Beyond the Rocks
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Movie Reviews of Beyond the Rocks
Movie Review: BEYOND THE ROCKS sort of hits the rocks
Summary: 4 Stars
By now, anybody reading this review is aware of this legendary "Lost" film's miraculous recovery in the Netherlands, and Milestone deserves a great deal of credit for BEYOND THE ROCKS's dvd release thus placing it back in circulation after an 80-year absence. But, alas, the execution ultimately defeats the best intentions of the film museum and the archivists in two crucial areas.
First, the film is shown at the wrong speed - it's projected too slowly thus ruining the pacing and making all the actors look as though they are animated by stop-motion photography (think of the jerky way the dinosaurs moved in 1933's KING KONG and you'll know what I mean). During the silent film era there was no one "correct" film speed and many cinematographers preferred to handcrank their cameras and each had his own favorite speed, somewhere between 20 and 24 frames per second. On top of that, theater projectionists were often provided with cue sheets to vary the projector speed depending on the scene. For example, action scenes were speeded up and romantic scenes were slowed down. When "talkies" came in by the late 1920s, a uniform mechanized speed was required due to the need to synchronize the sound with the picture, thus 24 fps became the industry standard and it still is today.
BEYOND THE ROCKS would probably play too fast at sound speed, 24 fps, but fortunately today modern electronics can be used to run a silent film at whatever speed seems to lend itself to natural movement. Why ROCKS is run too slowly is a mystery to me and really hurts the film's impact.
The second problem is the atonal, modernistic, anachronistic, anti-historical, and just plain lousy music score that accompanies the film. Much of it sounds funereal, and one scene where the tempo finally becomes upbeat, at a swanky Parisian restaurant, the music is inappropriately Scott Joplin's ragtime. I don't mind using "modern" music if the mood fits the action but that's not the case here.
I hate to criticize without providing some constructive comments so if you're wondering how ROCKS should have been run, and how the music should have sounded, you only have to look at the dvd's bonus material and watch the bonus feature, A DELICIOUS LITTLE DEVIL, to find out. Why is DEVIL run at the proper speed giving the actors natural movements, and given a wonderfully compatible music accompaniment (even lilting I might say) while ROCKS is seriously mishandled in these same areas?
So it's great to be able to enjoy BEYOND THE ROCKS at all (too bad Miss Swanson - whom I met once - didn't live to see it) but I suspect that a second edition needs to be issued at some point in the future with the right speed and with a sympathetic score. But there are so many great bonus items (including DEVIL) on the current disc that Milestone seems to atone for the main feature's technical shortcomings (for which I suspect it is innocent) by giving us more than our money's worth. Bravo Milestone!
Movie Review: OK Movie But Fantastic Extras.
Summary: 4 Stars
After much fanfare in Europe and an arthouse release in America, BEYOND THE ROCKS has finally arrived on DVD. Had it featured no-name or forgotten silent era stars it wouldn't have made much noise and would have disappeared very quickly but with Valentino and Swanson on board you can clearly see the difference that a pair of Hollywood legends makes. Valentino in particular shows what a delicate and refined actor he could be when called on to do so. He does wonders with a character who is not given that much to do. Swanson gives it her best shot but her role differs little from her previous Cecil B. DeMille pictures and director Sam Wood doesn't have the DeMille touch with actresses. The film is good but not great but it's nice to have around especially in this restoration from the Netherlands Film Museum. There are a few rough spots and the tints are sometimes a little too intense but the overall result is very impressive. You get your choice of new background scores too. The 1919 Mae Murray vehicle THE DELICIOUS LITTLE DEVIL which is also included doesn't do much for Valentino but it shows Murray off to good advantage especially in some very revealing costumes that are quite racy for the time. The real reason to buy this disc is Gloria Swanson's 1955 recording about her life in the movies. Absolutely fascinating with sharp, witty and astute observations from someone who was actually there. Lots of other extras too.Movie Review: Well worth waiting for.
Summary: 4 Stars
I had been really excited about the discovery and the release on DVD of Beyond The Rocks and I'm happy to say it was worth the wait for me. I enjoyed the entire film from start to finish and thought it was very well done. Valentino and Swanson had excellent chemistry together which made the film that much more enjoyable. Sadly, the only complaint I have is the music score. I wasn't pleased as I didn't think it was done very well. I highly recommend this film to all Valentino fans and silent film fans like myself.Movie Review: Glad it was rediscovered - but not a great movie
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm glad this movie was found - glad it was restored - glad to have seen it - but wish I'd enjoyed it more...
Considering I've seen so many silent movies, I was actually surprised to realize this was the first time I'd seen either a Rudolf Valentino OR a Gloria Swanson(silent) movie! That said, I found Rudolf Valentino good in this, and Gloria Swanson... well... pretty average. She wasn't terrible - but there are other actresses who were better... prettier... Was even surprised to see she was as stocky as she was. Not to sound shallow, but I watched the movie wondering "Why was she a star?" What drew people to Gloria Swanson, over some of the others? Studio press?
The movie... The restoration is very impressive. There's one particular point in the movie (the shot of the train), where the film looks like it's disintegrating right before your eyes. Glad they kept this footage in (it only lasts a few seconds, so don't get alarmed), as it makes you realize just how fragile silent movies are. The contrast is crisp - the footage clear. Costumes are great. A lot of the acting is also very good. Gertrude Astor (played Morella) was wonderful, I thought. She was so good - in a minor role - that I looked her up on imdb.com to see what else she'd done. (I was amazed that she'd appeared in over 200 movies - with almost ALL of them appearing as "UNCREDITED".) I was sure she must've turned in some powerhouse performance somewhere along the way...
The soundtrack... Glad an alternate soundtrack is included (one without the sound effects). The sound effects bothered me alot - but did not bother my partner at all. (In fact, he said he enjoyed the effects.) Problem with this (for me, anyway) is that - even though I'd rather see the movie without the effects - I don't think I want to sit through this movie a second time, to even hear the alternate soundtrack.
Other pluses: Two other actors - Alec Francis & Robert Bolder - turn in nice performances. Bolder, especially, making a potentially laughable ending a touching one, instead.
So... When is THE BIG PARADE ever coming out on DVD????????
Movie Review: Disappointing Discovery
Summary: 2 Stars
Gee, only two of twenty readers found my pre-release review of this less-than-thrilling film helpful? I guess you prefer the deep analyses of other reviewers, like, "Gloria's wedding dress is so beautiful in the wedding scene" in guiding your buying decisions? Okay, here's something nice to say about "Beyond The Rocks": it will put you to sleep faster than barbiturates and will definitely not become habit-forming! I stand by all my original comments as follows:
Having just viewed the U.S. television premiere of "Beyond The Rocks," I could not have been more disappointed. It richly deserves the reviews it garnered at the time of its release, which ran along the lines of, "The stars wear clothes beautifully" (new drinking game: down a shot for every one of Swanson's costume changes! You'll enjoy the film more, believe me). The trite story of woman-trapped-in-wealthy-but-loveless-marriage, such as it is, unfolds in a painfully slow and turgid fashion. Valentino (who never looked more beautiful), in particular, is wasted in a nothing role. Swanson is very badly made-up and photographed, with a hairdo that resembles a black plastic helmet; never was this gorgeous woman shown to worse advantage. Sam Wood was a boring studio hack in the 20s, as he was right through the sound era, and there are no directorial flourishes to save the film. For true film buffs or Valentino/Swanson fans only. Hopefully, the nearly-complete restoration of the previously-lost Valentino flop "The Young Rajah," which was also shown on TCM, will make its way to DVD, as it was much more interesting on several levels.