Amy's silent movie reviews :: The Artist (2011)

The Artist (2011) (runtime 100 min) is the new silent picture currently getting Oscar buzz. It won the Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, and Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical. As I've enjoyed lots of old silent movies, and in the past reviewed several silent movies for this blog, I had to see this one. I'm glad I did.

The Artist is the story of George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin), a silent movie star in the late 1920s. His latest silent film with his cute little dog is a hit with the crowd. But soon status quo in Hollywood will be rocked by the advent of sound.

This is also the story of Peppy Miller (played by Bérénice Bejo). Photographers take her picture with George at the film premiere (photo shown is from that scene), and she parlays the exposure into bit parts in the movies, first as a dancer then in small credited roles. She thanks George for her big break.

When sound comes to the movies, instead of embracing it, George Valentin laughs it off as a fad. He won't speak. Peppy on the other hand, gets into the talkies and becomes one of the studio's fresh new faces. George's star fades while Peppy's star ascends. By the early 1930s, Peppy Miller is a glamorous star and George is a washed-up has-been. But fortunately for George, there are those who still care for him, such as Peppy and that cute little dog, and he gets a second chance.

Actor Jean Dujardin wonderfully captures the looks of a dashing, silent film star. His emotions play skillfully across his face. Actress Bérénice Bejo is perky and energetic.

The French director, Michel Hazanavicius, daringly chose to make this new film as a silent movie, except for several artful uses of sound. The Artist is shown in black-and-white, although interestingly, it was shot in color. The Artist uses old techniques and shows they can work beautifully, that silent movies can be, and many of the old ones were, much more than the cliché of scratchy-looking comedies projected at the wrong speed.

The Artist is set in Hollywood during the transition from silents to talkies, when a number of silent movie stars found themselves no longer employable, not only because of bad speaking voices or thick accents, but also because of studio politics. With sound, in addition, came the popularity of musicals. The film career and decline of major silent movie star, John Gilbert, was part of the inspiration for The Artist.

By the way, The Artist is rated PG-13 for a disturbing image and a crude gesture.

Amy's silent movie reviews :: The Black Pirate (1926)

The Black Pirate (1926) is an early Technicolor silent movie starring Douglas Fairbanks. In its day, it was a major studio production using a cutting-edge, still experimental technology. The imperfect two-color Technicolor process used predated the much superior three-color process. The Black Pirate is an adventure movie. Even though it has sword fights, action sequences, and several explosions, the pacing may be somewhat slow for modern audiences.

The movie stars Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Donald Crisp, and Sam De Grasse, and large cast of extras as motley-looking pirates. The Black Pirate was based on a story written by and was produced by Douglas Fairbanks. Running time is 90 minutes.

Pirates take a ship, loot it, and blow up the ship. The lone survivor, Fairbanks, vows revenge. The pirates hide their treasure on the island Fairbanks is marooned on. Fairbanks offers to join the pirates and kills the Captain in a sword fight. To prove himself to the remaining pirates, Fairbanks, now The Black Pirate, boasts that he'll take the next ship single-handed. On the merchant ship that he takes, there is a beautiful princess (Billie Dove).

Fairbanks convinces the pirates to send the merchants back, minus their loot, with a ransom note for the Princess. He also secretly asks the merchants to get help from the Governor. The pirate Lieutenant (Sam De Grasse) is annoyed at Fairbanks usurping his leadership position, changing their pirating routine, and for not allowing him ravish the Princess. The Lieutenant arranges it so that the merchant ship never delivers its message. Fairbanks is caught trying to sneak the Princess off the ship and is forced to walk the plank. But ever resourceful Fairbanks swims to land, gallops off on a stolen horse, and brings reinforcements back to rescue the Princess before ransom deadline. Meanwhile old pirate and comic relief (Donald Crisp) defends the princess from the Lieutenant. The Black Pirate and the Princess fall in love, and Fairbanks' Black Pirate isn't a pirate at all.

Action scenes in The Black Pirate were staged well. Fairbanks cutting the sails was memorably done. I liked how Sam De Grasse played the evil lieutenant in an understated manner, unlike the melodrama of many silent films. Donald Crisp was funny propping himself up with swords and daggers to stay awake. The pirate costumes of the crew and of De Grasse (long blue coat) and Crisp (old one-armed man) were quite good. In contrast, I found Fairbanks' costume of a black low-cut shirt and black shorts anachronistic and frankly ridiculous. But the award for the most ludicrous part goes to the boat Fairbanks arrives on to rescue the Princess, which looks like a cross between a Roman galley and racing scull. The rowers from the boat are wearing what looks like bandoleers and black bicycle shorts, but at least they are clean-cut, unlike the dirty pirates whom they defeat.

Amy's Silent Movie of the Month :: The Red Lily (1924)

This month’s silent movie is The Red Lily, an emotional drama from 1924, running time 81 minutes. The movie was co-written and directed by Fred Niblo. It stars Ramon Novarro, best known for playing the title character in the epic Ben-Hur (1925); Enid Bennett; and Wallace Beery who would go on to become a major star in the 1930s.

The Red Lily is the tale of two young sweethearts who become separated by cruel circumstances. It begins in Brittany, France, in a country village. Marise La Noue (Enid Bennett) and Jean Leonnec (Ramon Novarro) hope to marry. When Marise’s father dies suddenly, she becomes a pauper and she is forced to live with her awful next of kin. Jean's rich father doesn't want his son marrying a penniless girl like Marise.

Marise escapes her relatives. She seeks refuge in the house that was formerly her home. Jean sees Marise's candle in the empty house and he investigates. Marise cuddles with her boyfriend Jean by the fireplace and they fall asleep. Although they do nothing improper overnight, it is scandalous.

Jean takes Marise on a train to Paris, where they hope to start a new life together. Unfortunately things go all wrong for them. When Jean goes out seeking someone to marry them, two men force Jean on a train back by to Brittany. Meanwhile Marise waits alone in the train station. By the time Jean is able to return, hours and hours later, Marise is gone. Marise wrongly assumed that she was abandoned.

Life in the big city of Paris takes a tragic toll on both Marise and Jean. They can't find each other. Marise works jobs that go from menial, to unsavory, to disreputable. Jean who wrongly thought the gendarmes, the French police, were after him, gets involved in crime with the thief Bobo (Wallace Beery), and gives the gendarmes reason to chase him.

Jean continues to looks for Marise, the girl with the face of an angel. But when an injured Jean is saved by a bedraggled Marise, he doesn't recognize her. When she tries to get close to him, her shuns her. Marise cares for Jean even though he treats her badly. After Jean throws Marise into a bar's backroom with an ugly man, and she fights the man tooth and nail, he realizes she is not a mere streetwalker.

Eventually Jean recognizes Marise, when it's nearly too late. The former sweethearts, who each lost their innocence, are in the end together. There's a nice happy ending.

The Red Lily is a fine silent drama. There are many striking scenes. Yet it shows decadent places and is far from cheery. I cared for the couple's fate and was drawn into their story. All the acting was well done. Enid Bennett made you feel for her wronged character. Handsome Ramon Novarro had screen presence. I would recommend this movie.

Amy's Silent Movie of the Month :: The Merry Widow (1925)

This month's silent movie is The Merry Widow (1925), running time 137 minutes, based on the 1905 operetta of the same name by Franz Lehár. Many characters and scenes were changed in this Hollywood adaptation. The director, the talented and controversial Erich von Stroheim, is co-credited with writing the screenplay.

The movie stars Mae Murray and John Gilbert. Mae Murray was a Ziegfeld Follies dancer with frizzy blonde hair. John Gilbert was a matinée idol of the 1920s. The setting is the fictitious kingdom of Monteblanco. John Gilbert plays likable ladies' man Prince Danilo Petrovich who falls in love with American dancer Sally O'Hara played Mae Murray. Sally O'Hara also attracts the attentions of Danilo's cousin, the obnoxious Crown Prince Mirko (Roy D'Arcy).

After a memorable evening, Danilo asks Sally to marry him. But the King and Queen, upon hearing Danilo's plans, forbid the marriage. Thinking she was jilted, Sally marries rich, old Baron Sixtus Sadoja (Tully Marshall). The Baron dies soon after. After a mourning period, Sally emerges as "The Merry Widow" in Paris. The King and Queen of Monteblanco don't want the Baron's millions to leave the kingdom. Egotistical Crown Prince Mirko goes to Paris to woo Sally, and Prince Danilo, who still cares for Sally, follows him.

The Merry Widow shows men dressed in uniforms covered with medals, and ladies in fabulous gowns and feathers. There is unheard waltz music, dance sequences, interesting crowd scenes, plot twists, and exotic details. It's an entertaining, well-done step away from reality, where you cheer for the hero. There's even a duel. The Merry Widow was one of the top films at the box-office in 1925.

Trivia: Joan Crawford and Clark Gable were extras in this film.

Amy's Silent Movie of the Month :: Broken Blossoms (1919)

This month's silent movie is Broken Blossoms (1919) (or The Yellow Man and the Girl), running time 90 minutes. It is a silent drama, or perhaps I should say melodrama, directed by famed early movie pioneer D. W. Griffith. The screenplay was adapted from the story "The Chink and the Child" by British author Thomas Burke, which is in the book Limehouse Nights.

Broken Blossoms contains child abuse, an inter-racial relationship, drug use, and racism. Yet despite the serious subjects, there is a poetic quality to this film.

The setting is poverty-stricken east London. Prizefighter Battling Burrows abuses his illegitimate daughter Lucy. He goes out drinking and carousing. Poor Lucy doesn't have enough money, or enough tin foil, to even buy the flower she wants. Lucy is so downtrodden that to she has to push up the corners of her mouth with her fingers to smile.

The gentle but disillusioned "Yellow Man", Cheng Huan, has noticed sad Lucy on the streets. After Lucy falls into his shop, injured from a beating by her father, he nurses her back to health. The Chinaman shows Lucy only kindness, and nothing untoward happens, unless you count longing gazes. Yet Batttling Burrows can not accept that his daughter was with "the Chink".

Lillian Gish is heart-rending in the emotionally demanding role of the girl Lucy Burrows. Twenty-three year old Gish plays a fifteen year old. Donald Crisp is convincing as her brutish father Battling Burrows. Richard Barthelmess, interestingly a Caucasian actor, ably plays the gentle Chinese man.

Broken Blossoms ends tragically. It doesn't have a happy Hollywood ending, far from it. The movie was successful, both critically and financially. I would recommend this memorable, but sad, silent movie.

Amy's Silent Movie of the Month :: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)

Last Sunday night, I watched an old movie on cable, on TCM (Turner Classic Movies), and I thought it was a quite good.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), running time 134 minutes, was one of the top grossing silent films and is a drama concerning World War I. Despite the ominous title, which refers to Biblical prophecy, the settings are rarely on battlefields, yet it conveys the horrors of the War. The movie, which was directed by Rex Ingram, was based on a novel of the same title by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.

This movie provided the breakthough role for Rudolph Valentino, who would go on to become one of the biggest stars of silent films. After seeing The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, I think I can understand why women swooned over Valentino. From his first scene, as a tango dancer and ladies' man, Valentino was impressive.

The movie starts with Madariaga, "The Centaur", a rich cattle baron in Argentina, who has two daughters. One daughter married a Frenchman named Desnoyers, the other a German named von Hartrott. Madariaga merely tolerates his German son-in-law and German grandsons. He openly favors his French grandson, Julio (Rudolph Valentino). After Madariaga's death, the German takes his family back to Germany and the Frenchman returns with his family to France. The time is shortly before the outbreak of World War I.

Julio Desnoyers lives decadently in Paris. His father (Josef Swickard) collects antiques for his castle. Julio has a relationship with the beautiful Marguerite Laurier (Alice Terry), who is unhappily married to an older man. By the end all are affected by World War I.

In 1995, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was added to the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress, recognizing the cultural, historical and aesthetic significance of the work, as well as the risk of the original movie reel no longer being preserved.

As a side note, Valentino's tango sequence from this movie was parodied by Gene Wilder during the opening credits of The World's Greatest Lover (1977).