90% (2) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ 143 min, Not Rated, [Adventure, Drama, Romance] [Fred Niblo, Charles Brabin, Christy Cabanne, J.J. Cohn, Rex Ingram] [08 Oct 1927]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 80%, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 win.
Actors: Betty Bronson, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy, Ramon Novarro
Writer: Lew Wallace (novel), June Mathis (adaptation), Carey Wilson (scenario), Carey Wilson (continuity), Bess Meredyth (continuity), Katherine Hilliker (titles), H.H. Caldwell (titles)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland an exalted and wealthy Roman athlete. Unable to find his mother and sister, and believing them dead, he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala.
Rotten Tomatoes: This renowned silent epic was one of the most expensive features of its day, and easily stands up to the later, technically superior version. Juda Ben-Hur, a Judean Prince forced to become a galley slave, saves the life of a Roman nobleman. He is adopted by the Roman and becomes a respected citizen and a famed chariot racer. Upon his return to Judea, Ben-Hur witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus and is inspired to convert to Christianity. Hold on tight during the sea battle and chariot race.
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81% (2) The Enchanted Cottage 70 min, [Drama] [John S. Robertson] [24 Mar 1924]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 79%, Rotten Tomatoes: 83%, External Reviews
Actors: Alfred Hickman, Ida Waterman, May McAvoy, Richard Barthelmess
Writer: Gertrude Chase (titles), Josephine Lovett, Arthur Wing Pinero (play)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: A crippled World War I veteran retracts to a small cottage in the countryside to escape from his nosy family and to hide from the outside world. There he meets a plain but also a very kind young woman. She reveals to him that the house he is staying in is in fact a very old honeymoon cottage. Spirits of newlyweds from the past, who are still swirling through the cottage, soon cast a love spell upon them.
Rotten Tomatoes: Grab a box of hankies and curl up for a night of jerked tears and warm fuzzies with Enchanted Cottage, the romantic and melodramatic tale of a horribly disfigured WW II vet who finds love and renewal at the terribly plain, wallflowery hands of a young spinster. Knowing that society is incapable of appreciating the mutually regarded beauty within each of the lovers, they retire to the romantic seclusion of a lonely cottage in New England. The plot is taken from a romantic play by Arthur Pineroi and was filmed before in the mid '20s.
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70% (2) The Jazz Singer 88 min, Unrated, [Drama, Music, Musical, Romance] [Alan Crosland] [06 Oct 1927]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 67%, Rotten Tomatoes: 74%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.
Actors: Al Jolson, Eugenie Besserer, May McAvoy, Warner Oland
Writer: Samson Raphaelson (play), Alfred A. Cohn (adaptation), Jack Jarmuth (titles)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Cantor Rabinowitz is concerned and upset because his son Jakie shows so little interest in carrying on the family's traditions and heritage. For five generations, men in the family have been cantors in the synagogue, but Jakie is more interested in jazz and ragtime music. One day, they have such a bitter argument that Jakie leaves home for good. After a few years on his own, now calling himself Jack Robin, he gets an important opportunity through the help of well-known stage performer Mary Dale. But Jakie finds that in order to balance his career, his relationship with Mary, and his memories of his family, he will be forced to make some difficult choices.
Rotten Tomatoes: On the verge of receivership in 1926, Warner Bros. studio decides to risk its future by investing in the Vitaphone sound system. Warners' first Vitaphone release, Don Juan, was a silent film accompanied by music and sound effects. The studio took the Vitaphone process one step farther in its 1927 adaptation of the Samson Raphaelson Broadway hit The Jazz Singer, incorporating vocal musical numbers in what was essentially a non-talking film. Al Jolson stars as Jakie Rabinowitz, the son of Jewish cantor Warner Oland. Turning his back on family tradition, Jakie transforms himself into cabaret-entertainer Jack Robin. When Jack comes home to visit his parents, he is warmly greeted by his mother (Eugenie Besserer), but is cold-shouldered by his father, who feels that Jack is a traitor to his heritage by singing jazz music. Several subsequent opportunities for a reconciliation are muffed by the stubborn Jack and his equally stubborn father. On the eve of his biggest show-business triumph, Jack receives word that his father is dying. Out of respect, Jack foregoes his opening night to attend Atonement services at the temple and sing the Kol Nidre in his father's place. Through a superimposed image, we are assured that the spirit of Jack's father has at long last forgiven his son. Only twenty minutes or so of Jazz Singer is in any way a "talkie;" all of the Vitaphone sequences are built around Jolson's musical numbers. What thrilled the opening night crowds attending Jazz Singer were not so much the songs themselves but Jolson's adlibbed comments, notably in the scene where he sings "Blue Skies" to his mother. Previous short-subject experiments with sound had failed because the on-screen talent had come off stilted and unnatural; but when Jolson began chattering away in a naturalistic, conversational fashion, the delighted audiences suddenly realized that talking pictures did indeed have the capacity to entertain. Despite its many shortcomings (the storyline goes beyond mawkish, while Jolson's acting in the silent scenes is downright amateurish), The Jazz Singer was a box-office success the like of which no one had previously witnessed. The film did turn-away business for months, propelling Warner Bros. from a shoestring operation into Hollywood's leading film factory. Proof that The Jazz Singer is best viewed within its historical context is provided by the 1953 and 1980 remakes, both interminable wallows in sentimental goo. Worse still, neither one of those films had Al Jolson--who, in spite of his inadequacies as an actor, was inarguably the greatest musical entertainer of his era. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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75% (1) Lady Windermere's Fan 120 min, Approved, [Comedy] [Ernst Lubitsch] [17 Sep 1926]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 75%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 win.
Actors: Bert Lytell, Irene Rich, May McAvoy, Ronald Colman
Writer: Oscar Wilde (by), Julien Josephson (adapted to the screen by), Maude Fulton (titles by), Eric Locke (titles by)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Mrs Erlynne, the mother of Lady Windermere - her daughter does not know about her - wants to be introduced in society, so that she can marry Lord Augustus Lorton. Lord Windermere, who helped her with a cheque, invites her to his wifes birthday-party, but Lady Windermere thinks, she has reason to be jealous, so she decides to leave her husband and go to Lord Darlington, who is pining for her. Mrs Erlynne finds this out and tries to prevent her of this mistake, but her daughter leaves her fan in Lord Darlingtons residence.
Rotten Tomatoes: Unable to rely upon Oscar Wilde's epigrammatic dialogue to carry the day (this was, after all, the silent-film era), director Ernst Lubitsch substitutes verbal wit for the visual variety in his 1925 filmization of Lady Windermere's Fan. Ronald Colman has one of his first important screen roles as the slightly caddish Lord Darlington, who is in love with the very pretty--and very married--Lady Windermere (May McAvoy). The lady is rescued from disgrace at the hands of Darlington by the notorious Mrs. Erlynne (Irene Rich), who unbeknownst to everyone is Lady Windemere's long-lost mother. Filmed at the still young-and-hungry Warner Bros. studio, Lady Windermere's Fan was an enormous hit, and an instant candidate for the many "Ten Best" lists tabulated by the fan magazines of the era.
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74% (1) Three Women 83 min, [Drama] [Ernst Lubitsch] [19 Oct 1924]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 74%, External Reviews
Actors: Lew Cody, Marie Prevost, May McAvoy, Pauline Frederick
Writer: Hanns Kräly (screenplay), Hanns Kräly (story), Ernst Lubitsch (story), Yolande Maree (novel)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: A frivolous middle aged socialite is suddenly put upon to have her daughter live with her. Her conniving paramour dumps her for the daughter, leaving the young boyfriend crushed.
Rotten Tomatoes: A mother and daughter are victimized by a fortune-hunting heavy in this drama directed by Ersnt Lubitsch. George Lamont (Lew Cody) tries to woo the wealthy widow Mabel Wilton (Pauline Frederick) to be near her three-million-dollar fortune. When he discovers her daughter Jeanne (May McAvoy), George puts the daughter in a compromising position that forces her marriage to avoid a scandal. The groom soon proves his infidelity by making time with the vamp Harriet (Marie Prevost). Mabel exacts revenge and defends her daughter by shooting the villainous son-in-law in this drama co-starring Willard Louis, Pierre Gendron, Mary Carr, and Raymond McKee.
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61% (1) The Terror 85 min, [Mystery, Horror] [Roy Del Ruth] [06 Sep 1928]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 61%, External Reviews
Actors: Alec B. Francis, Edward Everett Horton, Louise Fazenda, May McAvoy
Writer: Harvey Gates, Joseph Jackson (titles), Edgar Wallace (play)
External Links: Wikipedia IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Guests at an old English manor house are stalked by a mysterious killer known only as 'The Terror.'
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