The Ring is a silent film about a love story shaped around boxing. 'One Round' Jack Sander is in love with a woman named Mabel and the two of them decide to get married. Jack is a very skilled boxer but one day he loses a fight to a man named Bob Corby at which point Mabel also starts to fall for Bob. As Jack learns more and more about Mabel's affair he attempts to work his way back up to the top in a boxing tournament. And in the end he believes that the fight with Bob will determine Mabel's love. So it's actually a pretty decent story about love which surprisingly works very well with the boxing aspect of the film.
The acting is very good here with Carl Brisson doing an excellent job as Jack. He looks as concerned as anyone ever could about his wife and he truly looks motivated to make his way to the top in boxing. Ian Hunter does a great job as Bob, the rich boxer who also tries to get Mabel. Now Mabel is played by Lillian Hall-Davis who also happens to do a truly excellent job. All of the minor roles in the film are also catered to perfectly.
Each of the sets in the film are done pretty well with the carnival at the beginning and all of the boxing rings looking pretty realistic for the time. The hits between boxers are very good for the most part as it usually looks like they are actually making contact. The musical score for this film is one of the best that I've ever heard in a silent film and it truly leaves the viewer with a wide variety of emotions.
With all of the praise that I just rained upon this film you may think that I'm going to say go out and see this film immediately but in reality it feels like less than the sum of its parts. The story is very good while not perfect, the acting is excellent, the special effects are pretty good, and the music is truly stupendous. So not everything in the film is perfect but there really aren't that many noteworthy flaws. I'll say check out the film if you enjoy boxing, love stories, or Alfred Hitchcock. Score: 7/10
The acting is very good here with Carl Brisson doing an excellent job as Jack. He looks as concerned as anyone ever could about his wife and he truly looks motivated to make his way to the top in boxing. Ian Hunter does a great job as Bob, the rich boxer who also tries to get Mabel. Now Mabel is played by Lillian Hall-Davis who also happens to do a truly excellent job. All of the minor roles in the film are also catered to perfectly.
Each of the sets in the film are done pretty well with the carnival at the beginning and all of the boxing rings looking pretty realistic for the time. The hits between boxers are very good for the most part as it usually looks like they are actually making contact. The musical score for this film is one of the best that I've ever heard in a silent film and it truly leaves the viewer with a wide variety of emotions.
With all of the praise that I just rained upon this film you may think that I'm going to say go out and see this film immediately but in reality it feels like less than the sum of its parts. The story is very good while not perfect, the acting is excellent, the special effects are pretty good, and the music is truly stupendous. So not everything in the film is perfect but there really aren't that many noteworthy flaws. I'll say check out the film if you enjoy boxing, love stories, or Alfred Hitchcock. Score: 7/10