Productions and never renewed any copyrights. MGM may also have used Tiffany's nitrate library for the burning of Atlanta scene in GWTW.

[Jay Salsberg]

According to Hollywood legend (read: old unsubstantiated rumor), the nitrate collections from both Tiffany and Sono-Art/World Wide were used as kindling to set the Great Wall of KONG ablaze.

[drednm]

One or the other or both.... how sad.

[Frederica]

According to Hollywood legend (read: old unsubstantiated rumor), the nitrate collections from both Tiffany and Sono-Art/World Wide were used as kindling to set the Great Wall of KONG ablaze.

We discussed this one a while back:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11567" target="_blank" target="_blank

[drednm]

Thanks for the link..... I had forgotten this thread.

[drednm]

Would love to see this one.....

[entredeuxguerres]

Now THAT above is more like it! "Complex historical drama"...? Well, OK, if built around someone like Arliss, but give me Mae as a jazz-baby, preferably in or around Times Square.