At one stage this was one of the most popular films of all time. It holds up reasonably well, especially compared to other silent films of the period. John Gilbert is the star; he is best remembered for his swashbuckling, great lover roles, of which to be honest this is a variation – he is a rich man’s son who joins the army at the prompting of his bloodthirsty fiancee and father, and winds up romancing a French girl and becoming a hero. He also loses his leg – a great shock and the best bit of the film. I enjoyed Gilbert’s performance, even if occasionally he can’t help wailing at the sky and there’s a scene where he goes a bit melodramatic and over the top.
The structure is interesting – the first half is mostly gentle romance and service comedy, before he goes off to war (a great sequence, with memorable shots of an endless truck convoy), then winds up in the trenches.
No comments:
Post a Comment