Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to In The Balcony. We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Plus, you'll be eligible for the monthly $1 million prize. (Not really.)

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
The Blackbird; Another great Chaney-Browning teaming...
Topic Started: Oct 30 2008, 08:14 AM (191 Views)
igsjr
Member Avatar
Nostalgia blogger
[ *  *  * ]
Originally scheduled for an October 12th showing (and postponed for a proper Paul Newman send-off), TCM premiered The Blackbird (1926) Sunday night—an entertaining silent melodrama from the collaborative team of actor Lon Chaney and Tod Browning. Any chance I get to watch a film involving the contribution of these two cinematic giants is literally like a hot fudge sundae.

Chaney plays two roles in Blackbird: the first being notorious thief Dan Tate (he’s nicknamed “The Blackbird”) and the second his crippled brother, “The Bishop,” who runs a mission in London’s Limehouse district. (It’s revealed fairly early on in the film, however, that both men are one in the same…so it’s not like I’m giving anything away.) Tate falls hard for a music hall performer named Fifi (played by Renee Adorée, Chaney’s co-star in Mr. Wu [1927])—who’s also captured the eye of “West End Bertie” (Owen Moore), another ne’er-do-well in the same business as Dan. Both men compete for Fifi’s attention, but because Bertie acts in a manner that suggests a shade more respectability (his business card reads “Bertram P. Glayde”) Fifi falls for him, and the couple ask “The Bishop” to preside over the whole rice-and-old-shoes affair. Bish—gleaning knowledge that could only have been obtained from his “brother”—tips off the cops about Bertie’s illicit activities and as “Blackbird” frames him for the murder of a Scotland Yard detective; then while hiding Bertie out at his place begins to turn the two lovers against one another. A clever plan in theory, but by the film’s conclusion “The Blackbird” is revealed to be the real murderer…and receives an ironic comeuppance in the bargain.

Lon Chaney—“The Man of a Thousand Faces”—is remembered and revered for the versatility of his movie roles; The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925) demonstrate the elaborate makeups he used to vividly bring both the titular protagonists to life. Where I feel Chaney gets short shrift is that he was such a brilliant actor that he really didn’t need the “gimmicks” to demonstrate his talent—you can watch, for example, The Ace of Hearts (1921) and see how amazing he was at conveying a character without having to make him some sort of freak. The one image that has stayed with me after seeing Blackbird is a scene in which Chaney, in character as “The Bishop,” is trying to break up Bertie and Fifi’s romance by informing the would-be bride that Bertie’s a thief; he expects Fifi to reject her fiancé but instead she forgives him, causing a mask of utter rage and disgust to appear on Chaney’s face. When the couple turns back toward him, that mask has been replaced by a beatific smile…even though you know inside he’s about ready to blow a gasket.

Very entertaining movie. Three out of four tickets.
"Life is in color--but black-and-white is more realistic..." -- Samuel Fuller, director

So many DVDs...so little time...
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
« Previous Topic · Silents, Please · Next Topic »
Add Reply