What's The Last Silent Movie You Watched? [2014-15]

[s.w.a.c.]

Finally watched the Howard Hughes-produced The Racket (1928), which I DVR'd off TCM a few months back. Enjoyed the face-offs between cop Thomas Meighan and Louis Wolheim's Capone-esque gangster, with Marie Provost adding some moxie as a spunky showgirl. Betrays its stage roots when the action becomes bound to a station house for the last half, but still interesting to see a film that'd pave the way for the tough guy talkies of the early '30s. It's no Underworld, but still an enjoyable entry in the silent gangster genre.

Also DVR'd Two Arabian Knights, the second of the three Hughes silents that resurfaced over the past decade (the other being The Mating Call), but for whatever reason the recording cut off 5 or 10 minutes before the end. Might watch it anyway, and just try and catch the ending the next time TCM airs it. I can probably figure out what happens through other means. (I found a dodgy looking streaming copy with Russian subtitles, clearly taken from the TCM broadcast, but it might do the trick for the last few minutes anyway.)

[Christopher Jacobs]

Finally watched the Howard Hughes-produced The Racket (1928), which I DVR'd off TCM a few months back. Enjoyed the face-offs between cop Thomas Meighan and Louis Wolheim's Capone-esque gangster, with Marie Provost adding some moxie as a spunky showgirl. Betrays its stage roots when the action becomes bound to a station house for the last half, but still interesting to see a film that'd pave the way for the tough guy talkies of the early '30s. It's no Underworld, but still an enjoyable entry in the silent gangster genre.

Also DVR'd Two Arabian Knights, the second of the three Hughes silents that resurfaced over the past decade (the other being The Mating Call), but for whatever reason the recording cut off 5 or 10 minutes before the end. Might watch it anyway, and just try and catch the ending the next time TCM airs it. I can probably figure out what happens through other means. (I found a dodgy looking streaming copy with Russian subtitles, clearly taken from the TCM broadcast, but it might do the trick for the last few minutes anyway.)

I'd say that TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS is easily the weakest of the three Hughes silent films TCM has been running. Moderately amusing but pretty routine and pedestrian for the most part, despite its Oscar nomination. THE MATING CALL, however, is quite interesting and enjoyable, and THE RACKET is an overlooked, underrated classic (even if it was a Best Picture Oscar nominee) and a great pre-code gangster film. All three need to be on Blu-ray (if not the upcoming 4k Blu-ray format!).

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Two from 1917 provide good examples of the problems inherent in appraising early films. FIRES OF YOUTH, featuring a rare appearance from Jeanne Eagels has a touch of the Christmas Carol about it. In this abridged reissue (which appears to be all that remains) a wealthy and reclusive industrialist goes to work in his own foundry when he realises how much his workers detest him. He also becomes infatuated with the daughter of the house where he is lodging, so much so that her young brother nearly loses his life in trying to prevent his new friend getting the sack. What starts off as a reasonably fiery pro-labour film becomes rather sentimental and melodramatic, but, despite the missing footage, and interesting film of its type, owing more than a little to Griffith as well as Dickens.

THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY seems to have been taken from an 8mm or 9.5mm print as the titles have that plain look one is used to from substandard shows. This film differs from the 1937 version (and presumably others) in having a Great War framing plot. An orphaned brother and sister go to live with their aunt and uncle, of whom the latter is a fervent pacifist. The sister falls in love with a local gent who is also a pacifist. Come the war clouds and he finds himself pretty unpopular, particularly as the girl (now a Red Cross Nurse) is missing after her ship is sunk. Even more unpopular (he's very piqued when his manservant enlists!) a friend of his father takes him in hand and advises him to read the title story (which is shown to feature him as the traitor of the story), and it won't count as a 'spoiler' to say it does the trick!

The pacifist / traitor is played by Holmes Herbert, who became a character player in later life, and this adaptation is reasonably watchable, considering the print and the propaganda element. Some shots and titles are rather dark in this copy, which makes it a little awkward to follow in spots, but it was interesting to see how the story was used for a political message, with the almost obligatory scorn shown for the pacifist characters. Nice to see these films anyway, and one hopes they may eventually be restored...

[Silent Star]

The Film he never made A Gentleman of Leisure

ReidLesiure.jpg (139.94 KiB) Viewed 7843 times

Well I've heard and read the same but remember Conrad Nagel & Warner Baxter, Jack Holt, and others were of similar stature, also Holt made the film A Gentleman of Leisure That Wallace Reid was announced for, signed for but never made it.

[wich2]

>THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY ... film differs from the 1937 version (and presumably others) in having a Great War framing plot ... propaganda element.<

There's precendent for that, Rob.

The original story, though set soon after the Revolution, was actually written during the Civil War for much the same purpose.

-Craig

(Who recalls the 1973 TVM - with a heckuva pedigree - well.)

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

>THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY ... film differs from the 1937 version (and presumably others) in having a Great War framing plot ... propaganda element.<

There's precendent for that, Rob.

The original story, though set soon after the Revolution, was actually written during the Civil War for much the same purpose.
-Craig

Point taken. Guess I hadn't realised when the story was originally published and that it was not just a patriotic tale. And of course the story-within-a-story part of the 1917 version is the bare bones of the 1937 adaptation, even omitting Mr Lincoln. Must admit I hadn't heard of the story until a few years back, but clearly it it a staple of American literature...

[Rodney]

That's ironic, as a MOMA screening I attended in 2001 was the exact opposite of this - the rudest, noisiest audience I've ever seen, bar none. At one point, a fight nearly broke out between three people, one of whom had begun by asking the other two to please shut up, but ended up being louder than both of them! And it was Peter Pan (1924), of all things!

Being rude about audience noise during Peter Pan? I can hear it now. "Quit clapping, you idiots! I'm trying to watch Tinker Bell die!!"

[Brooksie]

That's ironic, as a MOMA screening I attended in 2001 was the exact opposite of this - the rudest, noisiest audience I've ever seen, bar none. At one point, a fight nearly broke out between three people, one of whom had begun by asking the other two to please shut up, but ended up being louder than both of them! And it was Peter Pan (1924), of all things!

Being rude about audience noise during Peter Pan? I can hear it now. "Quit clapping, you idiots! I'm trying to watch Tinker Bell die!!"

As a matter of fact, that moment made me forgive the audience a little: cynical New York cineastes or not, they still wholeheartedly complied with Betty Bronson's onscreen plea for assistance.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Finally watched the Howard Hughes-produced The Racket (1928), which I DVR'd off TCM a few months back. Enjoyed the face-offs between cop Thomas Meighan and Louis Wolheim's Capone-esque gangster, with Marie Provost adding some moxie as a spunky showgirl. Betrays its stage roots when the action becomes bound to a station house for the last half, but still interesting to see a film that'd pave the way for the tough guy talkies of the early '30s. It's no Underworld, but still an enjoyable entry in the silent gangster genre.

Also DVR'd Two Arabian Knights, the second of the three Hughes silents that resurfaced over the past decade (the other being The Mating Call), but for whatever reason the recording cut off 5 or 10 minutes before the end. Might watch it anyway, and just try and catch the ending the next time TCM airs it. I can probably figure out what happens through other means. (I found a dodgy looking streaming copy with Russian subtitles, clearly taken from the TCM broadcast, but it might do the trick for the last few minutes anyway.)

Agree on THE RACKET (1928) being a very worthwhile rediscovery despite the damage in places. A tight, exciting movie with a nice sour sense of humour - the funeral with the guns under the derbies was a particularly nice touch which I don't think was in Cromwell's film. And will have to look out for TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS as (understandably) had never known of a showing until recently. As a fan of the Walsh WHAT PRICE GLORY and Louis Wolheim, it has to be worth seeing...

[s.w.a.c.]

Finally watched the Howard Hughes-produced The Racket (1928), which I DVR'd off TCM a few months back. Enjoyed the face-offs between cop Thomas Meighan and Louis Wolheim's Capone-esque gangster, with Marie Provost adding some moxie as a spunky showgirl. Betrays its stage roots when the action becomes bound to a station house for the last half, but still interesting to see a film that'd pave the way for the tough guy talkies of the early '30s. It's no Underworld, but still an enjoyable entry in the silent gangster genre.

Also DVR'd Two Arabian Knights, the second of the three Hughes silents that resurfaced over the past decade (the other being The Mating Call), but for whatever reason the recording cut off 5 or 10 minutes before the end. Might watch it anyway, and just try and catch the ending the next time TCM airs it. I can probably figure out what happens through other means. (I found a dodgy looking streaming copy with Russian subtitles, clearly taken from the TCM broadcast, but it might do the trick for the last few minutes anyway.)

Agree on THE RACKET (1928) being a very worthwhile rediscovery despite the damage in places. A tight, exciting movie with a nice sour sense of humour - the funeral with the guns under the derbies was a particularly nice touch which I don't think was in Cromwell's film. And will have to look out for TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS as (understandably) had never known of a showing until recently. As a fan of the Walsh WHAT PRICE GLORY and Louis Wolheim, it has to be worth seeing...

I certainly enjoyed Two Arabian Knights, Wolheim and William "Hopalong" Boyd have an easy going chemistry as they try to one-up each other, and more silent Mary Astor roles are never a bad thing (even if she is behind a veil for stretches of time). And it's got a nice mix of settings, from a First World War battlefield to a German POW camp, and finally Istanbul. Definitely try and catch it next time it turns up on TCM, which it seems to do once a year or so. It's too bad the Flicker Alley release was cancelled.

[R Michael Pyle]

Watched a couple of shorts with G. M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson. First was "His Wife's Secret" (1915) with Anderson, Lee Willard, and Marguerite Clayton. This was interesting because Anderson wasn't playing Broncho Billy, but rather a burgler who runs into a domestic problem, and in the end somewhat solves it. Incredibly far-fetched, still for 1915 this must have been a fun 15 minutes or so. Next was "Shootin' Mad" (1918) with Anderson, Fred Church, Joy Lewis, Harry Todd, E. A. Whitting, and Paul Willis. I've seen this one before, and it's a good example of the kind of Westerns Anderson made. Originally made as a feature, it was cut down in the next couple of years to a two-reeler (that's what this is) and shown for years on the circuit as such. Evidently Anderson made about ten of these features from 1918 to a couple of years later. Only a couple of them survive. This one isn't even on the IMDB. Has Anderson coming back to his home where a couple has squatted, thanks to the town's owner of the saloon. The saloon owner has his eyes on the man's daughter and eventually has the man killed. The blame is put on Anderson. Anderson must find out what went on, clean up the mess, and, of course, eventually get the girl. Great local color in this film, the same kind one gets watching a William S. Hart Western. There's no extra for the buck, though; it's very spare, and that's part of the local color. Worth the watch!

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Just got around to playing IT'S THE OLD ARMY GAME (1926), with the irresistible combo of W C Fields and the lovely Louise Brooks. The first half of the film (which I shall try not to spoil) was, with a few changes, reused by Fields in IT'S A GIFT (1934), with the notable addition of the gentleman seeking out Carl LaFong and the blind man causing chaos in his shop. This is almost entirely centred round Fields's problems with ludicrous situations in his pharmacy as well as as his appalling customers and family, not to mention his frustrated attempts to get a little sleep! Much of this first part is very funny indeed, though when the plot appears, thing slow up a little, but not for too long and there are some splendid laughs in the latter part of the film.

There is a young man wanted by the police who hankers after Miss Brooks (join the queue!) and is promoting real estate shares, plus a picnic which is funny in places, though doesn't work all the way through. Although there has been much comment about how successful Fields was in silents, this one works very well indeed for most of its running time, as my Good Lady was commenting on the hilarity drifting from the living-room. There was a slight lapse in continuity around the half-way mark, and the plot wind-up is a little confusing, though the first flaw could just be a few missing feet. Impossible to tell. Miss Brooks is delightful as Fields's assistant [one suspects he fancies her, too] and Fields does very well considering the absence of sound and the fact that his reactions are a little muted by this factor. The small town setting too, is neatly lampooned in a film which should be better known.

In his book on Fields, Everson says this film was lost at the time (1967), tho' I seem to recall it being scheduled at London's NFT in the early 1970s. Fortunately SO'S YOUR OLD MAN (1926) and RUNNING WILD (1927), also noted as missing, have since surfaced, so one can hope for more turnups.

[Bertrand]

Just saw the TCM version of Hitchcock's "Blackmail" (1929), very restrained/intense bedroom scene and nice chase in the British Museum. Half silent/half talkie.

And Douglas Fairbanks in the "Mollycoddle", annoying cartoon and fanstastic final fight scene down the mountain.

In the middle watched a third of Nazimova's "Red Lantern", which is so not Chinese it's scary to think people back in 1919 thought it was. About as bad as Renee Adoree in Mr. Wu.

[seaquest]

I watched Kino's release of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1927) Very interesting film that shows how much and how little times had changed since "Birth Of A Nation". It had some very good scenes and is definitely worth a watch.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

A friend's comments about the disparities between Curtiz's THE SEA HAWK (1940) and Sabatini's novel reminded me that I still had Frank Lloyd's 1924 film to watch, a film which had eluded me for years. How faithful to the book it is I have a rough idea, but the plot bears no resemblance at all to the Flynn epic.

This one is set after the Armada, with retired sea-dog Sir Oliver (Milton Sills) falling foul of his lady love's guardian and her brother, who consider him most unsuitable and a pirate to boot.. Her brother is killed in a fight with Sir Oliver's half-brother, who fears being hung for murder. Sir Oliver helps him out but falls under suspicion, but the ungrateful whelp arranges for him to be shanghaied by Captain Jasper, played by Wallace Beery. Where the film really differs from the 1940 one is that our hero, unimpressed by his treatment when captured by Spaniards, becomes (rather topically) a Moslem when the ship is recaptured by Moors.

I suspect that THE SEA HAWK (1924) may have a reasonable amount in common with the novel as I have a contemporary edition illustrated with stills from the film and one wouldn't think they'd be used if not fitting. Though the 1940 film has great virtues in the work of Anton Grot, Korngold, Sol Polito and the splendid cast, this is still a very enjoyable and handsome yarn which holds its two-hour running time very well indeed. An unjustly neglected work which can at last be enjoyed.

[Mike Gebert]

Yes, it's much closer to the book (which is a fun read though as I noted years ago on alt.movies.silent, Sabatini reads a lot like Wodehouse except he's not trying to be funny when he says overwrought things about people with lavish titles). And quite a good movie.

[wich2]

>I suspect that THE SEA HAWK (1924) may have a reasonable amount in common with the novel as I have a contemporary edition illustrated with stills from the film and one wouldn't think they'd be used if not fitting.<

Rob, just such a mismatch was not uncommon then - or even, later!

The 1978 paperback LAST SON OF KRYPTON used a cover image and interior stills from Chris Reeve's first Superman film - but the story therein is not that of the movie!

(Actually, it's a BETTER tale, by talented writer Elliot. S. Maggin.)

-Craig

[sablebrush52]

I attended Silent Autumn and sat through the entire day's programming. So my last silent was The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari and it looked GREAT in its newly restored version!

It was also a pleasure to see so many of my favorite films, like Two Tars and The General, and to see The Son Of The Sheik, which I hadn't seen in decades.

[Jess McGrath]

Last week I attended the kickoff of MOMA's Discovering Georgian Cinema series with the screening of the 1928 silent ELISSO. It was an absolutely packed house. They began with introductions of a number of curators and individuals who had worked for many years to put the program together. Then they introduced, of all people, the Prime Minister of Georgia (!), who gave a short speech about the Georgian film industry and the ties between Georgia and America in this regard. Following was an introduction to the film by Eldar Shengelaia, son of the director. He spoke Georgian and was accompanied by an English translator. The introduction included quotes from trade papers at the time praising the film, as well as the review from Pordenone 2011 by Lokke Heiss that called the film one of the highlights of that year's festival.

After all of that, it was onto the film, which was quite good. The highlights to me were the much-praised "folk dance sequence" (which truly was as impressive and moving as hyped to be), Vajia's somewhat comical indoor battle with the soldiers, and the scenes where Eliso is running back to her people after committing some serious criminal mischief. I did like the ending as well.

The film was accompanied by the Supruli Choir, which was largely traditional Georgian chanting with a few interspersed moments of string instruments. Not to take anything away from their effort (doing those chants for almost 90 minutes is quite an effort), BUT ... personally I would have preferred a more traditional accompaniment. There were moments when in my view the chanting enhanced the film, but several others where the moments may have been better enhanced with a good piano score.

Worth a viewing if you get the chance to see it...

[oldposterho]

Probably late to the the von Stroheim party but finally caught up with Foolish Wives and I now see where they got "the man you love to hate" moniker from. What a despicable creep he plays. [SPOILER ALERT!] I really wish the version I saw had the part where the forger and Erich settle their differences, that would have been MUCH more satisfying. I frankly now wish there was much more of the film in general. I don't see 6 hours, but some extra footage would have probably been good fun.

It was also neat to see such an early version of the Ed Wood's dentist scenario played out by poor Rudolph Christians. Who knew?

--Peter

[Rodney]

Probably late to the the von Stroheim party but finally caught up with Foolish Wives and I now see where they got "the man you love to hate" moniker from. What a despicable creep he plays. [SPOILER ALERT!] I really wish the version I saw had the part where the forger and Erich settle their differences, that would have been MUCH more satisfying. I frankly now wish there was much more of the film in general. I don't see 6 hours, but some extra footage would have probably been good fun.

It was also neat to see such an early version of the Ed Wood's dentist scenario played out by poor Rudolph Christians. Who knew?

--Peter

I worked on the score for that for Kino, and had to cut and rearrange the score to accommodate bits where there was music for a scene but no footage. One of the bits we don't get to see (thankfully) is "Count kills cat." Just in case we didn't hate him enough at that point already, he just had to rub it in...

[oldposterho]

Ha ha, I can guess where the catsassination happened. My only hope is that von Stroheim's mania for authenticity did not require him to actually do the deed. Seems like the only thing he left out to make audiences despise his character even more was having puppies with his breakfast caviar.

The more I think about this film the more I like it and wish the extra footage (minus cat killing) would eventually turn up somewhere.

[BGM]

Finally watched some of the silents that I bought recently. Anna May Wong is terrific in Picadilly-1929. I watched most of the film with my mute button on.....I couldn't bear the insipid music. It was also interesting to see Gilda Gray aka the shimmy queen. Her performance reminded me a bit of Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond.

[entredeuxguerres]

Finally watched some of the silents that I bought recently. Anna May Wong is terrific in Picadilly-1929. I watched most of the film with my mute button on.....I couldn't bear the insipid music. It was also interesting to see Gilda Gray aka the shimmy queen. Her performance reminded me a bit of Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond.

Score was insipid, but at least not organ insipid.

Few discussing this picture seem even to have noticed that gorgeous, fascinating, troubled, & all-too-blonde for contempory approval (but not mine) Gilda is in it...though she, not Anna May, is its star. Cerainly Anna May is terriffic--who can match her look of surly contempt?--but so in her own way is Gilda.

[oldposterho]

For them's what don't like Gilda as a blonde:



Now this film (The Girl With the Jazz Heart) is one I hope eventually turns up somewhere.

--Peter

[entredeuxguerres]

For them's what don't like Gilda as a blonde:
Now this film (The Girl With the Jazz Heart) is one I hope eventually turns up somewhere.

--Peter

Hell, I can't recognize either one of them...except I know it ain't the one in the middle. There's no doubt whatsoever that Madge had a jazz-baby heart, but Gilda's must have been even jazzier; I mean, married & preggo at fourteen (or by some accounts, twelve!)

[drednm]

Re-watched Brown of Harvard (1926) after many years and was almost astonished at how good it is. William Haines plays Brown with his usual blend of near-slapstick comedy and deep pathos. Jack Pickford (top billing!) plays the hapless "Doo" and Mary Brian is stunning as Mary the professor's daughter. Extremely well made film directed by Jack Conway, it looks like there is much location shooting in Cambridge although I suspect the "college bowl" football scenes were lifted from a newsreel since they look so grainy compared to the rest of the film. I vaguely remember I copied this DVD from my old VHS put out by Critics Choice Masterpiece Collection. So minus the box I have no clue who did the excellent piano score. Co-stars include Mary Alden and David Torrence as the parents, Edward Connelly as the professor, Francis X. (Ralph) Bushman Jr as the rival, with Guinn Williams and Grady Sutton among the students, and John Wayne as a Yale footballer. Is her the player at the coin toss?

I still rank this among my favorite silent films. And it's never been released on DVD. Has it been on TCM?

[entredeuxguerres]

...Has it been on TCM?

Think that's the source of my copy...though I haven't watched it in a long time.

One thing you miss when watching Mary Brian in any silent: her delicious-sounding voice.

[drednm]

Seems I asked WAC about this film a while back and they said the VHS copies had been bootlegs but that act had muddied the "rights" issues which is why there was no DVD. I can't remember if TCM showed this eons ago or not. The music is marvelous, and I suspect it's from Davis or Israel, but the VHS probably came our 20 or 25 years ago so who knows..... It's not a generic track in any case.

[entredeuxguerres]

Seems I asked WAC about this film a while back and they said the VHS copies had been bootlegs but that act had muddied the "rights" issues which is why there was no DVD. I can't remember if TCM showed this eons ago or not. The music is marvelous, and I suspect it's from Davis or Israel, but the VHS probably came our 20 or 25 years ago so who knows..... It's not a generic track in any case.

Mine is a Silent Classics release...not TCM. I may watch it again, though I'm not eager to view Haines' blubbering jag.