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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 1 2012, 07:22 PM (517 Views) | |
| panzer the great & terrible | Jul 1 2012, 07:22 PM Post #1 |
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Mouth Breather
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In 1925 Frank Borzage made this dramatic comedy for Metro. Some hero or heroine at Time Warner chose to save it and we have a pristine print that may be direct from the negative, or is at least from a first generation print. It's a good picture, from one of W. Somerset Maugham's best plays. A couple who are planning to run away from the girl's husband hang around the ole family manor to catch the act of another couple who pulled the same stunt 30 years before, and boy, are the old couple gross. This and more happens in one of the stately homes of Olde Englande, and that's all I'm gonna say. Beautiful cast, sets, and so forth. Though the broad outlines of the plot were familiar to audiences by the time the film came out, having been used most notably by by Erich Von Stroheim and most frequently by Cecil B. De Mille, this rendering shows what a subtle director could do with the material (of course much of the wit comes from the Maugham original). This emerges as another star in the Borzage crown, particularly because this picture was made before he was aware of Murnau, who is often credited as more than just an influence. As good old Willie Shakespeare proved, we all have influences, but if we don't have have talent they don't mean squat. I've only seen one Borzage picture I couldn't connect with, so far at least, and that would be Strange Cargo, one of his more celebrated efforts, but a little too religulous for my taste. In his groundbreaking and readable book-length study of Borzage, Hervé Dumont writes that this picture was much plagued by studio interference, and it is true that around this period the best directors were fleeing Metro because Irving Thalberg wanted to curb their excesses. However, the ending of this particular picture, whoever directed that part, is what really stands out. The gal who plays the errant wife is sensational, conveying rebelliousness, shame and attraction all at once. It's remarkable. But despite this small quibble, I highly recommend the book. He's one critic who analyzes the visuals of a film without going completely over my head, or the top, whichever comes first. This was the last film Borzage made before he moved on to Fox, where he became one of the greatest American directors with an eight-year-long string of masterpieces and films that are just plain excellent, starting with Seventh Heaven and ending with A Man's Castle. I caught this on TCMHD. I bow down to them three times, first thing every day. If you like silents you'll like this picture. If you don't like silents, you better stop reading my posts. Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Aug 2 2012, 01:04 PM.
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11:37 AM Jul 11