Saw this, or what's left of it, at MOMA yesterday and it left me rather cold. Like so many mid-'20s silents, it's psychologically simplistic--the good brother is so good, the bad brother is so bad, their evil boss is so evil, and each gets exactly what he deserves. Veidt, as both brothers, is impressive, and there's some primitive split-screen melding that's pretty proficient. I also liked Liane Haid, a Clara Bow lookalike, as the sweet girl who's romantically involved with both brothers. The emphasis, as the previous poster noted, is mostly on the greedy brother, because he's more depraved and hence more interesting. The storytelling lurches forward awkwardly, and I notice that the workmen's camp the good brother founds is always, always suffering from snowfall, whatever the weather is in the evil big city. The ending's incredibly abrupt--one must assume some footage is missing. Lil Dagover, as the shallow, money-grubbing heiress who marries the bad Schellenberg, overacts even by the standards of silent melodrama. Worth seeing for some handsome cinematography and Veidt's successful conveyance of two very different siblings; but not convincing storytelling.
Review of Two Brothers
