Reviews

The film noir elements of LARCENY are well-covered in the other reviews, so I'm going to focus on how sensational Shelley Winters is in the bad girl role. Dan Duryea is obsessed with her, while Shelley is obsessed with handsome John Payne, who seems indifferent to her charms. It's the biggest hole in the script, since Shelley is slinky, sexy and sultry. How John could prefer the insipid, bland, weepy Joan Caulfield over the firecracker Winters is a mystery only a screenwriter could devise. It's easy to see from her assured performance that Shelley was definitely on her way up ... she would enjoy a brief sex symbol period before embarking on her two-time Oscar winning career as a dramatic actress and earned her place in film history.

CHILDREN OF DIVORCE is one of those films that has little to recommend it in terms of story, filmmaking technique or brilliant performances.

What it does have is the luminous presence of Clara Bow at the height of her beauty, solidly coming into her talent, and acting the flapper to her usual perfection. In addition, there is Gary Cooper at the very beginning of his career, not quite a great actor but fantastically handsome and difficult to keep your eyes off him.

With the spectacular beauty of Cooper and Bow on full display, the third rising star in the trio is Esther Ralston, who, while pretty and serene, can't compete with Bow & Cooper in terms of sheer magnetism. The only other silent film I've seen her in is as the mother in Peter Pan, where she was also pretty and serene. I'd be curious to see if she is more of a standout in any of her other silent starring vehicles.

CHILDREN OF DIVORCE is worth a look if only for Bow & Cooper and what better way to pass an hour or so in such engaging company.

The print I saw was on YouTube and was truly magnificent, clear and bright and looking like it was made yesterday. My only complaint was the truly horrible piano accompaniment which almost ruined the film for me. It did nothing to support, intensify or supplement the action on the screen and was more of a distraction than an enhancement.

In the pre-talkie era, Barbara La Marr enjoyed a reputation akin to Hedy Lamarr (who owed her name to the silent goddess) - audiences went to see her films simply to sit back and be mesmerized by her beauty.

While undeniably beautiful (despite changes in fashion & makeup), Miss La Marr lacks the acting chops of a contemporary like Pola Negri, who made several films of a similar type.

Thanks to director Maurice Tourneur, who was acclaimed for his pictorial composition, Barbara is exquisitely showcased in several scenes, including her stage presentation as The White Moth, were she "dances" around and is threatened by a man costumed as a spider; a extravagant artist's ball where she is lavishly gowned; and a tantalizing glimpse of Barbara in her bath.

With three handsome men vying for her attention, beautiful gowns & jewels, and expensive sets, The White Moth was an excellent vehival for Barbara's vamping and it's certainly easy to see why Barbara had a successful career in Hollywood.

The print I viewed on YouTube was incredibly crisp and clear, and the lack of a soundtrack didn't hamper my enjoyment of the film. The film was missing a few shots here and there, as well as the last few minutes of the film, but this didn't lessen my opinion of the film.

And if that's not enough to recommend it, the immortal Pola Negri gives a well-rounded performance and her star appeal is abundantly clear even at this early stage of her career.

The film itself doesn't have much to recommend it beyond Miss Negri, but the remastered print I viewed on YouTube was quite good and -with a nice piano score - is a pleasant enough way to see the embryonic Pola absolutely poised to take the world by storm.

Although often described as a "vamp" by film writers, it certainly does a disservice to this legendary star to limit her appeal to this clichéd stereotype for Pola is so much more in every performance.

Although the "vamp" outline is contained in the film - young woman steals money from a beau, and runs away from her family to the big city were she became a famous dancer and steals a married man from his wife & daughter - Pola's character retains the audience's sympathy and does the right thing in the end.

It's easy to see why Pola would shortly take Europe and America by storm and let's hope more of her filmography continues to be rediscovered and saved.

Since several reviews here extensively recapped the plot, I will not reiterate. Instead, I will share my thoughts on several aspects of the film as I watched it.

Pola Negri is absolutely magnificent in the title role as a passionate gypsy desired by several of the men. TSD was her third American-made film and the first of her American films available for viewing (Bella Donna & The Cheat are presumed lost). She gives a terrific performance and is ravishingly beautiful in all her close-ups. She particularly looks amazing in a black, ruffled dress she does a dance in.

Pola is ably supported by a strong cast, including Antonio Moreno (you probably remember him as Clara Bow's leading man in 1927's It), who is appropriately dashing as a Spanish count, Wallace Beery (whose career lasted well into the talking era, particularly Dinner at Eight opposite Jean Harlow) as the Spanish king and Kathlyn Williams making a strong impression as the queen.

TSD is certainly a lavish epic of that era, with expansive sets and fabulous set designs. One interesting piece of trivia is that Mary Pickford (basically the queen of the movies) released her film Rosita shortly before TSD hit theaters. Both films were based on the same source material and newspapers and magazines of the time had a field day comparing the films and intimating that Pickford and Negri were engaged in a feud because of it. Not so, according to Pola in her autobiography, but it raised the profile of both films and both were financially successful. I haven't seen the Pickford version, but Pola seems much more suited to the fiery role of a Spanish street singer than the more demure Pickford. TSD probably would have been even better had it been directed by Ernst Lubitsch (who made Negri a star in Germany and directed the Pickford version), but Herbert Brenon (director of Peter Pan) did well enough in the director's chair that he was entrusted with Pola's next film, Shadows of Paris.

My biggest problem with the film, aside from the rather old print I saw on YouTube, was the organ music accompanying the film. I'm just not a big fan of that type of score and a full orchestra adds an element to silent films that lifts them way up.

In Sunset Blvd., Norma Desmond says "Those idiot producers. Those imbeciles. Haven't they got any eyes? Have they forgotten what a star looks like?". While watching A Woman of the World (1925), those words kept running through my head as I saw the magnificent Pola Negri playing the world-weary European countess.

Though numerous scenes, Pola wears gorgeous clothes, beautiful hats, spectacular jewels and a fantastic hair do (rather reminiscent of Louise Brooks). She looks every inch a star as the camera catches her in stunning close-ups, often through the hazy smoke of her ever-present cigarette holder.

The story was an amusing fish out of water story when the supremely sophisticated Pola flees a broken love affair in Europe to visit a distant relative (by marriage) in middle America. Most of the comedy derives from the hick locals clashing with the old world Negri.

The climatic scene (SPOILER) where a furious Pola takes a bullwhip to the crusading DA (who is secretly in love with her) is shocking and fantastic and should be better known than it is.

All in all, much of the film is a stunning still photo come to life and A Woman of the world is a perfect opportunity to sit back and enjoy the exotic hothouse glamour of an almost forgotten superstar of another era. They certainly had faces then.

I ran across this little Vitagraph comedy from 1916 on YouTube and thought it would be interesting to check out an early Corinne Griffith film. Unfortunately, the available print was washed out or too dark in places to really get a clear look at it and Miss Griffith was very much a supporting player and not given much to do. What little you could see of her showed a pretty girl, but whatever star wattage she displayed in the 20s wasn't evident yet.

The film rather reminded me of a mediocre episode of a middle-of-the-road sitcom from the 70s or 80s. Some quick comic action, a little pointless suspense and fast wrap-up. I wonder if it was cut down from its original length as it felt it needed an additional scene or two to flesh it out.

Ain't Misbehavin' is a fairly obscure 1950's musical from Universal, a studio not much associated with the genre since Deanna Durbin left the decade before.

To tell the truth, I tuned in on Roku TV in order to catch Mamie Van Doren, but despite fourth billing above the title, her role was very limited and she had very little to do. Still, she looked gorgeous in technicolor.

The film seemed like an unofficial sequel to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but without the incomparable talents of Marilyn Monroe. It picks up where Gentlemen left off, a showgirl (Piper Laurie) marries a millionaire (Rory Calhoun) and must take her place in society, with mixed results. It might have been more interesting had Mamie had the lead and it was a more direct follow-up to Blondes.

Rory Calhoun was handsome and engaging but really didn't have much to do. Piper Laurie was good, despite having to act like MGM's Jane Powell or Debbie Reynolds, trying a little too hard to be charming. Jack Carson delivered his standard performance.

All in all, a pleasant way to pass the time.