The Fall of the House of Usher (Jean Epstein) **1/2

Director: Jean Epstein

Cast: Jean Debucourt, Marguerite Gance, Charles Lamy, Fournez-Goffard

Background: Epstein was a veteran French director at the time of making this film, and he brought then newcomer Luis Bunuel on board as assistant director. Bunuel was furious over Epstein's decision to ignore/change Poe's story, and eventually quit the film. Among the cast, Marguerite Gance was particularly notable for being the wife of famed French director Abel Gance.

Story: Roderick Usher (Jean Debucourt) is an artist who paints images of his now sick wife, although each pose begins to wear her down. In the company of his friend Allan and a doctor, Roderick goes mad and refuses to accept the events that unfold.

Thoughts: Not much going on here, but a series of admittedly haunting images. Since it doesn't really follow the original story, it might have been nice if the film made some kind of narrative sense. Without that, it seems more like experiment for the filmmaker. Nothing wrong with that, but this was pretty short and a minor amount of structure certainly could've been added to make this work. If you're into really abstract filmmaking, you might like this, because it has some nice cinematography, but by the end I just couldn't care to make out what was going on.

Postscript: Epstein continued directing for another 20 years, but it was Bunuel that hit it really big and became a huge influence on world cinema over the next four decades. Marguerite Gance would not make another film.

A Girl in Every Port (Howard Hawks) ***1/2

Director: Howard Hawks

Cast: Victor MacLaglen, Robert Armstrong, Louise Brooks

Background: Not much is available on the making of this one. Howard Hawks was a relatively new filmmaker at this point, with only 4 films under his belt, and none of them were particularly noteworthy. MacLaglen was out to prove he could be a leading man, as he'd played mostly supporting roles up to this point.

Story: Spike (Victor MacLaglen) is a sailor with a gift for seducing women in any port. Soon he finds that another sailor (Robert Armstrong) is beating him to the punch. They start to feud, but then quickly become buddies. Their newfound friendship is tested when Spike falls for Marie (Louise Brooks), a diver he meets in France.

Thoughts: Now this one was a blast. It's a classic guy's movie, featuring a couple of rough and rowdy sailors who like to drink and get into numerous barroom brawls. Both of the leads are great fun to watch, but it's Victor MacLagen as the oafish Spike that is the most endearing. He's able to pull off the double act of seeming like a guy's guy, but also has endearing childlike qualities that really make him a winning character. The third act of this film revolves around Spike's interest in a diver played by Louise Brooks. I've already found Brooks to have a captivating and unique screen presence for this era, so her appearance here was certainly welcome. This early Hawks picture showcases his ability to do fast paced comedy and stage rousing action sequences, both of which would be trademarks of his later films. This is the most purely amusing silent film I've seen outside of the traditional comic silents of Chaplin, Lloyd, and Keaton.

Postscript: Not much is available on the financial success of the film, but it did help Louise Brooks land her seminal role in Pandora's Box. MacLaglen would later win an Oscar for his role in 1935's The Informer and make many appearances in John Ford films. (Including one I will be reviewing shortly, 1928's Hangman's House.) Hawks of course became a Hollywood legend by directing classics such as Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, and Seargent York.

The Cameraman (Edward Sedgwick) ***

Director: Edward Sedgwick

Cast: Buster Keaton, Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin, Sidney Bracey

Background: Keaton made a risky move to MGM after the financial failure of his films at United Artists led that studio to interfere with some of his story elements and forced him to hire a production manager. The film would be Buster's debut at MGM, and he handled uncredited directing duties on it.

Story: Buster is an aspiring photographer who falls in love with a woman who works in MGM's newsreel department. He sets out to win her over by trying to get pictures sold at the studio.

Thoughts: Like most of Buster's work, this is a very uneven film. It has some brilliant sequences, but then an entire middle section that falls flat and almost derails the whole thing. The two brilliant sequences come at the end. The first is when aspiring photographer Buster gets caught up in a gang war. It's a dizzying sequence that really showcases the advanced abillities of filmmaking at the end of the silent era. The ending features some great storytelling surprises. Unfortunately, there is a looooooooong middle section where Buster makes an ass of himself at the pool. There was hardly anything funny about this whole scene and it really takes away from what could have been a great film. It boggles the mind how these sequences of such varying quality could exist in the same film, but alas that is the story of Buster's career and why I'd rank him behind both Chaplin and Lloyd among the silent film comedians.

Postscript: The film was well received by critics, but MGM must not have been too happy with the financial results, because they removed Buster's creative freedom. Some of these later films would be successful financially, but Buster hated them and his career would never be the same. He continued acting in supporting roles through the 60s, including a cameo in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard and teaming up with Charlie Chaplin in Limelight.

The Crowd (King Vidor) ****

Director: King Vidor

Cast: Eleanor Boardman, James Murray, Bert Roach, Estelle Clark

Background: King Vidor was a veteran director with significant financial success in the silent era. He sought to use that leverage to help him sell this unusual idea to the studio. He wanted to make a wholly original film, and cast unknown actors (including his wife) to help maintain the authenticity of his story.

The Story: A man (James Murray) and a woman (Eleanor Boardman) meet, fall in love, get married and face the consequences and cruel struggles of adulthood.

Thoughts: This is the kind of movie I hoped to discover when I started this project. I love every single second of this picture. The movie is deceptively simple, just showing how a couple develops over the years, through dating, married life, and parenting. It shows how they try to cope with financial problems, career goals, and tragedy. It manages to cover all of this without ever seeming shmaltzy or overly melodramatic. For an actress who didn't end up having much of a career, Eleanor Boardman gave a splendid performance in this film, reminding me very much of Janet Gaynor in the previous year's Sunrise. The film advances through many years, but not too quickly. It captures all the important events in the character's lives and you'll feel every moment of it. By the end, you'll feel like you've known this family as well as your own. The Crowd reminded me a bit of Harold Lloyd's wonderful Speedy. Both films have a memorable sequence set in Coney Island and present an interesting view of a young couple trying to cope with the problems in adult life. And oh, what an amazing final shot.

Postcript: The Crowd was not a financial success, but developed strong critical praise over the years. It was one of the first films added to the National Film Registry. Vidor had a very long and influential career including Duel in the Sun and War and Peace.