Restored Silent

BEHIND THE DOOR-1919-Amid anti-German sentiment at the beginning of WWI, Capt. Krug (Hobart Bosworth) and his toughest rival Tavish (James Gordon) join the navy. Krug also marries Alice (Jane Novak} against her families wishes. Ostracized, she stows away on her husband's ship (Tavish is his first mate). Their ship is eventually torpedoed by a German sub which finds Krug and Alice in a lifeboat. Lt. Brandt (Wallace Beery), the sub commander has Alice taken aboard but abandons Krug to the open sea. He survives and vows revenge. Alice is gang raped by the crew, then killed and her body thrown overboard. Later both Krug and Brandt meet again and Krug gets his revenge big time. 

This rediscovered classic, which uses stills for some missing scenes, starts off like some typical “DW Griffith” drama and ends like a nightmare that may have influenced Edgar Ulmer. It kind of manages to say ethnic hatred is wrong but still shows the German as being very bad. It's based on a story by Gouverneur Morris.

Director Irvin Willat made THE GRIM GAME starring Harry Houdini the same year.
 https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2017/10/houdini.html

Another Great Moving Picture!

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS-1920-This silent film is a little masterpiece of it's kind and holds up very well for being made nearly 100 years ago! It's also fairly faithful to Jame Fenimore Cooper's novel (part of a trilogy) but the character of Hawkeye (Harry Lorraine), usually the main emphasis in later versions takes a back seat to Uncas (Alan Roscoe), the title Mohican and his relationship with Cora (Barbara Bedford), the white English woman who's father is a Colonel leading an army against the French and their "bad Indian" companions. Wallace Beery is top billed as the evil Magua who wants Cora (or her sister) all to himself.

The violent and graphic (for the day) Indian massacre scene still packs a wallop and Boris Karloff is seen briefly as a brave who kills baby! It all ends tragically of course.

 

It had two directors: Clarence Brown and Maurice (father of Jacques  Tourneur). Co-stars Roscoe and Bedford were married at the time and were big stars in the Silent Era. Unfortunately both their careers went into decline on the advent of sound. Beery became a big star in the Sound Era winning a 1931 best actor Oscar for THE CHAMP. He actually "tied" with Fredric March who also won for DR. JEYKLL AND MR HYDE.

Weirdly, a German version was made the same year that featured Bela Lugosi!

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One Oldie, One Moldy...

WISHCRAFT-2002-This is a typical slasher film with a small dose of the supernatural thrown in. A nerd (Micheal Weston) uses a magical bull's penis that grants three wishes to get a cheerleader (Alexandria Holden) to go out with him. Meanwhile a slasher in a raincoat kills people. Broadway actor/director Austin Pendleton plays his high school teacher (he must have needed vacation money). Meatloaf (using his real name Micheal Aday) is the investigating cop. Little Zelda Rubenstein is a coroner. In a unique (?) twist the hero defends himself with a lawn jockey. Gee! Jackie Chan never thought of that! The cast also includes Joseph Ruskin, Sam McMurray, Luis Avalos and Hamilton Camp. I think parts of this were suppose to be intentionally funny!




An oldie: O'SHAUGHNESSY'S BOY-(1935)-This standard '30's tearjerker reunited the two stars of THE CHAMP (from 1931) Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper.

Beery portrays a lion tamer who loses an arm (to a tiger) after his wife and son leave him. The infant son is played by future "Our Gang" member (and "Little Rascals" leader) Spanky McFarland. After several years Beery returns to society a broken man. He does manage to get temporary custody of his son (now played by Cooper) despite the intrusions of a trouble making aunt (Sarah Haden) and eventually father and son learn to love each other when Beery's well meaning, big lug personna (which dominates the movie despite Cooper's pouting and crying) overcomes his fears.

From what I've read when Beery is sharing some tender moments with Cooper he's REALLY acting! Clarence Muse is also featured as Beery's kindly (but racially stereotyped) assistant.

Director Richard Boleslawski (from Warsaw) also helmed RASPUTIN AND THE EMPRESS, the only movie to feature all three Barrymores....

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