Director: George W. Hill
Cast: Lon Chaney, William Haines, Eleanor Boardman, Eddie Gribbon
Have I Seen it Before: Never.
Did I Like It: We once again play another round of the perennial game in these reviews: What genres in a silent movie age at all well*? So far we’ve decided that comedy is usually a pretty good bet. Horror and Science Fiction can have its charms, if for no other reason than to even try fanciful genres prior to 1927 virtually ensured that the production design is a cut above. Drama? Probably not. Mystery? Even less likely.
Now we come to patriotic melodrama, and as somebody who didn’t serve in the military, the experience of watching the film definitely feels like spending a little over an hour and a half patiently listening to the explanation of an inside joke, only to be told at the end of it, “Well, you had to be there.” Take my thoughts for what they were worth, but there were more than a few hearty chuckles from some of the other people in the theater during Veteran’s Day weekend.
That being said, there are a few elements that recommend the film. Footage after the Marine recruits are shipped out are of a sufficiently epic scope that either the filmmakers went a step above what might have been good enough so far as production value, or that director George W. Hill and editor Blanche Sewell made especially apt choices in matching stock footage to their scenarios. Additionally, Chaney’s performance and aesthetic (in sharp contrast to his more famous horror roles) looks like he could be a drill sergeant today, or at least a believable one in a movie today.
*Some of you out there might be of the mind that any film in black and white—to say nothing of any film released before the advent of synchronized sound—isn’t worth another look. You’re wrong. I’m sure I’m very found of you if you’ve made it to this site, but you’re wrong.