Lon Chaney retrospective

[Gagman 66]

Hey Arndt, I just sent you a PM a few minutes ago.

[radiotelefonia]

THE ROAD TO MANDALAY (1926)
Another superb Browning/Chaney collaboration. Despite the dupey, incomplete state of the copy I have access to I enjoyed the film tremendously. Chaney's make-up is one of the best I've seen him in. I have been fascinated by it ever since I saw that photo where he says hello to Garbo on set in character. The scratched-out blind eye is a lovely ghoulish touch.
Altogether his is a powerful and once again deliciously ambiguous character - Singapore Joe. As in MR WU it is Chaney's character's daughter who wants to marry a man her father deems inappropriate. But this time she does not even realize Chaney is her father.
In true Tod Browning fashion this film is all (seedy) atmosphere and character. The interplay of Chaney and Sojin is particularly impressive. There is a great feeling of pent-up energy whenever Chaney's character appears, especially in his long freezes and stares. The stand-offs between this latent powerhouse and Sojin's equally immobile, but totally different animal of a character are the highlights of the film for me.
I'd love to see a better copy. Maybe next year in Bonn?

A year ago, I was able to watch an acceptable 9.5mm print in Filmoteca, in Buenos Aires instead of their Internet stream. (They always keep looking for Chaney films, even if they buy prints of the same film over and over again.)

[Danny Burk]

Some years ago, MGM's holdings (prior to going to WB) included sections of ROAD TO MANDALAY. I heard at the time that these basically did not duplicate the 9.5mm cutdown, and vice-versa. I don't know anything about the quantity of the MGM material, nor whether the sections are just fragments or perhaps even a few reels. Does anyone here know more about this, or whether someone has perhaps attempted a restoration?

[Richard P. May]

Purely from memory, but I think the only thing uncovered when MGM was doing their massive conversion to safety was a 9.5mm incomplete print.
Unless something turns up, I wouldn't hope for any improvement.
But... keep wishing!

[Harlett O'Dowd]

Hey Arndt, I just sent you a PM a few minutes ago.

Oooh. That was subtle.

[Arndt]

HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (1924)
This is a film with many things to recommend it. It was directed by Victor Sjöström, one of my favourite directors, and apart from Chaney it stars John Gilbert and Norma Shearer. The story is a strange one. Chaney plays HE, a man who was so humiliated once that now he earns his living by ritually re-enacting this humiliation night after night in the circus arena.
The film is beautifullly photographed and there are many nice lyrical touches. Chaney is given full rein to throw everything he has at the portrayal of yet another tragic figure. I find him very moving. The climax is truly satisfying, and it is rather appropriate that a lion is the villains' nemesis - it is an MGM film after all.

[Arndt]

TELL IT TO THE MARINES (1926)
For once Chaney gets to play a straight role - no physical handicap, no heavy make-up. He is the marines' officer who has to break in young ne'er-do-well William Haines. To complicate matters, both are in love with Eleanor Boardman.
This is a very enjoyable film despite its rather predictable plot. It is a joy to see Chaney play an ordinary guy at last. I was rooting for him rather than silly William Haines all the way. But then it's a rare film that sees Chaney get the girl!

[Arndt]

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925)
What can I say about this film that has not been said before? Nothing, probably. So here goes.
I always feel that despite the fact that we always see the same couple of stills of Chaney (the demasking, the red death) this is not a Chaney vehicle. It is the very atmospheric sets and the way they have been photographed that make the film for me. Chaney is wonderful as Erik, but he is one part of a beautiful film, rather than the one outstanding performance.

[Jim Reid]

Which version of The Phantom did you screen? The 1925 or the 1929?

[Arndt]

I did not actually rewatch it recently, unlike the other Chaney films. I believe my most recent impression would be from the 1929 version, but I cannot be sure.

[Jim Reid]

If you have it you should check out the 1925 version. Very different, and better IMHO than what we're used to.

[Scoundrel]

Very different for sure and in some ways a slow moving dog.

Unless you came find a better print of this one...and all known copies are
Universal Show at Homes...

Give me the '29 version anytime

[spadeneal]

In reference to The Phantom of the Opera:

... in some ways a slow moving dog.

Unless you came find a better print of this one...and all known copies are
Universal Show at Homes... Give me the '29 version anytime

I agree that the full version of The Phantom of the Opera is a slow moving dog, despite how beautiful it is visually. I concur that the indistinct copies I used to see in the public libraries, on cheap videos and on TV moved better than the long restoration.

Is there any consensus on Rupert Julian's relative qualities as director? He has taken some heat in the Von Stroheim literature for taking over on Merry-Go-Round (1923) a film I'd really like to see; some say that it plays like a genuine Von effort. He and Von both became famous playing vicious Huns, and Julian both directed and starred in The Kaiser, The Beast of Berlin (1918). He began as a protege of Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley, directed 60 films according to the imdb, and was very busy as an actor in addition to direction in the years 1914-1918. Moreover, it appears that practically his whole directorial career played out at Universal and his ouster over Phantom was what changed that situation. Apart from The Cat Creeps (1930), his last films were made elsewhere, particularly in Cecil B. DeMille's unit.

It doesn't appear that very much of his work survives; The Kaiser, The Beast of Berlin is lost and The Cat Creeps exists only in fragments; other than Phantom and Merry-Go-Round I know of Love Comes Along (1930), Walking Back (1928), The Country Doctor (1927; fragment) and The Yankee Clipper (1927).

spadeneal

[rogerskarsten]

Is there any consensus on Rupert Julian's relative qualities as director? He has taken some heat in the Von Stroheim literature for taking over on Merry-Go-Round (1923) a film I'd really like to see; some say that it plays like a genuine Von effort. He and Von both became famous playing vicious Huns, and Julian both directed and starred in The Kaiser, The Beast of Berlin (1918). He began as a protege of Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley, directed 60 films according to the imdb, and was very busy as an actor in addition to direction in the years 1914-1918. Moreover, it appears that practically his whole directorial career played out at Universal and his ouster over Phantom was what changed that situation. Apart from The Cat Creeps (1930), his last films were made elsewhere, particularly in Cecil B. DeMille's unit.

It doesn't appear that very much of his work survives; The Kaiser, The Beast of Berlin is lost and The Cat Creeps exists only in fragments; other than Phantom and Merry-Go-Round I know of Love Comes Along (1930), Walking Back (1928), The Country Doctor (1927; fragment) and The Yankee Clipper (1927).
spadeneal

[Note: I posted this information in another thread in response to a member's inquiry about surviving films of Rupert Julian; here it is again just for good measure.]

Films in the FIAF database with Rupert Julian credited as director:

1. CIRCUS OF LIFE, THE Julian, Rupert United States of America 1917
Library of Congress (Washington) [USW]

2. COUNTRY DOCTOR, THE Julian, Rupert United States of America 1927
Archives du Film du CNC (Bois d'Arcy) [FRB]; Library of Congress (Washington) [USW]; Museum of Modern Art (New York) [USM]; UCLA Film and Television Archive (Los Angeles) [USL]; Cinémathèque Française (Paris) [FRC]

3. FIRE FLINGERS, THE Julian, Rupert United States of America 1919
Library of Congress (Washington) [USW]

4. GIFT GIRL, THE Julian, Rupert United States of America 1917
Library of Congress (Washington) [USW]

5. KENTUCKY CINDERELLA, A Julian, Rupert United States of America 1917
Filmmuseum (Amsterdam) [NLA]

6. MERRY-GO-ROUND Julian, Rupert United States of America 1923

7. PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THE Julian, Rupert United States of America 1925

8. THREE FACES EAST Julian, Rupert United States of America 1925
Archives du Film du CNC (Bois d'Arcy) [FRB]

9. WALKING BACK Julian, Rupert United States of America 1928

10. YANKEE CLIPPER, THE Julian, Rupert United States of America 1927

~Roger

[spadeneal]

Note: I posted this information in another thread in response to a member's inquiry about surviving films of Rupert Julian; here it is again just for good measure.~Roger

Roger,

Thanks for reviving this useful list from the past; it is very helpful. Here is the typical spadeneal career survey, including Rupert Julian's acting roles and studio affiliations. It also incorporates the info you sent plus whatever else I was able to verify as extant. Not much!

AS DIRECTOR
*signifies also appeared as actor

Rex

The Midnight Visitor* (1914)
The Hole in the Garden Wall* (1914)
Out of the Depths* (1914)

Jumbo

Where the Trail Led* (1915)

Universal

A White Feather Volunteer* (1915)
Gilded Youth* (1915)
The Water Clue* (1915)
One Hundred Years Ago* (1915)
The Evil of Suspicion* (1915)
The Underworld* (1916)
The Red Lie* (1916)
Arthur's Last Fling* (1916)
As Fate Decides* (1916)
John Pellet's Dream* (1916)
The Blackmailer* (1916)
The Desperado* (1916)
The Eyes of Fear* (1916)
The Marriage of Arthur* (1916)
Naked Hearts* (1916)
The Fur Trimmed Coat* (1916)
False Gems* (1916)
Romance at Random* (1916)
The Human Cactus* (1916)
Little Boy Blue* (1916) Universal-Victor
Bettina Loved a Soldier* (1916)
The Evil Women Do* (1916)
The Bugler of Algiers* (1916)
The Right to Be Happy* (1916)
The Gift Girl (1917)* EXTANT
The Circus of Life* (1917) EXTANT
A Kentucky Cinderella* (1917) EXTANT
Mother o' Mine* (1917)
The Mysterious Mr. Tiller* (1917)
The Desire of the Moth* (1917)
The Door Between (1917)
The Savage (1917)
Hands Down* (1918)
The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin* (1918)
Hungry Eyes* (1918)
Midnight Madness (1918)
Fires of Youth (1918)
The Millionaire Pirate (1919)
Creaking Stairs (1919)
The Fire Flingers* (1919) EXTANT
The Sleeping Lion (1919)
The Girl Who Ran Wild (1922)
Merry-Go-Round (1923) EXTANT
Love and Glory (1924)
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) EXTANT
The Cat Creeps (1930) FRAGMENTS

Mutual

The Turn of the Wheel* (1916)

American (Flying A)

The Honey Bee (1920)

DeMille Pictures

Hell's Highroad (1926)
Three Faces East* (1926) EXTANT
Silence (1926)
The Yankee Clipper (1927) EXTANT
The Country Doctor (1927) EXTANT
The Leopard Lady (1928)
Walking Back (1928) EXTANT

RKO

Love Comes Along (1930) EXTANT

AS ACTOR (Non-directing)

Rex

His Sister (1913) dir. Lois Weber
Troubled Waters (1913) dir. Lois Weber
The Peacemaker (1913) dir. Lois Weber
Through Strife (1913) dir. Weber-Smalley
Genesis: 4-9 (1913) dir. Phillips Smalley
His Brand (1913) dir. Lois Weber
Shadows of Life (1913) dir. Weber-Smalley
Memories (1913) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Clue (1913) dir. Lois Weber
Two Thieves and a Cross (1913) dir. Lois Weber
The Haunted Bride (1913) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Blood Brotherhood (1913) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Mask (1913) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Wife's Deceit (1913) dir. Lois Weber
The Female of the Species (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Leper's Coat (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Coward Hater (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
An Old Locket (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
Woman's Burden (1914) dir. Lois Weber
The Merchant of Venice (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Weaker Sister (1914) dir. Lois Weber
A Modern Fairy Tale (1914) dir. Lois Weber
The Spider and Her Web (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
In the Days of His Youth (1914) dir. Lois Weber
An Episode (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Career of Waterloo Peterson (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
Avenged (1914) dir. Lois Weber
Closed Gates (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Pursuit of Hate (1914) dir. Lois Weber
Behind the Veil (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
Daisies (1914) dir. Weber-Smalley
A Law Unto Herself (1914) dir. Joseph DeGrasse
A Small Town Girl (1915) dir. Allan Dwan
The Gilded Life (1916) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Boyhood He Forgot (1917) dir. Weber-Smalley

Universal

The Heart of a Jewess (1913) dir. Sidney M. Goldin Universal-Victor
The Imp Abroad (1914) dir. Harry J. Revier Universal-Victor
The Master Key (1914) dir. Robert Z. Leonard
Scandal (1915) dir. Weber-Smalley
A Cigarette - That's All (1915) dir. Weber-Smalley
Jewel (1915) dir. Weber-Smalley
The Dumb Girl of Portici (1916) dir. Weber-Smalley EXTANT
Alone in the World (1917) dir. Weber-Smalley

101-Bison

The Triumph of Mind (1914) dir. Lois Weber

Climax-Alliance

The Lone Star Rush (1915) dir. Edmund Mitchell

Kriterion

Fate's Vengeance (1915) dir. Donald MacDonald
The Bond of Friendship (1915) dir. Donald MacDonald
The Hawk and the Hermit (1915) dir. Donald MacDonald
A Voice from the Sea (1915) dir. Donald MacDonald
The Heritage of a Century (1915) dir. unknown

Famous Players-Lasky

The Pretty Sister of Jose Sebastiano (1915) dir. Allan Dwan

Navajo Films

The Wolf's Den (1915) dir. unknown

Argosy Film Company

The Celebrated Stielow Case (1916) dir. Weber-Smalley

MGM
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1926, as extra) EXTANT

spadeneal

PS: I'm glad that The Fire Flingers is extant, as it supposed to have some supernatural content, as did Midnight Madness and Lois Weber's The Haunted Bride.

[FrankFay]

WALKING BACK is a pretty good picture with some very good bits in it. Julian might have learned a bit in the two years after PHANTOM, though it is known that the excellent automobile fight sequence is the work of a 2nd unit assistant director.

[Ann Harding]

COUNTRY DOCTOR, THE Julian, Rupert United States of America 1927
Archives du Film du CNC (Bois d'Arcy) [FRB]; Library of Congress (Washington) [USW]; Museum of Modern Art (New York) [USM]; UCLA Film and Television Archive (Los Angeles) [USL]; Cinémathèque Française (Paris) [FRC]

FYI Country Doctor was screened at the Cinémathèque on October, 18th, 2010. The print was clocking 87 min.

[spadeneal]

Thanks Ann for hipping me to the runtime. I noted that several archives have prints of The Country Doctor and figured that someone had the film in a more complete state over the condensation at UCLA.

spadeneal

[Jack Theakston]

Judging from what I've seen that exists, Julian wasn't a bad director in the artistic sense. But from what has been written of his technique on-set as both a director an actor, he was not a particularly likable guy, either.

By the way, the re-issue of PHANTOM was in February 1930, not the often mis-cited 1929.

[spadeneal]

Judging from what I've seen that exists, Julian wasn't a bad director in the artistic sense. But from what has been written of his technique on-set as both a director an actor, he was not a particularly likable guy, either.

By the way, the re-issue of PHANTOM was in February 1930, not the often mis-cited 1929.

Do you know where I could find the detailed circumstances in regard to the re-release? It is not mentioned on imdb. I assume the Kodascope library prints were made from this shorter version. A tiny bit of Savino's soundtrack music, about a minute's worth, is on one of the Mauceri/Hollywood Bowl CD's -- perhaps Hollywood Nightmares.

spadeneal

[Jack Theakston]

Universal's Show-At-Home prints seem to have been made from the domestic 1925 camera negative, which judging from the late-'20s print I have, was extremely worn.

The re-issue was shot in Nov.-Dec. 1929 and used second takes and trims for the silent footage, had newly written intertitles, and of course about a third of the film re-shot in sound. According to initial trade mentions, it would be available sound-on-disc and optical, but later ads state sound on disc only. Color footage (17 minutes according to Harrison's Reports, but 492' according to Technicolor's notes) was printed dye-transfer by Technicolor from the original Red/Green negs that they stored).

Savino is mis-credited on the Mauceri CD. The re-issue score was a compilation in the tradition of theater orchestra at that time, and one of his pieces (Moderato con Agitazione, which you may also hear at the market at the start of KING OF KINGS), segues into Samuel Perry's original theme for the film.

An edited version of the 1930 soundtrack can be heard on Milestone's 2-disc set of the film.