Renée Adorée Movies

The Movies March On was Number 12, volume 9 of Louis de Rochemont's March of Time series. Narrated by the stentorian Westbrook Van Vorhees, this fascinating documentary manages to squeeze 40 years of filmmaking into a mere two reels. Beginning with the once scandalous The Kiss (1898), the film jumps ahead to one of the first "story" films, Edison's The Great Train Robbery (1903, directed by Edwin S. Porter). Next is offered a cross-section of the great D. W. Griffith's Biograph films followed by snippets of such past luminaries as Mary Pickford, William S. Hart, Charlie Chaplin, Theda Bara, Greta Garbo and John Gilbert. In 1927, The Jazz Singer ushers in the talkie era, which is represented by snippets from films as diverse as All Quiet on the Western Front and the Mickey Mouse vehicle Steamboat Willie. After a round-up of recent cinematic achievements, Van Vorhees signs off with his customary "Time?.MARCHES ON!" Though undeniably superficial, The Movies March On at least never adopts a condescending tone when reviewing the silent era, which sets it apart from most summaries of its kind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on Leo Tolstoy's The Living Corpse, this film was originally scheduled as John Gilbert's first talkie, but it was held from release until distribution of his second, One Glorious Night. In the story, the Enoch Arden-style hero, long-presumed dead, commits suicide rather than ruin the happiness of his newly-remarried wife. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

In this early talkie, a musical, a Polynesian storekeeper bears his chest and sings. He also falls in love with an island girl and rescues her from a lecher who tries to force her into a marriage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The last of the major film companies to fully convert to sound, MGM had yet another box-office bomb in Tide of Empire, a would-be epic western set in the days of increasing Yankee influence in hitherto Spanish California. Based on a Peter B. Kyne novel, the film came complete with a synchronized score, but audiences were now demanding at least a few scenes of dialogue. The fresh-faced leading man George Duryea did get a stab at western stardom in the early 1930s, however, but under the moniker Tom Keene and for RKO. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Based on a Leo Tolstoy novel, The Cossacks centers around Lukashka (John Gilbert), a young Russian man who has no interest in fighting, unlike the other Cossacks around him. Because of his cheery, peaceful ways, he is ridiculed by the others of his village, even though he is the son of Ivan the Ataman (Ernest Torrence), who is the toughest man there. Finally, even Lukashka's ladylove, Maryana (Renee Adoree), believes him a coward. The people of the village dress him up in an apron and throw grapes at him, and this causes him to snap. Lukashka becomes a fierce fighter, killing any Turks that come his way. Meanwhile, the Czar's messenger, Prince Olenin (Neil Neely) comes to town and decides to take Maryana for his own. But when he makes his way back to the capital with the girl, Lukashka kidnaps her. As for the Prince, he is killed by a pack of Turks. Although the set design and photography for this film were well-done, other aspects miss. George Hill directed most of the picture but Clarence Brown was brought in at the finish to clean it up -- Brown claims the film was a mess by the time he was assigned to work on it. Many of the subtitles are poorly written and are not fair descriptions of the action. One example that is especially -- and unintentionally -- hilarious: Gilbert's character is introduced with "He does not like the smell of blood. He is a chewer of sunflower seeds." Needless to say, Gilbert was unhappy with The Cossacks. While it received, for the most part, positive reviews, hindsight shows that it subtly marked the beginning of a downward spiral for the M-G-M silent star. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This Marion Davies vehicle was loosely inspired by the career of Gloria Swanson. Davies plays would-be starlet Peggy Pepper, who arrives at the gates of MGM Studios with her dad Colonel Pepper (Dell Henderson) in hopes of becoming a great dramatic actress. Instead, she a scores a hit as an ingenue in the slapstick comedies starring the effervescent Billy Boone (William Haines). As the audience rocks with laughter during the preview of Peggy's first film (no one is more enthusiastic than her director Harry Gribbon), she sits in sullen silence, insisting to Billy that some day she'll invoke tears instead of laughter. This doesn't seem likely, inasmuch as Peggy can't even cry on cue (her director is forced to peel onions outside of camera range to achieve the desired emotion), but the tenacious young actress finally manages to win favor in dramatic roles. Inevitably, this causes a strain on her budding romance with Billy, and the couple slowly drifts apart. Now the unchallenged Queen of the Cinema, Peggy -- billing herself as Patricia Pepoire -- prepares to marry her oily leading man Andre (Paul Ralli), but mischievous Billy disrupts her fancy wedding. She angrily tosses Billy out of the house, realizing only when it's too late that she's still in love with him. But in the final scene, the hero and heroine are accidentally reunited on the set of a WWI picture directed by King Vidor (who also directed Show People). Two versions of Show People are currently available for TV; the "stretch-framed" Kevin Brownlow-David Gill restoration, with a new orchestral score by Carl Davis, and the original MGM release version, outfitted with a lively music and sound-effects track. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Previously filmed in England in 1919, the barnstorming Harry Maurice Vernon-Harold Owen play Mr.Wu re-emerged as a Lon Chaney Sr. vehicle in 1927. Chaney essays a dual role, as the titular Wu and Wu's honorable grandfather. After a lengthy prologue, it is established that Wu is a powerful, ruthless Chinese aristocrat who will stop at nothing to defend his daughter Nang Ping's (Renee Adoree) honor. When Nang Ping is seduced and abandoned by wealthy Briton Basil Gregory (Ralph Forbes), Wu begins plotting a horrible revenge, beginning with the killing of his own daughter (who goes to her fate with stoic resignation). He then captures Gregory's mother (Louise Dresser) and sister (Gertrude Olmstead), then forces Basil to watch as he prepares to subject the two women to unspeakable tortures. Wu is ultimately killed by Basil's mother, bringing this bizarre exercise in chinoiserie to a grim conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The frequently filmed James Oliver Curwood yarn Back to God's Country was given reverential treatment in this impressive Universal production. Captain Blake (Walter Long), skipper of a trading vessel, makes his semi-annual trek to a northern seaport in the company of his roughneck crew. Taking a fancy to Renee Debois (Renee Adoree), the daughter of trapper Jean Debois (Mitchell Lewis), the lustful Blake vows to make the girl his bride. He forces Jean to consent to the marriage by threatening to turn the trapper over to the authorities on a murder charge. Renee is temporarily rescued by handsome engineer Bob Stanton (Robert Frazer), though it's clear we haven't seen the last of Blake. The rivalry between the two men over Renee's affections is resolved in a rugged dog-sled race through a blinding blizzard, with Blake pulling every underhanded trick in the book to incapacitate -- or terminate -- his young opponent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Amidst much fanfare, Lillian Gish was signed to a fabulous MGM contract in 1925 which not only assured her $400,000 per picture but also gave her complete control over her productions, including choice of co-stars and directors. For her inaugural MGM effort, Gish selected La Boheme, the theatrical version of Henri Murger's 1851 novel The Latin Quarter. Thanks to copyright conflicts, MGM was unable to use the plot elements from the Giacomo Puccini opera based on the Murger book (there'd been plans to prepare a musical score based on Puccini's themes, but these fell through at the last moment), so scriptwriter Ray Doyle and Harry Behn relied almost exclusively on the original novel. Gish is cast as Mimi, the fragile little seamstress who takes up residence in Paris's "artists colony." Here she falls in love with aspiring painter Rodolphe (John Gilbert), who though professing undying devotion and dedication to Mimi cannot help but dally with other girls. To finance Rodolphe's artistic career, Mimi pawns all of her belongings and takes a series of back-breaking jobs, destroying her health in the process. Only when Mimi is on her deathbed does Rodolphe realize the extent of her sacrifices -- and of his love for her. Renee Adoree co-stars as the saucy Musette, whose double-entendre antics are toned down here, while Edward Everett Horton steals several scenes as Rodolphe's musician pal Colline. Though John Gilbert hams it up, Lillian Gish's brilliant performance is a model of restraint and subtlety. For her final scene, the actress went to appalling lengths to convincingly simulate death, going without water for three days and training herself to breathe without discernible movement (even when seen today, the effect is startlingly real). Available only for archival showings until the early 1970s, a restored version of La Boheme was reissued theatrically in 1978, while an even better restoration was made available to television in the 1990s through the auspices of the Turner Classic Movies cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set sometime during the 19th century, Blarney deals with the exploits of Irish prizefighter James Carabine (Ralph Graves). Aspiring to become the greatest bare-knuckle boxer in the world, Carabine stows away on a boat bound for America. On the verge of being discovered, our hero is rescued by another immigrant, Peggy Nolan (Rene Adoree), who pays for his fare. Instead of displaying gratitude, Carabine gives Peggy the heave-ho at the first opportunity, the better to dally with vixenish concert singer Marcalina (Paulette Duval). But when Carabine is defeated in his first bout by champion Blanco Johnson (Malcolm Waite), the fickle Marcalina shifts her loyalties to the champ. With the help and support of the still-loyal Peggy, Carabine gets back on his professional feet and defeats Johnson in a return match, whereupon he realizes that Peggy was the right girl for him from the outset. Based on a true story, Blarney more than lives up to its title by playing fast and loose with the facts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This characteristically grim Lon Chaney/Tod Browning collaboration stars "The Man of a Thousand Faces" in two distinct characterizations. By day, the crippled Bishop of Limehouse (Chaney) is a kindly, beneficent figure, ministering to the needs of the poor and destitute. But by night, the Bishop sheds his clerical garb-and his physical handicap-to become the Black Bird, mastermind of a vast underworld organization. Completely undetectable and untouchable, the Black Bird can only be destroyed by himself-a fact that consumes the film's final reels. Renee Adoree and Owen Moore also star in this atmospheric melodrama, which was adapted by Waldemar Young from Tod Browning's story The Mockingbird. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

For this romantic drama, author and Hollywood tastemaker Elinor Glyn began with the premise that a woman does one of three things to a man: she elevates him, degrades him, or bores him to death. Then Glyn does the obvious by introducing three women -- one to represent each possibility -- into the life of her protagonist, Sir Nicholas Thormonde (Lew Cody, who, for once, plays a relatively sympathetic character). Thormonde hires Alathea Bulteel (Harriet Hammond) as his secretary. Although she is an attractive young woman, she purposely makes herself look homely, and while she is attracted to her employer, she is turned off by his womanizing ways. She's especially disgusted by his relationship with Suzette (Renée Adorée). Thormonde comes to love Alathea, but she misunderstands his intentions and quits. Her father (Gerald Grove) gets into trouble with his compulsive gambling, so Alathea agrees to marry Thormonde in name only. Eventually the couple realizes the depth of their feelings for each other. This was definitely one of Glyn's lesser efforts for MGM. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide