Blu ray review: Accidentally Preserved Volume 5
The fifth volume of rare silent films from Undercrank Productions expands upon the previous releases. While the first four volumes were mostly comedies and cartoons, this latest release expands to longer movies from different genres. This series contains films for which no 35mm original footage is available, but they were released on other formats for the home video market, thus “accidentally” preserving them. This latest volume may very well be the best in the series thus far, as it includes some remarkable films from private collections that have been restored for the Library of Congress silent film project. Every film offers great entertainment, fine acting, and skilled filmmaking, and each one looks remarkably good considering their specific circumstances. There are four films over two discs, each disc containing two titles. The following films are represented:
LORRAINE OF THE LIONS
Patsy Ruth Miller stars in the title role of a woman, living among the animals as a veritable female Tarzan when the ship she is riding on as a child, crashes and sinks, leaving her as the only survivor. Young Lorraine (played, as a child, by Doreen Turner who was Mary Jane in the Buster Brown comedies) is comfortable being shipwrecked alone on an island with her faithful gorilla friend (who immediately chases away cannibals and later saves her from an alligator attack). Her bereaved grandfather back home in the states refuses to believe she perished in the shipwreck and consults occultists to find her and bring her home. Edward Sedgwick’s direction enhances the drama with action, and uses good camera angles as establishing shots. The scene where the grandfather imagines young Lorraine has come to him, but her image disappears as he goes to hug her, is heartbreaking. This film can hardly be called particularly notable, and that’s precisely the point. It reminds us that the small percentage of silent films that have survived into the 21st century contain many gems beyond the well-known towering classics of the era. This is one of them.
LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT (1928)
The only comedy two-reeler in this set is a Mack Sennett production featuring Lige Conley as a dashing pilot who, along with his co-pilot, ends up on a beach full of women. He gets smitten by pretty Madeline Hurlock (who is introduced, via title card, as a woman who broke off her engagement to a flagpole sitter), while his co-pilot is with diminutive Daphne Pollard, Daphne engages in some wildly funny slapstick, and this one includes some remarkable color footage as well.
HOOFBEATS OF VENGEANCE
Cowboy star Jack Perrin takes a supporting role in a film starring Rex The Wonder Horse. This fun western runs just under 50 minutes and while the story is cliched and far-fetched, the performances and action make up for it. Of course, a film such as this must be appreciated in the context of its time, when these cliches were not as timeworn. In the 21st century, this enjoyable western drama holds up nicely as a cultural artifact, and as cinema it is effective in its use of editing and camera angles to best convey the action. Rex The Wonder Horse had a level of fame similar to Rin Tin Tin during the silent era, so for historical and cultural purposes, it is wonderful that another movie featuring the equine star is available and accessible.
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
Arguably the best film in this set, this one has all of the elements for silent movie melodrama – a change in financial status, family conflict, and broken romances. It has a strong cast, including Belle Bennett, Mary Carr, and June Marlowe. Director Emory Johnson does an exceptional job, framing each scene perfectly, holding the closeup shots for just the right amount of time. Mary Carr is especially effective. She responds to the disruptive and conflicting action with a face that expertly conveys her feelings, a truly brilliant method of acting for the silent era. The film is pretty heavy, with a childhood attraction thwarted before it can become an grownup romance, a loveless marriage to a selfish wife, and a child’s devotion to his grandmother arousing jealousy in the selfish wife, who flees with the child. It is all very powerful within its historical context.
The films in this set are produced for home video by Jon C.Mirsalis and Ben Model. Mirsalis also scored each film beautifully, the music for each movie informing the action perfectly, enhancing every scene, and never becoming a distraction.
Accidentally Preserved Volume 5 is an absolute must for libraries, research centers, film historians, and anyone interested in silent cinema. Avaliable on both blu ray and DVD, it can be purchased at this link: ACCIDENTAL5