The Love Parade (Ernst Lubitsch) ***1/2

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette McDonald, Lupino Lane, Lillian Roth

Background: Maurice Chavalier was a well known musical performer in Europe. He rejected an offer to come to Hollywood to star in silent films, not having a very good experience with the few French silents he made. With the advent of sound, he now had the confidence and signed a contract with Paramount. The Love Parade was his second film. It was the first film for Broadway star Jeanette MacDonald, who was spotted by director Lubitsch while looking through old screen tests of Broadway stars.

Story: The Queen of Sylvania (Macdonald) meets and falls in love with Count Renard (Chevalier). When they get married, he finds it difficult to adjust to his new life playing second fiddle to his wife.

Thoughts: The first full sound picture (and musical) that I've seen since I started this project, and it's great fun. Ernst Lubitsch always had a unique way of telling what seems like a simple story, and that's evident here. See the way in which a prop is used to cleverly deceive the audience in the film's opening scene. And he knows how to bring actors together that seem perfectly matched. Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette McDonald make a wonderful romantic pair, completely natural playing off each other with Lubitsch's typically witty dialogue. However, the romance between underlings Lupino Lane and Lillian Roth is actually my favorite part of the movie (and seems to have inspired Billy Wilder, whose Sabrina has a very similar romance between two minor characters). The actual songs are not very memorable, but almost all of them are charming, thanks mostly to the ingratiating performances by the cast. It sure says something that this is my least favorite of the five Lubitsch film I've seen to date, and it's still tremendously entertaining.

Postscript: This film received six Oscar nominations, including nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Lead Actor. Lubitsch would reteam with his two leads for 1934's The Merry Widow. All three would continue to have very successful film careers.

Diary of a Lost Girl (GW Pabst) ***1/2

Director: GW Pabst

Cast: Louise Brooks, Andre Roanne, Josef Rovensky, Fritz Rasp, Vera Pawlowa

Background: Pabst and Brooks team up again after thair great collaboration in the classic Pandora's Box. The story was based on a novel written by Margarete Bohme.

Story: Thymiane (Brooks) is pregnant after being raped by a family friend. When she refuses to marry the man, her baby is taken away and she must fend for herself in a brutal reform school.

Thoughts: Pabst and Brooks team up to great effect. Once again, we have a story where Pabst directly challenges the sexist society of the day. Most of this film is incredibly bleak, a stark contrast to what we saw in Pandora's Box. Brooks undergoes so much terrible treatment throughout the film that it even makes the typical Lillian Gish treatment seem tame. The third act turns everything on its head, and it's here where he really departs from his previous film. Whereas his previous film has oft been misinterpreted as a warning sign or a lesson for women who act like Lulu did in that film (as if this could somehow be the case and the movie still be good), he avoids any possibility for misinterpretation here. Instead, he goes for a more hopeful message, that a woman like Thymiane has a chance to prevail. Louise Brooks comes up with a terrific performance again, in some ways more accomplished than in Pandora's Box.

Postscript: This would be the last time Pabst and Brooks teamed up, and also the last silent film either of them made. The next year Pabst made an anti-war film called Westfront 1918, while Brooks would continue to work in Europe with the French film Beauty Prize.

Pandora's Box (GW Pabst) ****

Director: GW Pabst

Cast: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Francis Lederer, Alice Roberts, Gustav Diessl

Background: GW Pabst wanted Louise Brooks for the main role ever since seeing her in A Girl In Every Port. He actually had Marlene Dietrich in his office waiting to sign for the role until getting word from Brooks at the last minute that she was willing to do it.

Story: Lulu (Brooks) is a woman with a special gift at drawing the attention of men, but this causes problems for her when the men are driven to violence and other nefarious deeds.

Thoughts: This is a remarkable film that fully utilizes Louise Brooks' captivating screen presence. It's refreshing to see a movie this old be so openly daring about sexual issues. The casting of Louise Brooks is important because she has the ability to combine innocence and sexuality in a way that Marlene Dietrich probably couldn't have accomplished. With Dietrich, the character would have appeared to be too sinister. But Pabst isn't interested in judging Lulu, despite what a cursory glance at the plot may lead you to believe. Instead, he's taking aim at a sexist society that judges such women. The male characters certainly don't come off any better throughout the film. The movie even includes what film historians consider the very first lesbian character, and it's fitting with the theme of the movie that it is the most positively portrayed relationship in the whole movie (albeit that's not saying much). Two years removed from the storytelling issues found in The Love of Jeanne Ney, Pabst gives us a character worth caring about and comes up with a brilliant ending as the final few scenes are absolutely stunning.

Postscript: This film would be the defining role for Louise Brooks. The role would be so iconic that the hairdo she wore in it is still called a "Lulu" today. Brooks would quit acting by the end of the next decade, while Pabst would continue his successful directing career through the 50's.

Year 3 - 1929

I'll finally begin year 3 of this project and hopefully can get through this much faster than previous years. It should be an exciting year, as it will be a mixture of late silents and early talkies. I've pared down the list a little bit and will be watching 22 films this year, closer to the output I did for 1927.

We've got multiple films from several of my favorite directors this year, including Alfred Hitchcock (Blackmail, The Manxman), GW Pabst (Diary of a Lost Girl, Pandora's Box), and Ernst Lubitsch (The Love Parade, Eternal Love). There will be a few musicals, although I've decided to skip some of the big plotless medley musicals.

Here is the full list of films that I will be watching for 1929:

Alibi (Roland West)
Applause (Rouben Mamoulian)
Arsenal (Alexander Dovzhenko)
Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock)
The Broadway Melody (Harry Beaumont)
The Cocaonuts (Robert Florey, Joseph Santley)
Diary of a Lost Girl (GW Pabst)
Eternal Love (Ernst Libitsch)
Hallelujah (King Vidor)
The Iron Mask (Allan Dwan)
The Last Warning (Paul Leni)
The Love Parade (Ernst Lubitsch)
The Love Trap (William Wyler)
Lucky Star (Frank Borzage)
The Man With a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov)
The Manxman (Alfred Hitchcock)
Napoleon (Abel Gance)
Pandora's Box (GW Pabst)
Spite Marriage (Edward Sedgwick)
Queen Kelly (Erich Von Stroheim)
Speedway (Harry Beaumont)
Spies (Fritz Lang)
They Had to See Paris (Frank Borzage)

Film that could be added if they become available include:

Disraeli (Alfred E. Green)
Flight (Frank Capra)
The General Line (Sergei Eisenstein)
The Trespasser (Edmund Goulding)
Thunderbolt (Josef Von Sternberg)

1928 - Top 10 List and Year in Review

It sure took me a long time to get through 1928, partly because of real life stuff that kept taking up my time, but also because I took on too much for this year. It was a very interesting year for cinema, and there were lots of movies I wanted to see, but I probably should have limited myself somewhat. The good news is that while it was taking me so long to finish the year, TCM decided to do a Marion Davies marathon and I was able to capture basically her entire filmography on DVR. That allowed me to add her two 1928 films to the list, and I'll be prepared for her stuff in future years.

I ended up seeing 31 films overall, and it was a generally strong year overall. The technical aspects of filmmaking had reached their highest point ever, but some of the films had issues as directors got a little too busy experimenting and forgot to tell the audience a story. William Wellman had his second straight mediocre output and I'll be careful in selecting any of his future films for inclusion in the project.

It was an especially strong year for leading actors. Not only did we have terrific comic performances from the three comic legends (Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton) but we also had some outstanding dramatic performances from Lon Chaney, James Murray, Conrad Veidt, Emil Jannings, and George Bancroft.

1927 saw the first feature length sound film in The Jazz Singer. It was a huge hit, and studios began transitioning to sound by 1928. However, the early talkies were apaprently not very good and none of them made it on my radar to watch this year (if they were even available). So this will be the actual last full year of silents.

And finally, here is the top 10 list for 1928

10. The Docks of New York (Josef Von Sternberg)

The mature and complex romance between George Bancroft and Betty Compson.

9. A Girl in Every Port (Howard Hawks)

Robert Armstrong and Victor MacLaglen make for winning protagonists.

8. Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (Walter Ruttman)

One of just many fascinating shots of Berlin.

7. The Last Command (Josef Von Sternberg)

Jannings (2nd from right) and Brent, before it all goes to hell.

6. Steamboat Bill Jr. (Charles Reisner)

One of just many obstacles Buster has to avoid.

5. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Dreyer)

Falconetti's passionate performance among the best in film history.

4. Laugh, Clown, Laugh (Herbert Brenon)

Chaney proves once again that he is the best actor of his era.

3. Speedy (Ted Wilde)

A shot from the fantastic Coney Island sequence.

2. The Circus (Charles Chaplin)

The Tramp in a precarious situation.

1. The Crowd (King Vidor)

This fascinating shot of Johnny's soul sucking work place would later inspire Billy Wilder in "The Apartment".

Best Picture

The Circus
*The Crowd
Laugh, Clown, Laugh
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Speedy

Best Director

Charles Chaplin, The Circus
Carl Dreyer, The Passion of Joan of Arc
Walter Ruttman, Berlin: Symphony of a Great City
*King Vidor, The Crowd
Ted Wilde, Speedy

Best Lead Actor

George Bancroft, The Docks of New York
*Lon Chaney, Laugh Clown Laugh
Charlie Chaplin, The Circus
Harold Lloyd, Speedy
Emil Jannings, The Last Command

Best Lead Actress

Eleanor Boardman, The Crowd
Betty Compson, Docks of New York
Marion Davies, The Patsy
*Maria Falconetti, The Passion of Joan of Arc
Greta Garbo, A Woman of Affairs

Best Supporting Actor

Nils Asther, Laugh Clown Laugh
William Haines, Show People
Ivor Novello, The Lodger
Bernard Siegel, Laugh Clown Laugh
*Ernest Torrence, Steamboat Bill Jr.

Supporting Actress

Olga Baclanova, The Docks of New York
Evelyn Brent, The Last Command
*Louise Brooks, A Girl in Every Port
Marie Dressler, The Patsy
Loretta Young, Laugh Clown Laugh

Best Screenplay

A Girl in Every Port (Malcolm Stuart Boylan, Howard Hawks)
The Circus (Charles Chaplin)
*The Crowd (King Vidor, John VA Weaver)
Laugh, Clown, Laugh (Joseph Farnham, Elizabeth Meehan)
Speedy (Albert DeMond, John Grey)

Show People (King Vidor) ***

Director: King Vidor

Cast: Marion Davies, William Haines, Dell Henderson, Paul Ralli

Background: The second collaboration between Marion Davies and King Vidor this year. Co-star William Haines doesn't get alot of attention today, but was one of the most popular comic stars of the era.

Story: Peggy Pepper (Davies) is an aspiring actress who moves from Savannah to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. She finds early success in comedies, but wants to do dramas so she switches to a new studio and takes on the name Patricia Pepoire. In doing so, her personality changes and she ignores her former friend (Haines).

Thoughts: I'm surprised Hearst was okay with this, because it seems like a direct attack on his own ideas about Davies' career. Nevertheless, it's a fine film that features cameos from tons of Hollywood stars (Chaplin, Fairbanks, Gilbert, and even King Vidor himself). The first half is especially strong, featuring some hilarious set pieces and the fake films are brilliantly done. The second half runs into some problems, as Davies overplays her character's snotty behavior a bit too much and Haines disappears for too long. The events are less inspired here and instead follow an entirely predictable chain of events. Still, the movie is able to recover for a strong conclusion that works because Davies and Haines are charismatic enough to make us care.

Postscript: William Haines was openly gay, and his career was cut short when Louis B. Mayer demanded he break up with his longtime partner and publicly marry a woman. His last film was in 1934, but he remained with his partner for over 50 years. The film itself has a good reputation, but is unfortunately one of the many Davies films that are not available on DVD.

The Patsy (King Vidor) ***1/2

Director: King Vidor

Cast: Marion Davies, Marie Dressler, Orville Caldwell, Lawrence Gray

Background: Marion Davies was the mistress of tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who only wanted to see her in expensive costume dramas. Director King Vidor got the idea to cast her in this when witnessing her do impressions of her friends. Marie Dressler's career was over and she was contemplating suicide before getting a last minute offer to portray Marion's mother.

Story: Patricia Harrington (Davies) struggles to win the approval of her mother (Dressler). Things don't get much better when she falls in love with her sister's boyfriend, but decides to pursue him after finding out her sister is cheating on the man.

Thoughts: It's a shame that it took so long for her to be cast in a comedy, because this film proves Marion Davies was meant to be a comedienne all along. The comic persona that was threatening to break out in last year's dud Quality Street is fully evident here and her spirited performance is a joy to behold. At one point, she tries to impress a man by doing impressions of silent film stars, including a Lillian Gish impersonation that is dead on. There's some really inspired stuff in the 2nd half where Marion has to pretend to be crazy and the many inventive ways they come up with for her to do that are absolutely hilarious. Marion's splendid performance completely carries this movie, but there are some strong support with Marie Dressler's manic performance as her mother of special note. The basic story is certainly simple (although the genders are reversed from the norm), as it was in most comedies of the day, but what's important is that we have a funny and endearing main character to make it all work.

Postscript: From here on out, Marion would make mostly comedies and she enjoyed success in the transition to sound. Her reputation would later be shattered by the unflattering portrayal of her fictional alter ego in Citizen Kane, and subsequent films featuring Marion would portray her in a similar light. However, film historians have since recognized that those portrayals didn't really do her justice, and even actress Virginia Madsen regrets how she portrayed Marion in the 1985 tv-movie The Hearst and Davies Affair.

The Last Command (Josef von Sternberg) ****

Director: Josef Von Sternberg

Cast: Emil Jannings, Evelyn Brent, William Powell

Story: A General (Jannings) in Czarist Russia is reduced to nothing after the revolutionm, even losing the woman he loved (Brent). Now in the United States, he ends up getting a job as an extra in a movie about the very revolution that deposed him.

Background: The story was inspired by the life of General Lodijensky, a Czarist General who also fled to the United States and became a Hollywood extra. Director Josef von Sternberg had already made a name for himself with the previous year's Underworld (#3 on my 1927 list and also starring Evelyn Brent). Jannings was a highly regarded veteran actor who already had over 50 credits to his name.

Thoughts: Von Sternberg nails it once again. He is clearly one of the best pure storytellers of his era, brilliantly juxtaposing the General's life before and after the war by alternating the narrative, never once losing focus. Emil Jannings gives an amazing performance in the lead role, showing us so many dimensions and layers of this General, making him a complex and fascinating individual. The romance between Jannings and Brent is at first problematic and contains a ridiculous title card (You are now my prisoner of war... and prisoner of love!"), but the two actors completely sell it, and the ultimate fate of the romance packs the required punch. The plot escalates to a bravura finale that still has time for one final moment of understanding between two enemies.

Postscript: Emil Jannings would become the first winner of the Oscar for Best Actor (for both The Last Command and Way of the Flesh). He still had many years left in his career, including another outing with Von Sternberg called The Blue Angel. William Powell (who plays the Hollywood director) would have a long and successful career, making a name for himself as The Thin Man. Von Sternberg would make several films with Marlene Dietrich, being nominated for two of them, and continued directing through the 50s.

October (Sergei Eisenstein) ***1/2

Director: Sergei Eisenstein

Cast: Vladimir Popov, Vasili Nikandrov

Background: Eisenstein's previous film Battleship Potemkin is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. It revolutionized film editing and contains one of the most famous film sequences of all time. He was commissioned by the Soviet government to direct a film celebrating the 10th anniversary of the revolution.

Story: Documentary (using recreated footage) following the historical events starting from the end of the monarcy in Russia and dissolution of the provisional government.

Thoughts: What could have been a bland docudrama is given alot of power by Eisenstein's skillful editing and terrific use of sound effects. The film moves at a surprisingly brisk pace, thrusting the viewer right in the middle of the historical events. The Soviets were not happy with Eisenstein's experimental nature, including the use of symbolism in his montage sequences. They worried that it wouldn't make sense to the average viewer, but I found the film surprisingly accessible. Separated from the historical events, it's a fairly simple story of good vs. bad told with alot of passion, including a brilliant depiction of the storming of the Winter Palace. I find that remarkable considering most of the movie is disconnected from the actual people involved and instead focuses on a grand view of the events.

Postscript: The film did not fare well. Eisenstein was forced to edit certain parts of it (all references to Trotsky) and it never received the acclaim of Potemkin. It is currently held in high regard by film historians.

Four Sons (John Ford) *1/2

Director: John Ford

Cast: Margaret Mann, James Hall, Charles Morton, Ralph Bushman, George Meeker, June Collyer

Background: The plot for this movie was adapted from a novel by I.A.R. Wylie. After a career as a character actress, Margaret Mann was given her biggest role to date.

Story: A widow (Mann) watches as her four sons leave home one by one. Joseph has decided to make a living in the United States, while his brothers eventually fight for Germany in World War 1. When America enters the war, Joseph finds on the opposite side of the battlefield as his brothers.

Thoughts: This is all very ridiculous. You'd think there would be plenty to milk out of this premise. The basic situation has some psychological complexity to it. But Ford isn't interested in any of that. He's just here to manipulate the audience, forcefully plucking those tears from their eyes. What almost works is the bravura performance from Margaret Mann, who almost sells this nonsense. She creates such a convincingly real character that it's impossible not to feel sympathy for her predicament. Unfortunately, every time we get to that point, Ford is back to plucking once again. The third act is particularly bad, with one of the most unconvincing endings I've seen in a silent movie.

Postscript: Despite her great performance, this would turn out to be the only lead role Margaret Mann would get. She continued acting through the next decade, but in mostly minor roles. It would be 11 years before Ford would make what is considered to be his first masterpeice, Stagecoach.