Reviews (4)

Surprisingly Good
An unusual film from MGM, featuring a grim look to the harsh reality of prison conditions. Being an early talkie (1930), the first thing to surprise me favorably, was that the camera wasn't static at all, on the contrary there is as lot of camera movement indeed, showing lots of eye-catching angles of life in prison, especially of that big dining hall.

On the other hand, the pacing and the acting are both first rate, Chester Morris steals the film with his convincing performance of a forger finally finding the reason (love, what else?) for goin' straight; Wallace Beery gives another of those tough-guy performances (who after all, has a big heart hidden deep inside) he excelled at; and then newcomer, Robert Montgomery, is good as weak young lad, locked-in because of mansalughter.

A real discovery! Ought to look for more early talkies featuring this great tough-guy, forgotten actor, Chester Morris

Watch it!!!

A BOX-OFFICE SMASH IN 193O.
I was very pleased to find this long-obscure film on video. Still on of the most successful prison films ever produced, THE BIG HOUSE follows three inmates: a forger, a murderer, and a rather innocuous youth convicted of manslaughter. Big, brawny and wholly believable is Beery as the top bull con who settles fights and runs the yard: he plans a big break to escape the sadistic guards and the endless stoolpigeons. Weak-willed Montgomery informs the warden (Lewis Stone) of the impending escape attempt and the consequences which follow are horrific. Grimly realistic and often brutal, this was the Granddaddy of all prison films, exposing mean conditions, the paranoia, the vicious system that deepened criminal resolves among inmates. George Hill's uncomprimising direction captures all the ugliness and futility of prison life and Beery is perfect as the goonish ringleader of the inmates: half clown, half menace, soft-hearted, soft-headed, but with a killer instinct that is iron-willed. As the intelligent member of the threesome, Chester Morris is excellent. Young Montgomery had an uncharacteristic role as a spineless, despicable cringer wholly without character. The film was inspired by a particularly bloody riot in Auburn Prison in New York the previous year. The role of Butch Schmidt was originally intended for the terminally ill Lon Chaney, Sr. who would die soon after making his only talkie, THE UNHOLY THREE.

THE ONE AND ONLY PRISON FLICKER SHOW
DARK,GRITTY,TOUGH,DEPRESSING,NIGHTMARISH,BEERY,MORRIS,BUTCH cant be matched!

BEERY BOOM BOOM
This is no "Scarface", but "The Big House" is one 1930s classic you want to own! Cons stage a massive prison break(where did they get all those cool Tommy sub-machine guns?), and choose for their leader none other than Academy Award winning Wallace Beery. In one big scene, you can't see the actors for all the gunfire and smoke. In 1934, Beery created the immortal Long John Silver in Treasure Island. "Big House" also stars one of my favorite actors, Chester (Boston Blackie) Morris. This is true Black-and-White heaven! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Where Are My Family Jewels??
The search for the crown jewels of the czar continues! Meanwhile, the true identity of the Whispering Shadow grows foggier by the minute! Just who IS he?? Is it Professor Strang (Bela)? The odd Mr. Steinbeck? Someone else? There are many suspects in this last half of the story and those wacky jewels just keep hopping along, winding up with almost everyone at least once! Can Foster and inspector Raymond solve the mysteries before it's too late? Watch and see...

The sinister Professor Strang--Bela Lugosi no less
Actually the good (or is he good?) professor is the focal point of this serial. Basic plot line has the young hero tracking down his brother's murderer who is known as the whispering shadow; and it sure as heck looks like Professor Strang is one and the same. One little difficulty, our hero falls in love with the professor's daughter while he's trying to prove that her dad is a criminal mastermind. I don't think I'm spoiling the plot for anybody if I suggest that maybe Bela isn't the bad guy after all, although he does a darn good job of trying to convince us he is!

The other review here complains about the long flashbacks. Don't forget, this is a 13 chapter serial which was originally shown one chapter a week over a three month period, so the flashbacks are obviously necessary. And no, they should not be edited out for today's audiences...we serial fans want them exactly as they were.

btw, I do suggest viewing this serial a chapter a day, or at least no more than three chapters a day. That way, you will get more out of it with less feeling of repetition.

Weak Plot, Weak Acting
A rather weak 12-episode serial (228 minutes) starring Bela Lugosi. Lugosi plays Professor Strang, the strange owner of a wax museum, who is accused of being the "Whispering Shadow" that has been terrorizing the drivers of a storage warehouse in search of some priceless jewels. Aside from a few of the veteran actors (Lugosi, Henry B. Walthall of Birth of a Nation fame, and Karl Dane, who was excellent in silent films like The Big Parade), the acting in this serial is pretty bad (comical at times). The epsiodes do not flow together very well (a lot of long flashbacks are used which was probably very appropriate when it was first released, but are quite redundant in video form). The numerous silent fist fighting scenes are odd (where did the sound go?) and tiring. Karl Dane is genuninely comical in his role as the dopey radio dispatcher. Unfortunately, Shadow would prove to be his last acting credit as he would commit suicide the next year (his thick Danish accent getting in the way of employment in the Talkies era). It's interesting to watch those old vehicles in the car chasing scenes. I am the worst at whodunnits, but I was able to guess the Shadow's identity by the second episode. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Engrossing WWI Drama
Another fine movie not availiable on vhs or dvd. The Big Parade is a bit derivative of All Quiet on the Western Front but holds its own as solid entertainment. I enjoyed it but I can't honestly say I missed any sleep thinking about it.

By FAR the best silent film of all times!
The Big Parade is hillarious, touching and an easy story line to follow.If you've never seen a John Gilbert film this film is a great introduction to the man who was the Tom Cruise of his time. The film was made a mere 7 years after WW1 and it was a revolutionary look at war on film. It made the most money for MGM untill Gone With The Wind.
The film follows, three men Bull, Slim and Jim (Gilbert). Jim is a rich man's son who has never had a days work in his life. When WW1 one breaks out and all his friends become enlisted and preasure from his girly friend Jim enlists along with the dim-whitted Slim and the grumpy, bossy Bull. When they get to France they are surprised at what war is really like, it was not what they were expecting. An adorable and funny affection blooms, and is torn apart in a classic dramatic 1920's scene.
When the real war is introduced to the boys you experience the pain and horror with them, as they loose friends, enemies and even eachother. Jim suffers a great loss and gets to go home to his loving mother, I won't give away the ending because everyone needs to experience this film for themselves. Deffinantly worth your time and money. Everyone in your family will love this must see movie.

A Great Film that Deserves a Proper DVD Restoration
In many ways, King Vidor's The Big Parade did for WWI films what Oliver Stone's Platoon did for Vietnam War films: it brought home the realities of the war in a fashion that better represented what had actually happened. In the process, it is thoroughly entertaining: scenes of typical silent melodrama are quickly replaced by serious thematics (eg, "patriotic" mob peer-pressure & bursts of nationalist fervor), fun male-bonding scenes, wonderful light romance and comedy, and finally, compelling and often very realistic scenes of warfare. The film is full of marvelous subtle allegorical references (eg, "mother knows best" comes to mind) and plays-on-words (the curse-rhyming soldier songs make one think of the title, which rhymes with the French-originated "charade"). I cannot praise this film highly enough for its modern story-structure and production values, which were eons ahead of the times.

I agree with the previous reviewer who said that the Big Parade does not best The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, primarily due to its later arrival, its more narrow theme, and the fact that John Gilbert was not Rudolph Valentino. But I do feel that in a funny way it completes what that film was trying to do; namely, by filling in its two greatest weaknesses: its reliance on silent melodrama and its lack of time dedicated to the actual horrors of fighting the Great War. Thus it is a perfect complement to that film.

As interesting trivia, both stars died shortly after the silent era came to a close, Gilbert of alcoholism/heart failure and Renée Adorée of tuberculosis. The actor who played Slim, a Dane, shot himself in the head after the talkie era had reduced him to selling hotdogs outside the studio, making his fate in the film all the more eerie...

A Memorable Film of WWI
Along with the earlier FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE and the slightly later WINGS, THE BIG PARADE is one of the three great World War I films of the 1920s--and the most financially successful. Made at a point when most producers believed the public only wanted to forget the horrors of World War I, THE BIG PARADE is generally regarded as the single greatest financially successful film of the entire silent era.

The story divides into two parts. In the first, spoiled rich boy John Gilbert whimsically joins up, ships out to France, and winds up in a small French village where he flirts and falls in love with Renee Adore. This portion of the film is leisurely told with many comic flourishes--and provides a necessary contrast to the second portion of the film, which begins when the troops are given orders to move out. The scenes in which Renee Adore searches frantically for Gilbert among the departing men are full of memorable images, as are the the scenes in which the company progresses slowly toward the front, first picked off by snipers, then by machine guns, and then facing the hell of "no man's land."

At the time of its release, THE BIG PARADE was considered an anti-war film. Seen today, it feels more like a balanced vision than anti-war per se. Matinee idol John Gilbert, who defied convention by allowing himself to be photographed covered in the muck of battle, is seen to great advantage here, as is Renee Adore and army buddies Tom O'Brien and Karl Dane. Although THE BIG PARADE doesn't really best the earlier FOUR HORSEMEN, it remains a landmark of the late silent era, a memorable film of World War I made by those actually old enough to remember it. Recommended.

Excellent Early Film on the First World War
The Big Parade is a lengthy film but, for the most part, it is lively and fast-paced. At the beginning, I thought the film was the classic tale of a naive, spoiled rich kid (played by the great John Gilbert) drawn to the battle field by the parades and glamorization of the war. It is so much more than that. The main character, Jim Apperson, acually adjusts to soldier life very well. He quickly acquires two close buddies (played by Tom O'Brien and Karl Dane), demonstrates impressive innovation and ambition (creating a shower out of a barrel) and--of course--gets a French girlfriend, Melisande (played by Renee Adoree).

The first half of the film is a bit slow at times, although the antics of O'Brien and Dane provide comedy relief that is often hilarious (especially Dane's character). It is definitely worth the wait when Jim's unit goes off to battle. Melisande desperately clings to Jimmy not to leave (symbolism that foreshadows Jim's ultimate fate). Once on the battlefield, the fighting scenes are as well-done as any I've seen on the First World War. The troops slowly move through the devastated landscape, preparing for the next sniper attack. The three buddies end up in a trench together and spit in a target to decide who will go over the top and take out a German machine gunner (the WINNER goes over the top), Jim goes after a German he has wounded in order to finish him off and then finds he is unable to when he sees that his enemy is just a young kid. When Jim realizes the horror of war, only one thing really matters: the French girl he left behind. He must find her again! The film is one of the funniest, suspense-filled, and touching films I've seen (yes, it's all those things and more). Give it a try! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Good film!
This is another good film Rudolph Valentino fans will surely enjoy. In this film he plays a dual role, that of father and son. There is romance, action and a little bit of comedy in the scene where the young sheik tries to hide the cute Vilma Banky from his strict father. Agnes Ayres reprises her role from the 1921 film as Lady Diana Mayo. While this is a good film, I am partial to the 1921 "Sheik" film that started it all. Watch them both and decide for yourself! That's the best thing to do, as they are both worth owning for the talented and handsome Rudolph Valentino.

The Magic of Rudolph Valentino . . . . . .
I am a huge Rudolph Valentino fan. I have been a collector for many years, collecting old Photoplay magazines, photos, tins, postcards, etc. I, also, have most of his films on tape. That is, the films that are still existing today. All the other so called great lovers are measured by Rudy's standards. No one, past or present can compare to the Latin Lover. Now - onto the movie.

Son of the Sheik was Valentino's last film before his untimely death at 31. This film is incredible. Rudy plays both the son and the formidable sheik in this, his last film. He falls in love with a dancing girl, Yasmin, played by Vilma Banky. They fall in love until he is captured and tortured. Believing Yasmin to be responsible, he escapes and extracts his own form of revenge. The tent scene where he has Yasmin at his mercy was incredibly sensuous. You KNEW what Ahmed was planning to do to the beautiful Yasmin. She knew it, too, but was powerless to stop him. No matter how much pleading and begging she did, he drove her mercilessly to his bed. One word - WOW! True love prevails, though, and all is saved.

Some might find a silent movie to be a bit corny but not I. There is something enchanting - magical about watching Rudy. He is without a doubt, the most graceful man captured on film. No ONE walks or dances the way Rudy does. He is poetry in motion. I could watch him for hours . . .

He was blessed with a sinful handsomeness and those eyes . . . They were almost hypnotic in their intensity. It is soooooo easy to see why the women in the 1920's were filled with hysteria for this Latin Lover. After all of these years has passed, his appeal shines forth in this, his final film. There will never be another Rudolph Valentino. He simply graced the screen with his presence and changed everyday life into something magical. While watching him weave his magic, we forgot our troubles if only for a little.

*There is only one regret the world must have had when Rudy died. His voice was never recorded. His singing was but nothing of him "speaking". There has been much speculation over his voice and the transition from silent films to talkie films. Would he have made such a successful transition where others had failed? I believe he would have. But we will never know for sure.*

A true legend of the silent screen ...
"Not east of Suez but south of Algiers" ... with these intertitles abounds one of the greatest legends of the Hollywood that is no more. When one thinks of those times one remembers The Wizard Of Oz, Casablanca ... and those
scenes between Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Banky in a tent under
the desert sun.
Made in 1926 for United Artists, directed by master director
George Fitzmaurice and destined to even beat the 1921 original
"The Sheik" at the box office, this sequel to the former Valentino classic is in many ways the better of the two films.
Rudolph Valentino has never looked better than in this film, which would ultimately be his last, and Hungarian born Vilma
Banky outshines the original heroine Agnes Ayres from the "The Sheik" as well, together making these film the ultimate love story of the silent film age. Agnes Ayres however also appears in this film as the Sheik`s mother as a tribute to Valentino (his father is played by Rudy as well in a double role). But the movie has more assets to it. It is also more handsomely produced than "The Sheik", it has a far more glossy look with its` bigger budget and excellent art direction (by William Cameron Menzies of "Gone With The Wind"-fame), a slightly better script and it exposes far better the enormous acting range of Rudolph Valentino, who is still seen today only as the great Latin Lover (despite for example also being a great drama actor or comedian). The big difference might also líe in the fact that "The Sheik" was a typical product of the studio system and "The Son Of The Sheik" was made far more independently. The other interesting fact is that when this movie was made the silent film style had changed greatly since 1921, making the former film look far more primitive. And it is no wonder that all the famous scenes by which Rudolph Valentino is still judged today emerge from this movie, while the other Valentino films (even "The Sheik") are mostly forgotten today - this movie has its place as a sort of silent screen pop icon (and probably the only silent film most people have heard of in their lifetime today - I remember that as a child I only knew one silent film actor - Rudy, courtesy of this film). This
is also probably the curse of this film. It overshadowed all of his work so much and even made the critical judgment of "The Son Of The Sheik" nearly impossible. In fact it is an entertaining piece of Hollywood fairytale, packed with action and romance, exotic escapism and a great climax when Rudolph Valentino frees his love interest Banky from a band of robbers and rides with her into the endless desert ... and right into movie eternity. Truly a film of these ages, even not hampered by its dated plotline and some outrageous "silent film acting".

A note about the video quality: after being available for two decades only on bad quality tapes, KINO on Video now has released the first really good print of this film. Though not as beautiful as some of their other films or a Kevin Brownlow restoration, this version is multi-tinted and has an appropiate organ score that enhances many of the scenes. Only some of the reels seem a bit washed out, but at least you have now the chance to get a good quality video tape from Rudy`s most famous film.

VALENTINO'S FINEST FILM.
Like many classic movie buffs, I often wondered what all the fuss about Rudolph Valention a.k.a. "The Great Lover" was about. The answer lies in watching this mesmorizing film! Really a tongue-cheek examination of his own bigger-than-life personna, the actor magnificently portrays the double role of father and son. As Ahmed, the son, Rudy falls in love with the Hungarian Vilma Banky (as Yasmin), a beautiful dancer. Ahmed later holds the beguiling young woman responsible when he is captured and held for by her roguish father's thieves. When Ahmed's father, the Shiek, intervenes, it is discovered that Yasmin is innocent of betrayal and after some heavy derring-do, there is a happy ending. This fast-paced film from 1926 has lost none of it's charm with the passage of time and proves over and over again that Valentino was without question the least understood and most maligned of all of Hollywood's great stars. He was indeed an enigmatic presence in this film. The photography is ethereal, and the desert looks more enchanting here than in any film, and the chases, rescues and stunts are still wonderful to watch. Valentino would die prematurely at the age of 31 of peritonitis 26 August, 1926. For a great companion piece, watch Valentino's great 1921 hit THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE.

Mesmerising !
On the strength of reading other reviews I held off buying the double DVD..The Sheik/Son of the Sheik and elected to buy KINO's version of Son of the Sheik and I have to say I am not disappointed.The quality of the picture far exceeded my expectations;the clarity is sharp and sound is equally good.Silent films have to rely heavily on emotion and the different moods portrayed by Valentino are startling, Vilma Banky holds her own but it is Valentino's movie; the down side is there are no extras bar chapter listing,it would have been nice but in truth I am not too bothered.I hope KINO issue an equally if not better DVD of The Sheik, look forward to it. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Good film!
This is another good film Rudolph Valentino fans will surely enjoy. In this film he plays a dual role, that of father and son. There is romance, action and a little bit of comedy in the scene where the young sheik tries to hide the cute Vilma Banky from his strict father. Agnes Ayres reprises her role from the 1921 film as Lady Diana Mayo. While this is a good film, I am partial to the 1921 "Sheik" film that started it all. Watch them both and decide for yourself! That's the best thing to do, as they are both worth owning for the talented and handsome Rudolph Valentino.

The Magic of Rudolph Valentino . . . . . .
I am a huge Rudolph Valentino fan. I have been a collector for many years, collecting old Photoplay magazines, photos, tins, postcards, etc. I, also, have most of his films on tape. That is, the films that are still existing today. All the other so called great lovers are measured by Rudy's standards. No one, past or present can compare to the Latin Lover. Now - onto the movie.

Son of the Sheik was Valentino's last film before his untimely death at 31. This film is incredible. Rudy plays both the son and the formidable sheik in this, his last film. He falls in love with a dancing girl, Yasmin, played by Vilma Banky. They fall in love until he is captured and tortured. Believing Yasmin to be responsible, he escapes and extracts his own form of revenge. The tent scene where he has Yasmin at his mercy was incredibly sensuous. You KNEW what Ahmed was planning to do to the beautiful Yasmin. She knew it, too, but was powerless to stop him. No matter how much pleading and begging she did, he drove her mercilessly to his bed. One word - WOW! True love prevails, though, and all is saved.

Some might find a silent movie to be a bit corny but not I. There is something enchanting - magical about watching Rudy. He is without a doubt, the most graceful man captured on film. No ONE walks or dances the way Rudy does. He is poetry in motion. I could watch him for hours . . .

He was blessed with a sinful handsomeness and those eyes . . . They were almost hypnotic in their intensity. It is soooooo easy to see why the women in the 1920's were filled with hysteria for this Latin Lover. After all of these years has passed, his appeal shines forth in this, his final film. There will never be another Rudolph Valentino. He simply graced the screen with his presence and changed everyday life into something magical. While watching him weave his magic, we forgot our troubles if only for a little.

*There is only one regret the world must have had when Rudy died. His voice was never recorded. His singing was but nothing of him "speaking". There has been much speculation over his voice and the transition from silent films to talkie films. Would he have made such a successful transition where others had failed? I believe he would have. But we will never know for sure.*

A true legend of the silent screen ...
"Not east of Suez but south of Algiers" ... with these intertitles abounds one of the greatest legends of the Hollywood that is no more. When one thinks of those times one remembers The Wizard Of Oz, Casablanca ... and those
scenes between Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Banky in a tent under
the desert sun.
Made in 1926 for United Artists, directed by master director
George Fitzmaurice and destined to even beat the 1921 original
"The Sheik" at the box office, this sequel to the former Valentino classic is in many ways the better of the two films.
Rudolph Valentino has never looked better than in this film, which would ultimately be his last, and Hungarian born Vilma
Banky outshines the original heroine Agnes Ayres from the "The Sheik" as well, together making these film the ultimate love story of the silent film age. Agnes Ayres however also appears in this film as the Sheik`s mother as a tribute to Valentino (his father is played by Rudy as well in a double role). But the movie has more assets to it. It is also more handsomely produced than "The Sheik", it has a far more glossy look with its` bigger budget and excellent art direction (by William Cameron Menzies of "Gone With The Wind"-fame), a slightly better script and it exposes far better the enormous acting range of Rudolph Valentino, who is still seen today only as the great Latin Lover (despite for example also being a great drama actor or comedian). The big difference might also líe in the fact that "The Sheik" was a typical product of the studio system and "The Son Of The Sheik" was made far more independently. The other interesting fact is that when this movie was made the silent film style had changed greatly since 1921, making the former film look far more primitive. And it is no wonder that all the famous scenes by which Rudolph Valentino is still judged today emerge from this movie, while the other Valentino films (even "The Sheik") are mostly forgotten today - this movie has its place as a sort of silent screen pop icon (and probably the only silent film most people have heard of in their lifetime today - I remember that as a child I only knew one silent film actor - Rudy, courtesy of this film). This
is also probably the curse of this film. It overshadowed all of his work so much and even made the critical judgment of "The Son Of The Sheik" nearly impossible. In fact it is an entertaining piece of Hollywood fairytale, packed with action and romance, exotic escapism and a great climax when Rudolph Valentino frees his love interest Banky from a band of robbers and rides with her into the endless desert ... and right into movie eternity. Truly a film of these ages, even not hampered by its dated plotline and some outrageous "silent film acting".

A note about the video quality: after being available for two decades only on bad quality tapes, KINO on Video now has released the first really good print of this film. Though not as beautiful as some of their other films or a Kevin Brownlow restoration, this version is multi-tinted and has an appropiate organ score that enhances many of the scenes. Only some of the reels seem a bit washed out, but at least you have now the chance to get a good quality video tape from Rudy`s most famous film.

VALENTINO'S FINEST FILM.
Like many classic movie buffs, I often wondered what all the fuss about Rudolph Valention a.k.a. "The Great Lover" was about. The answer lies in watching this mesmorizing film! Really a tongue-cheek examination of his own bigger-than-life personna, the actor magnificently portrays the double role of father and son. As Ahmed, the son, Rudy falls in love with the Hungarian Vilma Banky (as Yasmin), a beautiful dancer. Ahmed later holds the beguiling young woman responsible when he is captured and held for by her roguish father's thieves. When Ahmed's father, the Shiek, intervenes, it is discovered that Yasmin is innocent of betrayal and after some heavy derring-do, there is a happy ending. This fast-paced film from 1926 has lost none of it's charm with the passage of time and proves over and over again that Valentino was without question the least understood and most maligned of all of Hollywood's great stars. He was indeed an enigmatic presence in this film. The photography is ethereal, and the desert looks more enchanting here than in any film, and the chases, rescues and stunts are still wonderful to watch. Valentino would die prematurely at the age of 31 of peritonitis 26 August, 1926. For a great companion piece, watch Valentino's great 1921 hit THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE.

Mesmerising !
On the strength of reading other reviews I held off buying the double DVD..The Sheik/Son of the Sheik and elected to buy KINO's version of Son of the Sheik and I have to say I am not disappointed.The quality of the picture far exceeded my expectations;the clarity is sharp and sound is equally good.Silent films have to rely heavily on emotion and the different moods portrayed by Valentino are startling, Vilma Banky holds her own but it is Valentino's movie; the down side is there are no extras bar chapter listing,it would have been nice but in truth I am not too bothered.I hope KINO issue an equally if not better DVD of The Sheik, look forward to it. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not Buster's Best, but has it's moments
Overall, this is not exactly "College" or "Seven Chances," but it has some good moments.

The other posters have given good summaries of the overall "plot" or lack thereof, but the individual moments of the Bus-man do stand out. The scene where during the studio cop chases Bus, our hero sits on a dynamite plunger with the obvious results is a howl. Bus' song and dance "Free and Easy" (thus the title) is quite amusing, as one rarely sees our man in a song-and-dance setting.

The scene where the director tries to give Bus some vocal coaching, that results in a routine that predates "Who's On First" is a bit odd for the Bus man. Buster is funny because of his reactions to his surroundings, not because he is stupid, so this scene is sort of a let down, as is the previously described ending, which leaves the viewer with a nasty aftertaste.

So this is largey a mixed bag, interesting mainly for historical reasons. It's important to remember that generally speaking, movies from 1929-30 were still in a transition period from silents to sound, so films from that era (like this) seem very stilted and awkward to modern audiences.

Buster's 1st Talkie: 33% Buster/ 67% MGM
FREE AND EASY is Buster's first talkie (1930). And his best talkie. Of course, it does not rank with Buster's greatest silent features, but it is still very good. Buster is the manager for Miss Gopher City. The first 1/2 is pretty good when Buster, Miss Gopher City and her mother travel to Hollywood. The second 1/2 picks up steam. The scenes where Buster gets to sing and dance are wonderful. And there IS a fair share of physical comedy.

However, the ending is a disaster that seriously mars the entire film. Just when you think a great "Buster gets the girl ending" is ready to happen (as Buster becomes a "movie star" and proposes to "the girl"). The other guy gets the girl while Buster looks on like a sad clown. MGM strikes again and the beginning of the end of Buster's great career has arrived.

Buster's First Talkie
Buster's first sound picture involves him being appointed as manager of a beauty contest winner from Gopher City, Kansas. He travels to Hollywood with her and her mother (who treats him like junk) with the purpose of getting her into the movies. He's in love with her, but she meets a movie star on the train ride out and instead falls in love with him.

There are two parts to this movie. The first half has an almost documentary feel to it, basically because of MGM's primitive use of sound in its infancy at that time, coupled with Buster's natural, unphony dialogue spoken in a charmingly deep mid-western accent that must have caused 1930 audiences to gasp after hearing it for the first time. There are scenes so natural of Buster trying to explain himself out of trouble and one where he's unsuccessfully trying to park his rented car in Hollywood parking lots that make the viewers feel like they're watching Buster's real life, instead of a scripted movie. The first half shows a lot of Buster being chased by a movie studio cop, slapped at, yelled at, roughed up, beaten, and generally being treated like he's the most disrespected person on the planet.

The second half is interesting because 1930 audiences got to see Buster use his musical comedy gifts for the first time. Buster gets to play the part of a king in a comic opera. He sings, he dances. He's good at it. Although the musical sequences are kind of hokey by today's standards, I think they were pretty much what audiences at that time were getting from the Broadway stage, radio, and vaudeville, and MGM was desperate to make up for lost time with the arrival of sound films by displaying them here. In one comic sequence, after Buster walks across a soundstage on a camel, he gets off the camel and mumbles "I'd walk a mile to get that, too". This line will leave a 21st century audience questioning the meaning of that phrase, but in the 1920's, there was a popular advertising campaign for Camel cigarettes in which everyone in their ads was saying "I'd walk a mile for a Camel".

Film critics would not rank "Free and Easy" as high as Buster's classic silent features, but I like it about as much as any of those.

Sweet Anita Page Outshines Buster Keaton!!
Here is a pretty good early movie musical-comedy with silent comic Buster Keaton quite good but lovely blonde bombshell Anita Page is even better. Also a wonderful vaudeville comedienne named Trixie Frananza is hilarious in a rare film appearance as Anita's boisterious mom in a parody of stage mothers.

A Desecrated Keaton
"Free and Easy" (1930) is a poorly conceived "talkie" debut for Buster Keaton. This dreadful MGM musical-comedy desecrates Keaton's talents -- the studio even has him wear clown makeup. Except for Buster's singing and dancing, there is not a memorable moment in the film. Though Keaton's MGM talkies were a mixed bag, his remaining vehicles did not plummet to the depths of "Free and Easy." Only cinema masochists need bother. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Where Are My Family Jewels??
The search for the crown jewels of the czar continues! Meanwhile, the true identity of the Whispering Shadow grows foggier by the minute! Just who IS he?? Is it Professor Strang (Bela)? The odd Mr. Steinbeck? Someone else? There are many suspects in this last half of the story and those wacky jewels just keep hopping along, winding up with almost everyone at least once! Can Foster and inspector Raymond solve the mysteries before it's too late? Watch and see...

The sinister Professor Strang--Bela Lugosi no less
Actually the good (or is he good?) professor is the focal point of this serial. Basic plot line has the young hero tracking down his brother's murderer who is known as the whispering shadow; and it sure as heck looks like Professor Strang is one and the same. One little difficulty, our hero falls in love with the professor's daughter while he's trying to prove that her dad is a criminal mastermind. I don't think I'm spoiling the plot for anybody if I suggest that maybe Bela isn't the bad guy after all, although he does a darn good job of trying to convince us he is!

The other review here complains about the long flashbacks. Don't forget, this is a 13 chapter serial which was originally shown one chapter a week over a three month period, so the flashbacks are obviously necessary. And no, they should not be edited out for today's audiences...we serial fans want them exactly as they were.

btw, I do suggest viewing this serial a chapter a day, or at least no more than three chapters a day. That way, you will get more out of it with less feeling of repetition.

Weak Plot, Weak Acting
A rather weak 12-episode serial (228 minutes) starring Bela Lugosi. Lugosi plays Professor Strang, the strange owner of a wax museum, who is accused of being the "Whispering Shadow" that has been terrorizing the drivers of a storage warehouse in search of some priceless jewels. Aside from a few of the veteran actors (Lugosi, Henry B. Walthall of Birth of a Nation fame, and Karl Dane, who was excellent in silent films like The Big Parade), the acting in this serial is pretty bad (comical at times). The epsiodes do not flow together very well (a lot of long flashbacks are used which was probably very appropriate when it was first released, but are quite redundant in video form). The numerous silent fist fighting scenes are odd (where did the sound go?) and tiring. Karl Dane is genuninely comical in his role as the dopey radio dispatcher. Unfortunately, Shadow would prove to be his last acting credit as he would commit suicide the next year (his thick Danish accent getting in the way of employment in the Talkies era). It's interesting to watch those old vehicles in the car chasing scenes. I am the worst at whodunnits, but I was able to guess the Shadow's identity by the second episode. ... Read more