Well, this was a treat!Directed by the great Benjamin Christensen from Denmark, probably best known today for 1922's Häxan, this is a hysterical silent old dark house-type romp. Everything is thrown at the viewer: a gorilla (man in suit natch), a dwarf (Angelo Rossitto) who keeps popping out of hidden doorways to give words of caution, a shadowy man on crutches known as The Spider, a whole load of satanists, masked dances, virtual orgies, disembodied hands, a hirsute man known as Professor Moriarity (that's not a spelling mistake), a hooded man who claims to be Satan, threats to life & limb, & the deadly trial of the Seven Footprints to Satan.The beginning of the plot concerns a young Bertie Wooster type who intends to go off exploring in darkest Africa, but whose uncle thinks it's a big mistake. It's an even bigger mistake when his adoring sweetheart is played by the tragic & radiant Thelma Todd. Anyhow, young man is persuaded to go to a party by Thelma, & once there guns are produced, chaos ensues, & our young couple are caught up in a nightmare & the fun begins.The young lead is played by Creighton Hale, a bespectacled silly ass type who played a similar part in the 1927 version of The Cat & the Canary, one of the best old dark house mysteries you'll ever see, if you like silent films.Also notable here is actor Sheldon Lewis who plays The Spider. He made a speciality of playing 'hooded claw' type roles, & he also appeared in The Cat & the Canary as the incredibly creepy killer.Director Christensen is a master of light & shadows, & though the film isn't at all scary, it's more of a jolly romp than a creep-fest, it's filmed very atmospherically, the sets are fantastic, all huge doors, hidden rooms, & secret passages, & Christensen keeps the action fast & furious.On a side note I've fallen in love with actress Laska Winter, who plays one of Satan's mistresses, a fierce dark haired beauty not to be messed with. She's quite hypnotic in her fairly short appearance.I've wanted to see this for years, it was thought to be lost for years, & when I've looked for it more recently I only found a poor print.Well today there's a pristine print free on YouTube with piano accompaniment on the PizzaFlix channel.Recommended.
Hooptober 10.0, pt.19- What am I watching, again?8/6 Countries (France, UK, USA, Japan, Italy, South Africa, Hong Kong, Russia) (COMPLETE) 8/8 Decades (1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 1960s, 2010s, 2000s, 1910s, 1920s) (COMPLETE)1/3- Satan-related films4th Benjamin Christensen (after Häxan, Blind Justice and The Mysterious X)Watched with ANNA as part of her quest to watch everything in Rigby's Gothic series!*Brutal, nightmarish psychological horror about a house filled with traps ruled by a diabolical mastermind that lives in the shadows while his minions do his bidding. Rooms filled with arcane instruments of menace, manifested by a man with incredible technological ability. Horrifying faces appearing from the darkness to testify to their creator's power, and an ultimately moralising message about the lucky lives we lead.Oh wait, that's Saw. This is a 20s version of Impractical Jokers.* If you haven't checked out the wonderful writings of Jonathan Rigby on American, English and European horror, I highly recommend you rectify this. Your next Hooptober will thank me.Christensen in Order:1. Häxan2. Seven Footprints to Satan 3. Blind Justice4. The Mysterious X
One of the very last silent movies to be made and also one of the best.Incredibly fast paced production with a quasi-modern sensibility for its pulp fiction imagery.A would-be African explorer discovers that adventure is just a few steps away from his New York home when he together with his fiancee gets kidnapped and they are both forced to take part in black magic and satanic rituals in a vast mansion.The film is chockablock with pulpy tropes and imagery: dwarves and carney freaks, sliding doors and hidden traps, gorillas and half humans (fresh from an encounter with a certain Dr Moreau one would assume), hooded villains and whipped maidens, Fu Manchu style baddies and even a strangely deformed Dr Moriarty (who is actually one of the good guys) all meet up in a lusciously designed suburban residence surrounded by a wealthy elite celebrating satanic rituals.At times very Indiana Jones-y in feel and pacing, the eponymous Seven Footprints challenge alone is a masterpiece of stunning set design.Thelma Todd also has a very remarkable modern kind of beauty, far removed from the stereotypical idea of a Silent Movie Vamp.Though shot during a time when pulp fiction was still alive and kicking this is also very much a self-reverential homage to its familiar tropes and themes, maybe the very first of its kind.Directed by Danish director Benjamin Christensen during his tenure in Hollywood and adapted from a bestseller by A. Merritt, a mega-successful journalist/pulp author who is all but unknown these days but who would prove to be very influential to later generations of writers, this is a movie that just is crying out for a proper release with a better print.Still, nice to still be able to unearth hidden gems that over the course of some decades have somehow fallen through the crack.Available on YouTube: youtu.be/q6XE26owTTE
