WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched The Red Lantern, starring Alla Nazimova and Noah Beery made in 1919. Alla takes on two roles the one of Mahlee a half cast who was abandoned by her European father and Blanche, her half sister. Mahlee rejects her upbringing and joins the Europeans and helps convert the Chinese to Christianity only to release that she can never join the white world, she will never be fully accepted. She joins Dr Wong (Noah Beery) and fights for the Chinese against the Europeans.

It's a interesting look at inter racial romances because Mahlee's heart belongs to a European who she can never have. Nazimova does have a tendency to overact in front of the camera but she is compelling to watch, especially when playing Mahlee.

[MichiganJ]

Although I've only seen her in Camille and Salomé, I really love Nazimova. Perhaps I was swayed by her biography, but, even though I'm not a huge fan of her Camille, it's a film I often think about. Salomé, which is arguably one of the first "art" films, is a movie I can watch over and over again, and, with the exception of a few close-ups, Nazimova plays the precocious teenager amazingly well.

I would have loved to have seen her on the stage, and am happy to learn other silent films of hers exist.

[charliechaplinfan]

I'm fond of Nazimova too, I like her Camille and her Salome, she had presence and was one of those wonderful characters of the silent screen. Have you seen her portrayed by Leslie Caron in Valentino? I wonder how true that portrayal was. I'm glad there's a biography out there.

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched my first Ford silent The Hangman's House (is that Victor Maclaglen said hubby quite proud he'd recognised him). I was very impressed, I thought it had lots of atomosphere and the story built up very well. I saw shades of The Quiet Man in there, the fond look at Ireland in the beginning of the 1920's (is Ford particularly fond of this era in Ireland or is it a coincidence?) Can't wait to see the rest of the Ford silents.

[silentscreen]

I watched my first Ford silent The Hangman's House (is that Victor Maclaglen said hubby quite proud he'd recognised him). I was very impressed, I thought it had lots of atomosphere and the story built up very well. I saw shades of The Quiet Man in there, the fond look at Ireland in the beginning of the 1920's (is Ford particularly fond of this era in Ireland or is it a coincidence?) Can't wait to see the rest of the Ford silents.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I was surprised at how good they all were. I think "Four Sons" and "3 Bad Men" were my favorites. Buck Jones(Just Pals)was an actor I wasn't familiar with. He had a very sympathetic air about him, and had the appeal of a person you think that you'd like to get to know in real life.

[feaito]

I watched the quite engaging Depression Screwballish comedy "Three Cornered Moon" (1933), so far the best film included in the Claudette Cobert DVD Collection. Meet the Rimplegar family from Brooklyn: the absent minded matriarch of the Rimplegar family delightfully and zanily played by the very funny Mary Boland who steals the show from everyone else; Claudette, the only daughter, in love with a no-good, pretentious, lazy artist played by Hardie Albright and hopelessly courted by the only mentally balanced character in the picture: Doctor Stevens, well played by Richard Arlen; elder brother Wallace Ford, who's studying to pass the Bar Examination to become a full-fledged lawyer, but who's been distracted from his task by a lovely air-head, played by beautiful Joan Marsh; now, there's an actor in the family, the affected William Bakewell, essaying Monsieur Beaucaire's title role, but getting in the end less than a one-line speech in a stage-play; and lastly, clean-cut, brave Tom Brown, the youngest sibling. There's also funny Lyda Roberti, as their Polish maid, who doesn't understand English.

In all a very fine effort by Elliott Nugent and the cast; not as leisurely played as later zany masterpieces like "My Man Godfrey" or "Bringing Up Baby", but anyhow a good movie that paved the way for those.

[JackFavell]

I'm glad you are enjoying the Fordies.

Three Bad Men is for me, the best of the bunch. It is such a great film by any measure. It is in my top twenty movies of all time. Tom Santschi is a brilliant and incredibly moving actor.

Hangman's House I felt only hit it's stride near the end of the film....but it is fun to watch, with great pacing in the race scene. I enjoyed the hint of a love triangle with MacLaglen's look at June Collyer toward the end of the film.

Feaito-

Thank you for the recommendation of Three Cornered Moon. I have never heard of it, but from your description, I really must see it. The mention of Elliot Nugent and Wallace Ford is enough to get me very interested.

[Gagman 66]

Disappointed in the lack of any response, I expected a bunch of comments, I am moving my previous post into this thread.

A homage to "The Nut Cracker", we find this very rare sequence from the "Public Domain" feature BEAUTY'S WORTH (Paramount, 1922). While on-stage Framed replete in a festive Yuletide card setting, Marion is a Beautiful Doll Ornament who suddenly comes to life, just as the other toys do. Dropping from her hook beneath the Tree, she joins her friends.. A charming Christmas Eve Fantasy ensues on a night when truly truly magical events can and do occur.

[youtube][/youtube]

[feaito]

Feaito-

Thank you for the recommendation of Three Cornered Moon. I have never heard of it, but from your description, I really must see it. The mention of Elliot Nugent and Wallace Ford is enough to get me very interested.

Welcome Wendy. It's indeed a rare picture. It's been released as one of the 6 films included in the Claudette Colbert Collection.

[Birdy]

I had a Maurice Chevalier virus this week.
(When you catch it, you can't stop winking!)

I practically know The Merry Widow by heart, so I don't know how I'd gotten by without seeing these two:

Love Me Tonight 1932
and The Smiling Lieutenant 1931

I didn't know whether I should be in the Musicals thread, but these are SOO pre-code that I lit here.
I can't believe he got both girls in the Smiling Lt. and kept them both !
This kind of bothered me at first, then I realized he never would have married Claudette's character, anyway.
hmm

Does TCM ever show Love Me Tonight? I borrowed it from the library system but would like to own it.
I have Smiling Lt. and Merry Widow. I also have and love Can Can and Gigi.
He certainly was a charmet his whole life and the twinkle in his eye reminds me a little of my grandad.
Birdy

[feaito]

Birdy,

It appears that with Chevalier it's a case of love or hate; there are no medium terms with him. In my case, Chevalier is one of my very favorites and I think that "Love Me Tonight" (1932) is the best, most perfect musical ever. "The Smiling Lieutenant" (1931) is one of the best Lubistch musicals too. "The Merry Widow" (1934), another delight. Count me as a fan of Chevalier, Lubitsch, Mamoulian, witty, naughty Pre-Code musicals et al. Such joie de vivre!

[charliechaplinfan]

Birdy, I'm right there with you, I love those movies and certainly precodes.

[JackFavell]

I love those pre-code Chevalier musicals - what is it Lubitsch said? Something about Paramount's soundstage being the only reality he wanted? Those fairy-tale films, with their naughty but nice, crisp dialogue, just make me so happy.

[feaito]

I love those pre-code Chevalier musicals - what is it Lubitsch said? Something about Paramount's soundstage being the only reality he wanted? Those fairy-tale films, with their naughty but nice, crisp dialogue, just make me so happy.

I agree Wendy, these films make me feel completely happy too. I'd love my reality -at work- to be at least 1% like Paramount's...Everything is so prosaic there... Dreams...

Today I watched the 8th entry of Brownlow's "Hollywood" (1980) Comedy is A Serious Business, which depicts the highlights of the careers of Sennett, Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd and Langdon. This is such an elegant and classy documentary, a real treat.

I also saw the documentary "Tod Browning's Freaks: The Sideshow Cinema", which I had seen three or four years ago, but I remembered very little of it. Very thorough and informative.

[feaito]

Last night I "visited" the room where I have my VCR and all the VHS tapes I own (recorded and officially released)....BTW, I'm praying that this VCR wil work for some years to come, because I wasn't able to find another VCR on the market -in case this one stops working- because all of a sudden they disappeared forever. I really hate when things are discontinued.

Well, I watched "Susan Lenox, Her Fall and Rise" (1931), which was kind of uncanny, because yesterday in the morning I watched a documentary on "Freaks" (1932) in which it was stated that some sets from the Garbo picture -the Sideshow sets- were used for Freaks. This Garbo vehicle is the primary example that when you have two powerful stars you don't need much of a story. The main asset of the film is the tremendous appeal of each star: G & G (Garbo and Gable) and the excellent chemistry between them. Gable's raw masculinity is perfect for Garbo. They ignite the screen together. The camera loves them.