With all the talk of old films disintegrating from the use of nitrate film stock it is a real boon to cinephiles to hear about one that survived. Almost entirely intact with only a few blemished scenes this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see to legendary silent stars Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson on the big screen. Milestone films is preparing two versions of the film for release in 2006, one will be issued with a full soundtrack and the other completely silent for LIVE piano accompaniment.
Sadly, the festival is only able to run the version with the full soundtrack (that includes sound effects as well as music). One thing I noticed was just how unnecessary and obtrusive sound effects can be in a film. There's a certain magic to watching actor perform in silence without the noises of the real world intruding. When it's released in 2006 I would highly recommend seeking out the completely silent version for maximum pleasure.
That said, this film features two remarkable actors in a very unremarkable love tryst about two honorable lovers and their desire not to cuckold the girl's dying 'trophy' husband. Hilariously, the cuckolded husband feels guilty and unworthy of his young wife's adoration so he takes off on a suicidal trip to Africa. The final scene between the threesome will astound modern day audiences who are used to seeing the lover get his comeuppance as opposed to the noble reconciliation that concludes this very early 'chickflick'.
Acting students should take note of Gloria Swanson, who's acting skills could be easily applied to today's films as she shows none of the histrionics that most people associate with silent films. She even performs her own stunts including a near drowning and a fall from a cliff. Rudolf Valentino, as the lover, does not fare as well in very reserved role as he tends to let his eyes do the acting.
Now I'm not saying that everyone in the film follows the Stanislavski method, especially not the actor playing the husband who comes across in isolated scenes like Charles Durning on Viagra (don't ask, you'll see).
MUST-SEE viewing for cinephiles as this movie is both an amazing artifact of early film-making technique (watch for the fake alps or the California beach doubling as the Sahara desert), and a showcase for its two lead performers (especially Swanson) who have earned their places in film history.
Hopefully more silent films will continue to be either discovered or digitally reconstructed to show us how life once was and how we related to the world around us (there's even a scene of Muslims praying in the desert, when's the last time Hollywood put something like that in a big screen romance).
Lastly, it's SOLD OUT so hit the stand-by line on October 5th (Good Luck!)
Sadly, the festival is only able to run the version with the full soundtrack (that includes sound effects as well as music). One thing I noticed was just how unnecessary and obtrusive sound effects can be in a film. There's a certain magic to watching actor perform in silence without the noises of the real world intruding. When it's released in 2006 I would highly recommend seeking out the completely silent version for maximum pleasure.
That said, this film features two remarkable actors in a very unremarkable love tryst about two honorable lovers and their desire not to cuckold the girl's dying 'trophy' husband. Hilariously, the cuckolded husband feels guilty and unworthy of his young wife's adoration so he takes off on a suicidal trip to Africa. The final scene between the threesome will astound modern day audiences who are used to seeing the lover get his comeuppance as opposed to the noble reconciliation that concludes this very early 'chickflick'.
Acting students should take note of Gloria Swanson, who's acting skills could be easily applied to today's films as she shows none of the histrionics that most people associate with silent films. She even performs her own stunts including a near drowning and a fall from a cliff. Rudolf Valentino, as the lover, does not fare as well in very reserved role as he tends to let his eyes do the acting.
Now I'm not saying that everyone in the film follows the Stanislavski method, especially not the actor playing the husband who comes across in isolated scenes like Charles Durning on Viagra (don't ask, you'll see).
MUST-SEE viewing for cinephiles as this movie is both an amazing artifact of early film-making technique (watch for the fake alps or the California beach doubling as the Sahara desert), and a showcase for its two lead performers (especially Swanson) who have earned their places in film history.
Hopefully more silent films will continue to be either discovered or digitally reconstructed to show us how life once was and how we related to the world around us (there's even a scene of Muslims praying in the desert, when's the last time Hollywood put something like that in a big screen romance).
Lastly, it's SOLD OUT so hit the stand-by line on October 5th (Good Luck!)