DVD Review: Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927)

Kino Lorber Classics has released the best possible version of Harry Pollard's epic silent screen version of Harriet Beecher's Stowe's novel. The film is restored to remarkable sharpness, and the original release Vitaphone score by Erno Rapee is used for even greater authenticity.

This was an extremely expensive production of its time, and remarkably well done. But in our more enlightened times, we have to understand the stereotype of the times. White people play mixed race slaves. Some play slaves in blackface. But, at the very least, Uncle Tom is portrayed by actor James B. Lowe, and the extras, including children, are filled out by black actors.

And the story, written by an author who had little knowledge or understanding of the African American experience of the time, presents slaves as docile, accepting servants. However, the story does attempt to address some level of harsh reality when mixed slave Eliza marries mixed slave George who belongs to another owner; a cruel man. Eliza's owner attempts to buy him but he isn't for sale. He sneaks away to see Eliza enough so that eventually a child is born. When George is forced to marry another of his owner's slaves (for breeding) he runs away.

Eliza's owner is deeply in debt to a man called Haley. He has no choice but to allow Haley to take Uncle Tom, the family's long time servant. But that doesn't cover his note. Haley insists on also taking Harry, Eliza and George's little boy. Eliza's owner refuses at first, but he has no choice. He could lose his home. He agrees and Eliza overhears. She runs away with her baby. She wants to take Tom also, but he believes his places is with the master and stays. Eliza runs out into the snowy blizzard. Pursued by bloodhounds and men on horseback through the snowy passes, Eliza seeks refuge in an Inn -- but so do the men pursuing her. She escapes out a window and is again pursued, running along a treacherous ice floe. Dangerous crossing the river on blocks of floating ice to evade her pursuers. She finds refuge in a warm house with word that her husband has also escaped and will be joining her. They will then trek to Canada and freedom. But Eliza falls under the Dred Scott rule and ends up with the evil Simon Legree.

Director Harry Pollard died way back in 1937 and not much of his work survives, so his name has not lived on too well. However his direction of this film is extraordinary, rivaling D.W. Griffith's "Way Down East" during the scenes at the ice floe. He brilliantly captures the danger as Eliza and her child dangle over a dangerous waterfall. His wife, Margarita Fischer, turns in an excellent performance as Eliza in what would be her final film (she lived to be 89 years old).

James B. Lowe's powerful emotional performance as Tom shows up most effectively when he is beaten by evil Legree who insists he owns him "mind, body, and soul." Tom insists "my soul belongs to God." For that he to be given "the worst floggin' he ever had." Just about that time, the yankee forces march in to free the slaves.

While it is brilliantly directed and acted, the historical context of the material is pretty unsettling in modern times, with casual and caustic use of the most extreme racial slurs as part of the dialog, and the slave Topsy dowsing herself with white powder so she can be "nice like Miz Eliza." But upsetting sequences like these are part of the learning process in history and in cinema, as ghastly as they can seem now.

Kino's blu ray is filled with extras including the 1914 and 1910 versions of the story, the 1958 reissue version narrated by Raymond Massey, and an optional audio commentary by film historian Edward J. Blum that is informative and interesting.

The blu ray can be purchased at this link: Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927)