BluRay Review: The Delicious Little Devil (1919)

One of the most interesting and amusing silent features to be released on blu ray by Kino Lorber, Robert Z. Leonard’s The Delicious Little Devil as a great deal to recommend it. Perhaps of greatest interest would be to see Rudolph Valentino in a small, supporting role, and one that is much different from the characters we are used to him playing. This film was made just a couple years before Valentino became the biggest movie star in the world. Also, a top star in her time, Mae Murray is shown to her greatest advantage, being both amusing and likeable.

Mae plays Mary McGuire, who lives in a household with her hardworking mother and shiftless father and uncle. The father is so lazy that when he is drinking beers in a bar, he has the bartender take the money from his pocket so he doesn’t have to put forth the effort to do so. Mae has a job as a coat check girl in a swanky hotel, but gets caught donning one of the garments and cavorting about amusingly for her co-workers, and is fired by the stuffy manager. Looking for work, she sees an ad for the Peach Tree Inn looking for a female hostess and dancer. She plans to apply, but is distracted by a story about famous dancer Gloria du Moine, who has gone into hiding to avoid a scandal with her beau The Duke de Sauterne. When Mae applies for the dance job at the Peach Tree, she gets it by claiming to be Gloria du Moine and is hired by the delighted proprietor. Rudolph Valentino plays Jimmy Calhoun, son of a wealthy contractor. He meets Mary, who is introduced as “Gloria,” and the two connect romantically. Of course, Mary must hide her true identity to this handsome man from the upper class. Naturally, everything comes to a head and secrets are revealed, resulting in the Duke being deported for past crimes, Mary almost losing Jimmy, until it is discovered that his wealthy father is an old friend of Mary’s shiftless dad, and all is settled.

Mae Murray is top-billed, already a noted star as “the girl with the bee-stung lips,” which she exploits at every opportunity throughout her performance. Rudolph Valentino is a striking, charismatic presence, and his performance anchors the comical narrative with a level of subtle nuance that was not at all like the more florid performances that would later define his career. The film is upbeat, amusing, and never drags, with Valentino doing an impressive tumble down the stairs, engaging in a fist fight, and maintaining his character’s cool throughout the comical proceedings. The car chase conclusion is exciting and remarkably well staged for a movie that is over 100 years old.

Kino Lorber’s 4K restoration is outstanding, and the musical score by Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum first the action perfectly. Extras include an informative and fascinating audio commentary by author and film historian Gaylyn Studlar of Washington University, the trailer for Valentino’s classic Blood and Sand (1922), Newsreel footage of Rudolph Valentino's funeral, and Orson Welles Remembers Rudolph Valentino. This film was previously available as an extra on Milestone’s DVD release of the Valentino-Gloria Swanson film Beyond the Rocks back in 2006, but this latest release is a major upgrade.

The Delicious Little Devil is most highly recommended and can be purchased at this link: Devil.