Over the years I have accumulated quite a number of films starring Lon Chaney. While I have watched some of them, many others have been collecting dust on my shelves. I have now started a proper Lon Chaney retrospective to remedy this lamentable state of affairs.
I started by watching the competent TCM documentary to whet my appetite. Now I wll try and watch the films in (roughly) chronological order and write little reviews for this thread. Please feel free to comment and lambast me if you think my comments are off the mark.
And please let's keep this thread transfer-rate-debate-free.
Lon Chaney retrospective
Lon Chaney retrospective
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
BY THE SUN'S RAYS (1914)
Not Chaney's first film by a long chalk, but arguably the first one extant. Certainly the first one available to me.
Chaney plays a clerk in a mining office in cahoots with a gang that holds up the gold deliveries. He is trapped by a detective and killed as he tries to escape. A very minor run-of-the-mill western, but a memorable performance! All of Chaney is already here in the very eloquent body language - the hunched shoulders and the furtive looks. He is a bona-fide villain, but by no means a clichéd one. Out of the couple of minutes of full shots he gets on screen he manages to create an impressive screen character. A confident start.
Not Chaney's first film by a long chalk, but arguably the first one extant. Certainly the first one available to me.
Chaney plays a clerk in a mining office in cahoots with a gang that holds up the gold deliveries. He is trapped by a detective and killed as he tries to escape. A very minor run-of-the-mill western, but a memorable performance! All of Chaney is already here in the very eloquent body language - the hunched shoulders and the furtive looks. He is a bona-fide villain, but by no means a clichéd one. Out of the couple of minutes of full shots he gets on screen he manages to create an impressive screen character. A confident start.
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
THE OUBLIETTE (1914)
Chaney-wise an instantly forgettable film (pun intended). Chaney appears for about three minutes as a villainous knight hidden by costume and heavy make-up. I wonder if I would have recognized him even if my 30-minute fragment had not been so murky and dark. He is killed almost instantly in a fight. There is no chance even for the master to make this role memorable.
Chaney-wise an instantly forgettable film (pun intended). Chaney appears for about three minutes as a villainous knight hidden by costume and heavy make-up. I wonder if I would have recognized him even if my 30-minute fragment had not been so murky and dark. He is killed almost instantly in a fight. There is no chance even for the master to make this role memorable.
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
THE SCARLET CAR (1917)
A silly film. Chaney plays an accountant at a bank. He discovers the unlawful shenanigans of the bank's owners and confronts them. In the ensuing fight he is knocked out and packed off in a (scarlet) car presumably to be dispatched. But the car crashes, the driver dies and Chaney, much shaken by all of this, becomes a hermit living in a log cabin that lies empty conveniently close to the site of the car crash. As he has always felt himself a descendant of Paul Revere, he is now under the impression that he is a general in the American Revolution.
Everybody believes Chaney has made off with the bank's money. Only his daughter keeps faith and her boyfriend discovers the bank owners' nasty secret. He kidnaps Chaney's daughter on the night of her engagement to the bank owner's son and in the following pursuit the two happen upon Chaney in his cabin. They trick the confused accountant into handing over the evidence of the crime and the bank's owners get tarred and feathered while Chaney gets carted off to the looney bin.
As you can see - a simple and plausible sequence of everyday occurences.
Chaney is the only interesting thing in this film. Unfortunately most of his face is covered up by a beard, but he gives a creditable performance. The role does not, however, give him much of a chance to shine. It is too silly and contradictory. The intertitles keep referring to his "simple mind", when his character worked as an accountant at a bank. And why - if he believes himself to be descended from Paul Revere - does he fantasize about being simply one of the man's contemporaries? And why is the film called THE SCARLET CAR?
A silly film. Chaney plays an accountant at a bank. He discovers the unlawful shenanigans of the bank's owners and confronts them. In the ensuing fight he is knocked out and packed off in a (scarlet) car presumably to be dispatched. But the car crashes, the driver dies and Chaney, much shaken by all of this, becomes a hermit living in a log cabin that lies empty conveniently close to the site of the car crash. As he has always felt himself a descendant of Paul Revere, he is now under the impression that he is a general in the American Revolution.
Everybody believes Chaney has made off with the bank's money. Only his daughter keeps faith and her boyfriend discovers the bank owners' nasty secret. He kidnaps Chaney's daughter on the night of her engagement to the bank owner's son and in the following pursuit the two happen upon Chaney in his cabin. They trick the confused accountant into handing over the evidence of the crime and the bank's owners get tarred and feathered while Chaney gets carted off to the looney bin.
As you can see - a simple and plausible sequence of everyday occurences.
Chaney is the only interesting thing in this film. Unfortunately most of his face is covered up by a beard, but he gives a creditable performance. The role does not, however, give him much of a chance to shine. It is too silly and contradictory. The intertitles keep referring to his "simple mind", when his character worked as an accountant at a bank. And why - if he believes himself to be descended from Paul Revere - does he fantasize about being simply one of the man's contemporaries? And why is the film called THE SCARLET CAR?
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
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Native Baltimoron
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Lon Chaney on stage
My interest is in Mr. Chaney as a impresario. THE OUBLIETTE and BY THE SUN'S RAYS are both made in 1914, according to your filmography. It was my understanding that Chaney was self-employed at that time in Los Angeles as the owner of a theatrical troupe, which folded during that year. I ask because Charles Parrott (later Charley Chase) was supposedly a member of that troupe as well, and in Chaney's employ. Do you have any information on Chaney's situation in the theater at that time or during 1914? Thank you.
Native Baltimoron
"You too, Uncle Fudd" William Phipps to Bert Mustin in "The FBI Story"
"You too, Uncle Fudd" William Phipps to Bert Mustin in "The FBI Story"
Re: Lon Chaney retrospective
Aw man, what a spoil-sport, I was all ready to jump in with a bunch of fresh invective.Arndt wrote:And please let's keep this thread transfer-rate-debate-free.
Re: Lon Chaney on stage
I'm sorry to say I can't furnish that information. I am by no means a Chaney expert. I am simply watching a lot of his films and talking inanely about them.Native Baltimoron wrote:My interest is in Mr. Chaney as a impresario. THE OUBLIETTE and BY THE SUN'S RAYS are both made in 1914, according to your filmography. It was my understanding that Chaney was self-employed at that time in Los Angeles as the owner of a theatrical troupe, which folded during that year. I ask because Charles Parrott (later Charley Chase) was supposedly a member of that troupe as well, and in Chaney's employ. Do you have any information on Chaney's situation in the theater at that time or during 1914? Thank you.
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
Re: Lon Chaney on stage
I wouldn't call it inane.Arndt wrote: I'm sorry to say I can't furnish that information. I am by no means a Chaney expert. I am simply watching a lot of his films and talking inanely about them.
Fred
"Who really cares?"
Jordan Peele, when asked what genre we should put his movies in.
http://www.nitanaldi.com"
http://www.facebook.com/NitaNaldiSilentVamp"
"Who really cares?"
Jordan Peele, when asked what genre we should put his movies in.
http://www.nitanaldi.com"
http://www.facebook.com/NitaNaldiSilentVamp"
Re: Lon Chaney on stage
Thank you.Frederica wrote:I wouldn't call it inane.Arndt wrote: I'm sorry to say I can't furnish that information. I am by no means a Chaney expert. I am simply watching a lot of his films and talking inanely about them.
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
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missdupont
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Chris Snowden
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Re: Lon Chaney retrospective
Chaney's an interesting actor. I've seen a contemporary review of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (by Tamar Lane, I think) which snarked, "As an actor Chaney must take his place at the foot of the class."
I think Hunchback is actually one of his better performances, but his work veers from very solid (Tell It to the Marines) to pretty embarrassing (The Trap) and usually lands somewhere between the two. What complicates things is that his roles often involve a lot of scowling and grimacing, and the viewer has to judge whether it's appropriate to the character, for him to be seen in mid-sneer so often.
With Chaney, the temptation is often there to concentrate on the make-up (or the missing limbs) rather than the characterization, and some of his best performances get upstaged by his makeup kit. Or maybe the different make-ups keep us from noticing that we've seen this character more than once already.
Just as we can file most of Jack Nicholson's characterizations under Hyper Jack or Sullen Jack, with Chaney we usually see either Menacing Lon or Tragic Lon, and sometimes he starts out as one and ends up as the other. Maybe that's typecasting. Or maybe those were the roles he was best suited for. Nobody wanted to see Lon Chaney in a drawing room comedy.
I get the sense that Chaney was always committed to giving the folks a good show. Some of his films are terrific. But even when the movie is silly in a good way (The Unknown) or silly in a bad way (The Monster), he's always fascinating to watch.
I think Hunchback is actually one of his better performances, but his work veers from very solid (Tell It to the Marines) to pretty embarrassing (The Trap) and usually lands somewhere between the two. What complicates things is that his roles often involve a lot of scowling and grimacing, and the viewer has to judge whether it's appropriate to the character, for him to be seen in mid-sneer so often.
With Chaney, the temptation is often there to concentrate on the make-up (or the missing limbs) rather than the characterization, and some of his best performances get upstaged by his makeup kit. Or maybe the different make-ups keep us from noticing that we've seen this character more than once already.
Just as we can file most of Jack Nicholson's characterizations under Hyper Jack or Sullen Jack, with Chaney we usually see either Menacing Lon or Tragic Lon, and sometimes he starts out as one and ends up as the other. Maybe that's typecasting. Or maybe those were the roles he was best suited for. Nobody wanted to see Lon Chaney in a drawing room comedy.
I get the sense that Chaney was always committed to giving the folks a good show. Some of his films are terrific. But even when the movie is silly in a good way (The Unknown) or silly in a bad way (The Monster), he's always fascinating to watch.
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Christopher Snowden
Christopher Snowden
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Native Baltimoron
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Theatrical Lon
Thank you all for your consideration regarding my question about Lon Chaney's theatrical troupe. If I come across Mr. Blake I will certainly ask the question. I thought the synopsis of Chaney's acting abilities was spot on. I feel like I have seen many of the same attributes in Chaney's characters on screen.
Native Baltimoron
"You too, Uncle Fudd" William Phipps to Bert Mustin in "The FBI Story"
"You too, Uncle Fudd" William Phipps to Bert Mustin in "The FBI Story"
Re: Lon Chaney retrospective
My feeling entirely.Chris Snowden wrote:I get the sense that Chaney was always committed to giving the folks a good show. Some of his films are terrific. But even when the movie is silly in a good way (The Unknown) or silly in a bad way (The Monster), he's always fascinating to watch.
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
THE WICKED DARLING (1919)
Ta-dah! Tod Browning enters the picture for the first time. Interestingly the film reminded me a lot of German efforts of the twenties in that it concentrates very much on the seedy side of life, but not - as in Griffith's MUSKETEERS OF PIG ALLEY and THE MOTHER AND THE LAW - purely as a Victorian morality play warning to little boys and girls. True to the ambiguity of the title THE WICKED DARLING rather explores its characters' motivations and eschews easy categorization.
In this tale of sin and redemption Lon plays a rather unsavoury lowlife by the name of Stoop Connors. If we read the (more or less) subtle clues, he seems to be not only Priscilla Dean's pickpocketing partner, but also her pimp. But Mary, Dean's character, falls in love with an upper-class gentleman fallen on hard times. This reforms her, but even while she is on the straight and narrow she still supports him by selling ill-gotten gains from her previous life. The film is quite happy to leave her in this moral limbo for quite a while, forcing the audience into not always comfortable territory. There is, however, a plot device that makes everything all right, so viewers need not fret and censors need not snip. But, as I said above, the questioning of moral standards, the juxtaposition of the unselfish prostitute with the materialistic ex-fiancé in this case, is much more reminiscent of German films of the time than of American ones.
Chaney's role is a superb one. He is by no means a monster, but a rather dangerous slum character. He makes the inner workings of Stoop Connors totally plausible: the sly opportunism, the red mists of murderous rage, but also the dejected states when Stoop is just hanging around in his regular dive. He humanizes his character masterfully, where others (e.g. George Siegmann) might have given us a stereotypical heavy.
It is very clear from this film just why Browning and Chaney were such ideal collaborators.
Ta-dah! Tod Browning enters the picture for the first time. Interestingly the film reminded me a lot of German efforts of the twenties in that it concentrates very much on the seedy side of life, but not - as in Griffith's MUSKETEERS OF PIG ALLEY and THE MOTHER AND THE LAW - purely as a Victorian morality play warning to little boys and girls. True to the ambiguity of the title THE WICKED DARLING rather explores its characters' motivations and eschews easy categorization.
In this tale of sin and redemption Lon plays a rather unsavoury lowlife by the name of Stoop Connors. If we read the (more or less) subtle clues, he seems to be not only Priscilla Dean's pickpocketing partner, but also her pimp. But Mary, Dean's character, falls in love with an upper-class gentleman fallen on hard times. This reforms her, but even while she is on the straight and narrow she still supports him by selling ill-gotten gains from her previous life. The film is quite happy to leave her in this moral limbo for quite a while, forcing the audience into not always comfortable territory. There is, however, a plot device that makes everything all right, so viewers need not fret and censors need not snip. But, as I said above, the questioning of moral standards, the juxtaposition of the unselfish prostitute with the materialistic ex-fiancé in this case, is much more reminiscent of German films of the time than of American ones.
Chaney's role is a superb one. He is by no means a monster, but a rather dangerous slum character. He makes the inner workings of Stoop Connors totally plausible: the sly opportunism, the red mists of murderous rage, but also the dejected states when Stoop is just hanging around in his regular dive. He humanizes his character masterfully, where others (e.g. George Siegmann) might have given us a stereotypical heavy.
It is very clear from this film just why Browning and Chaney were such ideal collaborators.
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
THE MIRACLE MAN (1919)
Unfortunately only just over two minutes of this film seem to have survived. They offer a tantalizing glimpse of what must have been a superb performance by Chaney. The close-up of his face as he sees the boy throw away his crutches is the most intense example of the actor's art that the available films have yielded up to this point. The mixture of disbelief, anguish and terror is quite unique and certainly very memorable.
Go on then, Gosfilmofond, hand it over. You're sure to have that one.
Unfortunately only just over two minutes of this film seem to have survived. They offer a tantalizing glimpse of what must have been a superb performance by Chaney. The close-up of his face as he sees the boy throw away his crutches is the most intense example of the actor's art that the available films have yielded up to this point. The mixture of disbelief, anguish and terror is quite unique and certainly very memorable.
Go on then, Gosfilmofond, hand it over. You're sure to have that one.
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
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OnlineMike Gebert
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I saw False Faces at Cinesation-- it's quite good, but Irvin Willat is a director of the slowly smoldering fire. (That's not a knock; I like a story that takes its time to set the chess board. To switch metaphors.) So give it another shot sometime.
Cinema has no voice, but it speaks to us with eyes that mirror the soul. ―Ivan Mosjoukine
VICTORY (1919)
Ah...Maurice Tourneur. If ever a name guarantees that I will enjoy a film it is his. And of course, like all the others, VICTORY is beautifully photographed and has the lyrical quality I associate with this director. But it also has an amazing performance by our Lon.
Chaney plays Ricardo, one of a gang of three "bad men" trawling the Indonesian islands for whatever they can get. They settle down on Surabaja in a Dutchman's hotel. Said Dutchman (Wallace Beery) is not only keen to be rid of them but also has an axe to grind with Axel Heyst (Jack Holt), a recluse living on another island, who rescued a girl (Seena Owen) from the Dutchman's lecherous advances. So he tells the marauders there is loot to be got on Axel's island and they set out to get it.
What makes the film interesting is not Jack Holt's exaggerated pacifism or Seena Owen's flirtatiousness, but the chemistry among the three villains. Ben Deeley plays their leader Mr Jones, once an educated gentleman but now thoroughly corrupt and sadistic, reminiscent of Dr Strangelove (the sunglasses and idiotic smile). Bull Montana plays Pedro, their South American beast of burden and expert backbreaker. Chaney's Ricardo is a highly unusual character. One feels right away that he is totally amoral and actually evil, but he keeps his impulses at bay as he realizes that he can only benefit from the cunning and brute force of his companions. He is deferential to Mr Jones and does as he is told, but the way he sneaks about makes it plain that he is not to be trusted. As soon as he meets Seena Owen he tries to rape her. She fights him off, which makes him want her even more, so he decides to kill his and her companions. Needless to say the pacifist realizes the error of his ways at this point and gets out his Smith and Wesson. Bang, bang, Ricardo's dead.
It is astonishing how little make-up Chaney needs in this film to totally transform his appearance. He easily looks twenty years younger. His Ricardo is a marvelous creation, truly frightening, but again not a monster. The way he sits with Seena Owen after she has fought him off and the way he caresses her arm later give him a very uncomfortable human quality. The subtlety with which Chaney sculpts this proto-Stanley-Kowalski is what makes this such an outstanding performance.
Ah...Maurice Tourneur. If ever a name guarantees that I will enjoy a film it is his. And of course, like all the others, VICTORY is beautifully photographed and has the lyrical quality I associate with this director. But it also has an amazing performance by our Lon.
Chaney plays Ricardo, one of a gang of three "bad men" trawling the Indonesian islands for whatever they can get. They settle down on Surabaja in a Dutchman's hotel. Said Dutchman (Wallace Beery) is not only keen to be rid of them but also has an axe to grind with Axel Heyst (Jack Holt), a recluse living on another island, who rescued a girl (Seena Owen) from the Dutchman's lecherous advances. So he tells the marauders there is loot to be got on Axel's island and they set out to get it.
What makes the film interesting is not Jack Holt's exaggerated pacifism or Seena Owen's flirtatiousness, but the chemistry among the three villains. Ben Deeley plays their leader Mr Jones, once an educated gentleman but now thoroughly corrupt and sadistic, reminiscent of Dr Strangelove (the sunglasses and idiotic smile). Bull Montana plays Pedro, their South American beast of burden and expert backbreaker. Chaney's Ricardo is a highly unusual character. One feels right away that he is totally amoral and actually evil, but he keeps his impulses at bay as he realizes that he can only benefit from the cunning and brute force of his companions. He is deferential to Mr Jones and does as he is told, but the way he sneaks about makes it plain that he is not to be trusted. As soon as he meets Seena Owen he tries to rape her. She fights him off, which makes him want her even more, so he decides to kill his and her companions. Needless to say the pacifist realizes the error of his ways at this point and gets out his Smith and Wesson. Bang, bang, Ricardo's dead.
It is astonishing how little make-up Chaney needs in this film to totally transform his appearance. He easily looks twenty years younger. His Ricardo is a marvelous creation, truly frightening, but again not a monster. The way he sits with Seena Owen after she has fought him off and the way he caresses her arm later give him a very uncomfortable human quality. The subtlety with which Chaney sculpts this proto-Stanley-Kowalski is what makes this such an outstanding performance.
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
An interestng thread, thanks, for a fascinatng performer.
There is an earlier Chaney film extant, POOR JAKE'S DEMISE from 1913, and I have seen it, although I cannot recall the exact venue -- it was undoubtedly either The Museum of Modern Art in New York or they managed to get their hands on a copy for Slapsticon.
There are two reviews at the IMDB. Unfortunately, one is our old friend F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre who claims to have seen it at Pordenone in 2006. Can anyone who was at Pordenone confirm? How about my viewing?
And I agree with your opinion of Tourneur. I've never seen a film of his that I haven't enjoyed immensely between his constant innovations and strong story-telling. I wish there was far more of his work available.
Bob
There is an earlier Chaney film extant, POOR JAKE'S DEMISE from 1913, and I have seen it, although I cannot recall the exact venue -- it was undoubtedly either The Museum of Modern Art in New York or they managed to get their hands on a copy for Slapsticon.
There are two reviews at the IMDB. Unfortunately, one is our old friend F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre who claims to have seen it at Pordenone in 2006. Can anyone who was at Pordenone confirm? How about my viewing?
And I agree with your opinion of Tourneur. I've never seen a film of his that I haven't enjoyed immensely between his constant innovations and strong story-telling. I wish there was far more of his work available.
Bob
Last edited by boblipton on Sat Oct 30, 2010 8:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.
— L.P. Hartley
— L.P. Hartley
Arndt wrote:THE SCARLET CAR (1917)
And why is the film called THE SCARLET CAR?
It is supposedly based on Richard Harding Davis's 1917 short novel THE SCARLET CAR in which a red automobile is prominent. It really isn't- there's a robbery and a kidnapping in the book and some shenanigans in the woods, but most of the film's plot is pure invention- not an unusual thing in films. I read THE CRUISE OF THE JASPER B after seeing the film (a very funny one) and aside from there being a man and a boat the two plots have nothing at all in common,
Eric Stott
Yes, ditto for AMARILLY OF CLOTHESLINE ALLEY and numerous others. Fine films, but nothing to do with the book except certain character names. I bet the Photoplay Editions of certain novels could get pretty surreal, with photos of characters and events that don't even appear in the book...FrankFay wrote:Arndt wrote:THE SCARLET CAR (1917)
And why is the film called THE SCARLET CAR?
It is supposedly based on Richard Harding Davis's 1917 short novel THE SCARLET CAR in which a red automobile is prominent. It really isn't- there's a robbery and a kidnapping in the book and some shenanigans in the woods, but most of the film's plot is pure invention- not an unusual thing in films. I read THE CRUISE OF THE JASPER B after seeing the film (a very funny one) and aside from there being a man and a boat the two plots have nothing at all in common,
Rodney Sauer
The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
www.mont-alto.com
"Let the Music do the Talking!"
The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
www.mont-alto.com
"Let the Music do the Talking!"
Great choice of actors. One of the rarely discussed Chaney features is "FLESH AND BLOOD" (1922), directed by Irving Cummings. He plays an escaped convict, hiding out in Chinatown until he can take vengeance on the man who framed him. But Chaney's estranged daughter is to wed the man's son, so the plot is altered with a twist.
(BTW, did you ever notice how many times Lon is connected with some kind of Chinese theme? Right off the top of my head I can think of "Shadows", "Dr Wu", "Outside The Law", "Road To Mandalay")
But for another side of this fine actor, see "The Light In The Dark"(1922)--or what's left of it. He plays a quite likeable figure.
Now if someone would only find "Bits Of Life"(1921), "Blind Bargain" (1922) and "Tower Of Lies" (1925) under their bed somewhere...
Danny
(BTW, did you ever notice how many times Lon is connected with some kind of Chinese theme? Right off the top of my head I can think of "Shadows", "Dr Wu", "Outside The Law", "Road To Mandalay")
But for another side of this fine actor, see "The Light In The Dark"(1922)--or what's left of it. He plays a quite likeable figure.
Now if someone would only find "Bits Of Life"(1921), "Blind Bargain" (1922) and "Tower Of Lies" (1925) under their bed somewhere...
Danny
FALSE FACES is no serial but a feature film. And FF actually has a bit of drawing room scene after Walthall escapes the submarine.Arndt wrote:FALSE FACES (1919)
I started watching this serial a while ago and did not enjoy it very much, so I gave up. It's too early to give it another try. Maybe later.
VICTORY is a wonderful find and is on disc along with THE WICKED DARLING. I wish Tod's THE VIRGIN OF STAMBOUL was included in the dvd just for good measure. Chaney is not in that but it would be good to see Tod warming up Priscilla Dean and Wheeler Oakman for Lon in OUTSIDE THE LAW.
1 reel survives of THE GIFT SUPREME and it showcases the lovely Seena Owen, Chaney's beautiful co-star from VICTORY.
Last edited by sepiatone on Sat Oct 30, 2010 8:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'd include the rarely discussed(most likely because they're lost!) FOR THOSE WE LOVE and VOICES FROM THE CITY. FOR THOSE WE LOVE was produced by Betty Compson's production company. Oddly it seems all of Lon's performances with Betty Compson are lost to us today ie THE MIRACLE MAN(1919), FOR THOSE WE LOVE(1921) And of course THE BIG CITY(1928).Danny wrote:Great choice of actors. One of the rarely discussed Chaney features is "FLESH AND BLOOD" (1922), directed by Irving Cummings. He plays an escaped convict, hiding out in Chinatown until he can take vengeance on the man who framed him. But Chaney's estranged daughter is to wed the man's son, so the plot is altered with a twist.
Danny
Last edited by sepiatone on Sat Oct 30, 2010 8:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Jack Theakston
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POOR JAKE'S DEMISE played at Brooklyn Academy of Music about five years ago when Serge Bromberg introduced it. You can probably find my original review of it back on the old alt.movies.silent postings.
It's actually quite a neat little one-reeler, with Chaney playing his character flamboyantly over-the-top.
Unfortunately, the impression that I get of Chaney's career is that the pictures which really drove his career forward (his work at Universal, THE MIRACLE MAN, TREASURE ISLAND, etc.) are the ones that are lost, which leaves us with a rather skewed picture of the man's career. If anything could turn up, I'd rather see some of his directorial work or comedies from the mid-'teens. FATHER AND THE BOYS was very well received when it came out.
It's actually quite a neat little one-reeler, with Chaney playing his character flamboyantly over-the-top.
Unfortunately, the impression that I get of Chaney's career is that the pictures which really drove his career forward (his work at Universal, THE MIRACLE MAN, TREASURE ISLAND, etc.) are the ones that are lost, which leaves us with a rather skewed picture of the man's career. If anything could turn up, I'd rather see some of his directorial work or comedies from the mid-'teens. FATHER AND THE BOYS was very well received when it came out.
J. Theakston
"You get more out of life when you go out to a movie!"
"You get more out of life when you go out to a movie!"
FALSE FACES (1919)
Okay, so I gave it another chance. I don't know why I ever thought it was a serial, might have been one of those "I looked at my watch after half an hour and discovered only five minutes had passed" film moments.
My copy was so horrible - dark and washed out - that I ended up watching it on Youtube, which was slightly better. I still couldn't make out half the intertitles.
Having spoken of silliness before, this film is silly in two ways. First of all it is a proper hun-basher with snarling huns gratuitiously looting, killing and generally being monstrous. Secondly it is an espionage romp with a MacGuffin, double dealings, false beards and so on. I found it surprising how many stock elements of spy films are already present in this 1919 grandaddy - add colour and a soundtrack and this would be not at all unlike an early Bond movie. A lot of these set pieces must have looked fresh when the film came out, but seem a bit jaded today.
Chaney plays Eckstrom, a former Parisian apache now turned German secret service fiend. Henry B. Walthall plays "the Lone Wolf", also formerly a Parisian criminal, whom the war has turned into a patriotic double agent. Their last previous encounter was in Belgium, where Walthall was living peacefully with his sister and nephew until Chaney - presumably taking time off from the secret service to do some regular hunning - has his soldiers slaughter them. This sets the stage for a succession of "Ach...ve meet again!"-moments during the film. Of course Walthall wins in the end and even cleverly engineers Chaney's death at the hands of the German secret service.
What I enjoyed most about the film were the German U-boat captains drunken hauntings by the spectres of the civilians he had killed on board the Lusitania. The Variety review also praises the photography and lighting, which were unfortunately hard to appreciate in the copy I watched.
Now, I've always liked Walthall, but in this film I found myself rooting for Chaney, who is supposed to be the villain of the piece. That may have something to do with the fact that I am a hun myself, but I think it is also down to the fact that Chaney plays this Schweinehund in a different way from the leering Stroheim-type officers. I couldn't make out many details in the copy, but Chaney certainly gives us a much rounder character. And be honest, in a fistfight between the two, who would your money be on? See! And here it is Old Birdkisser who wins. As if...
Okay, so I gave it another chance. I don't know why I ever thought it was a serial, might have been one of those "I looked at my watch after half an hour and discovered only five minutes had passed" film moments.
My copy was so horrible - dark and washed out - that I ended up watching it on Youtube, which was slightly better. I still couldn't make out half the intertitles.
Having spoken of silliness before, this film is silly in two ways. First of all it is a proper hun-basher with snarling huns gratuitiously looting, killing and generally being monstrous. Secondly it is an espionage romp with a MacGuffin, double dealings, false beards and so on. I found it surprising how many stock elements of spy films are already present in this 1919 grandaddy - add colour and a soundtrack and this would be not at all unlike an early Bond movie. A lot of these set pieces must have looked fresh when the film came out, but seem a bit jaded today.
Chaney plays Eckstrom, a former Parisian apache now turned German secret service fiend. Henry B. Walthall plays "the Lone Wolf", also formerly a Parisian criminal, whom the war has turned into a patriotic double agent. Their last previous encounter was in Belgium, where Walthall was living peacefully with his sister and nephew until Chaney - presumably taking time off from the secret service to do some regular hunning - has his soldiers slaughter them. This sets the stage for a succession of "Ach...ve meet again!"-moments during the film. Of course Walthall wins in the end and even cleverly engineers Chaney's death at the hands of the German secret service.
What I enjoyed most about the film were the German U-boat captains drunken hauntings by the spectres of the civilians he had killed on board the Lusitania. The Variety review also praises the photography and lighting, which were unfortunately hard to appreciate in the copy I watched.
Now, I've always liked Walthall, but in this film I found myself rooting for Chaney, who is supposed to be the villain of the piece. That may have something to do with the fact that I am a hun myself, but I think it is also down to the fact that Chaney plays this Schweinehund in a different way from the leering Stroheim-type officers. I couldn't make out many details in the copy, but Chaney certainly gives us a much rounder character. And be honest, in a fistfight between the two, who would your money be on? See! And here it is Old Birdkisser who wins. As if...
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders
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Michael F. Blake
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:26 pm
Re: Lon Chaney on stage
<<It>>
Don't know where you got that info, but it is completely wrong. Lon NEVER owned a theatrical troupe.
By 1914, his stage career in Los Angeles was over, due to his wife's attempted suicide in the wings of the Majestic Theatre in 1913 and the resulting newspaper coverage.
Lon was steadily working at Universal by mid-1913 and never went back to theatre work.
Don't know where you got that info, but it is completely wrong. Lon NEVER owned a theatrical troupe.
By 1914, his stage career in Los Angeles was over, due to his wife's attempted suicide in the wings of the Majestic Theatre in 1913 and the resulting newspaper coverage.
Lon was steadily working at Universal by mid-1913 and never went back to theatre work.
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Native Baltimoron
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:45 am
- Location: Delaware
Re: Lon Chaney on stage
[quote="Michael F. Blake"]<<It>>
Don't know where you got that info, but it is completely wrong. Lon NEVER owned a theatrical troupe.
By 1914, his stage career in Los Angeles was over, due to his wife's attempted suicide in the wings of the Majestic Theatre in 1913 and the resulting newspaper coverage.
Lon was steadily working at Universal by mid-1913 and never went back to theatre work.[/quote]
"In February of that year (1912), Charley joined Lon Chaney's vaudeville troupe in a show called "Fischer's Follies." A few months later, the show disbanded." This is a quote from Yair Solan's "The World of Charley Chase" website, under the heading, "Charles Parrott aka Charley Chase." I stated Mr. Chaney owned a theatrical troupe, when it actually reads a "vaudeville" troupe. Please confirm whether or not Chaney managed the troupe. It also appears I have the date wrong; it is 1912 rather than 1914. While I have your attention, Mr. Blake, could you direct me to any information regarding the professional relationship between, Charles F. Alphin and Lon Chaney. Mr. Alphin appears to have be a friend and colleague to Mr. Chaney throughout his theatrical career. Thank you.
Don't know where you got that info, but it is completely wrong. Lon NEVER owned a theatrical troupe.
By 1914, his stage career in Los Angeles was over, due to his wife's attempted suicide in the wings of the Majestic Theatre in 1913 and the resulting newspaper coverage.
Lon was steadily working at Universal by mid-1913 and never went back to theatre work.[/quote]
"In February of that year (1912), Charley joined Lon Chaney's vaudeville troupe in a show called "Fischer's Follies." A few months later, the show disbanded." This is a quote from Yair Solan's "The World of Charley Chase" website, under the heading, "Charles Parrott aka Charley Chase." I stated Mr. Chaney owned a theatrical troupe, when it actually reads a "vaudeville" troupe. Please confirm whether or not Chaney managed the troupe. It also appears I have the date wrong; it is 1912 rather than 1914. While I have your attention, Mr. Blake, could you direct me to any information regarding the professional relationship between, Charles F. Alphin and Lon Chaney. Mr. Alphin appears to have be a friend and colleague to Mr. Chaney throughout his theatrical career. Thank you.
Native Baltimoron
"You too, Uncle Fudd" William Phipps to Bert Mustin in "The FBI Story"
"You too, Uncle Fudd" William Phipps to Bert Mustin in "The FBI Story"