The Great White Silence (1924) **

In the sake of full disclosure, I must admit that I cheated when it comes to watching director Herbert G. Ponting’s, The Great White Silence (1924).  I actually watched the 1933 reissued version of the film, which was called Ninety Degrees South and had sound. Documentaries can sometimes be difficult enough to watch with sound, so the idea of watching a silent one about an expedition to Antarctica and the South Pole just wasn’t all that attractive to me, especially since I knew there was a sound version of it. That said, the only sound in this movie was that of Ponting’s voice narrating what was already on the title cards of the silent version, with a few personal asides.

Without a doubt, the best thing about The Great White Silence is the cinematography.  Ponting captures several breathtaking images of glaciers, icebergs, and various other ice and snow formations.  It is said that many of these images were obtained at great peril to his own life.  Knowing full well that 99.9% of the population would never be able to lay eyes on the pristine beauty of such a remote and desolate place, Ponting took great care in photographing the wonders of Antarctica.

Yet, geographic formations weren’t the only things Ponting filmed.  Of course, he made it a point to portray the hardships and recreations of camp life, too.  Only the English would brave arctic temperatures to play a game of football (soccer to Americans) on the ice!  And, then there were the animals.  The Siberian ponies and sled dogs are given their due as well, but Ponting was especially enamored with the penguins and seals of Ross Island.  His depiction of these creatures was quite educational, and I learned a lot about how seals ward of killer whales and how penguins incubate eggs.  Oh, and we get to see Englishmen dance around with penguins, too.

The whole point of Captain Scott’s expedition was to make it to the South Pole before the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.  Scott had brought Ponting along to take pictures that he would use on a lecture tour once he returned to England.  That lecture tour never happened because Scott and four others died on their return journey from the South Pole—which they had arrived at second, behind Amundsen.  We only have Captain Scott’s journal to tell us exactly what happened on this fateful trek, because Ponting did not accompany the group to the South Pole, as it was determined to be too dangerous.  As such, the last half of the film is comprised of a lot of diagrams and still photography that was later recovered by the search party that found three of the explorers dead in a tent—one had died earlier and been buried and another had walked out into a blizzard to kill himself.

While The Great White Silence was pretty much a commercial failure, it is still of great historical importance.  Ponting’s images of Antarctica are a sight to behold. Yes, it gets a bit preachy at the end, when Ponting extolls the courage of Scott for having died for the honor of his country, but that was the English way.  Even though Ponting’s images are nearly 90 years old today, they are still remarkable. 

 

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The Last Laugh (Der letzte Mann) 1924 **

Clothes do make the man…or in this case a uniform with shiny brass buttons.

Emil Jannings plays a very proud doorman in this classic 1924 F.W. Murnau silent. In the beginning of the film, we find Jannings’ pompous doorman happy and a bit condescending to his co-workers—he has the brass buttons and fancy braids after all. When he is demoted to washroom attendant due to his age (Robert Osborne better watch out), we see a humiliated and scorned Jannings. Unable to face the world outside the hotel without his uniform, Jannings steals one from a locker to wear home. In the end, Jannings becomes a drunkard and a pitiful character that lives the rest of his days in abject misery. Actually, this is the ending I saw in a film class because my professor refused to show the ending Murnau was forced to use by the studio. Later, I learned that Jannings inherited money and went back to the hotel and flaunted his newfound wealth in the faces of those who had laughed at him. Hence, he who laughs last laughs best.

This film is 99% title card free—only at the very end does Murnau use one card to explain the tacked on ending. So, this means the viewer must pay close attention to what Jannings’ face and Murnau’s camera are saying about the narrative. Karl Freund’s camerawork in this film makes the viewer feel like a voyeur of Jannings’ life. The bathroom scenes are truly heartbreaking.

An interesting film to watch, but the ending is trite.

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Sherlock, Jr. (1924) **

So, if I said Buster Keaton is the most gifted actor/stuntman ever would your response be, “No, s*#t, Sherlock?

This 1924 silent starring Keaton is one of his top five performances. Under an hour long, the film moves at an extremely fast pace. In the film, Keaton plays a projectionist and aspiring detective, who is framed for the theft of his would-be father-in-law’s watch by his romantic rival (Ward Crane.). Later, while attending to his job at the theatre, Keaton falls asleep and finds himself in a dream where he is the second greatest detective in the world: Sherlock, Jr. His dream alter ego must solve the case of the missing pearls before the dastardly villain kills him. In the end, Buster solves both cases and the lovers are reunited.

The stunts in this film are usual Keaton—amazing. His ride on the motorcycle handlebars is priceless. The dual storyline—real life and reel life—is a clever plot device as well. In this regard, Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo owes a nod to Keaton.

An entertaining, exciting, funny film. A must see for silent film fans, and of course, Keaton fans.

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Greed (1924) **

One of the seven deadly sins of Irving Thalberg.

Eric von Stroheim directed this monolithic 1924 film about the rise and fall of John “Mac” McTeague. Originally the film was over 9 hours long, von Stroheim cut it to 4, but that wasn’t enough for Thalberg, who had it cut again to just over 2 hours. There is a restored version with stills that attempts to restore it to 4 hours, but it’s difficult to find.

The story follows the life of non-licensed dentist McTeague as he falls in love with Trina (Zasu Pitts), the girl of his best friend, Marcus. After Marcus steps aside the couple marries and she wins $5,000 from the lottery. This is where greed comes into play. Marcus, now jealous that McTeague is married to $5,000, reports McTeague’s lack of a license to the authorities. McTeague is forced out of business and looks to his wife for financial help. The problem is she’s a hoarder, who likes to roll around naked in her money but not spend it. So, McTeague must work manual labor jobs and the two of them live like paupers. Eventually McTeague snaps and kills Trina and flees to the desert with her gold. Marcus follows him and a showdown occurs. Marcus is killed, but not before McTeague finds himself handcuffed to the corpse. Attempting to drag the dead weight behind him, McTeague succumbs to thirst and dies.

Von Stroheim was looking to make the most realistic film possible and he does a very good job. The film is shot entirely on location in San Francisco and Death Valley, so the sets are as authentic as they come. If you want to see what downtown San Francisco looked like in the early 1920s—watch this film. Most of the lighting is entirely natural, which gives the film a stark look at times. The story itself is both compelling and creepy. The depths of Trina’s greed are something to behold. When you watch the closing scenes between Marcus and McTeague in Death Valley you might actually begin to sweat yourself.

An entertaining film to watch--if you can find it.

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Strike (Stachka) 1924 **

Remember the good old days when Americans knew who their enemies were? One of the classes I teach is American history since 1945. You would not believe how many of my students have no idea what the Soviet Union was. Sergei Eisenstein sometimes wished he was so oblivious!

Strike (Stachka for the Russkies out there) is a Soviet propaganda piece directed by Eisenstein in 1924, seven years after the dramatic events of the Russian Revolution. The film takes place in the terrible days of Czarist rule, where most people were peasants or exploited factory workers. This particular Eisenstein piece focuses on the exploited factory workers. Unhappy with working conditions and enraged by the suicide of a co-worker falsely accused of theft, the workers go on strike. As the strike wears on wives begin to complain that there isn’t enough to eat and the men show unrest through drinking and lazing. In the end, those most hated Cossacks are called in to end the strike. This of course means the unmitigated slaughter of the striking workers (or anyone else in their path).

The film is pure propaganda. Capitalists and the Czarist army are seen as instruments of evil, while the proletariats are heroic. As a history teacher, I know just how bad Soviet communism was for a number of people, so it is difficult to like the narrative of the film. However, Eisenstein was still a gifted director and does create some interesting montage shots in the film. The slaughter of the workers is interplayed with the slaughter of other “innocent” beasts—animals at the slaughterhouse. He also does a nice comparison element when he shows the grandiosity of the factory owners and the abject poverty of the workers. So, visually the film has merit. In addition, the film can be used as an educational tool to show how political propaganda helps develop the culture of its society.

Not my favorite film, but still visually stimulating.

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The Thief of Bagdad (1924) **1/2

No, this film isn’t about W. or Dick.

Douglas Fairbanks stars in this 1924 silent classic, where people take magic carpet rides without the aid of hallucinogens. Fairbanks plays a handsome, happy-go-lucky thief, who through sheer acrobatic ability lands himself in the caliph’s palace. He falls in love with the soon-to-be-wed princess and goes on a quest for a magic chest that will win him his love and save Bagdad from the evil Mongols.

The special effects are pretty advanced.  Favorites of mine include the winged horse, the magic carpet, and the fire-breathing dragon. If you rent the DVD it has a bonus section about the special effects. Fairbanks’ athleticism (and chest) is on full display from beginning to end. The caliph, played by Brandon Hurst, is a riot.

Overall, for its time, the film is a visual marvel. The story is captivating and has good pacing. A delightful film to watch.

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