Alla Nazimova
- 1944
More a romantic melodrama than the uplifting propaganda piece the producers perhaps envisioned, In Our Time stars Ida Lupino as Jennifer Whittredge, a young antique buyer marrying a Polish count, Stephan Orvid (Paul Henried), after a whirlwind romance in a Warsaw at the brink of World War II. The count's old-fashioned family in general and his aristocratic uncle (Victor Francen) in particular resist the union, but Jennifer brings a breath of fresh air and a sense of good Anglo-Saxon values into the stagnant rooms of the Orvid estate and soon the farm is prosperous once again. When the German military might finally enters Poland, Jennifer and Stephan join the country's scorched earth defense by burning both their property and are soon among the refugees waiting for the day when Poland is once again free from Fascism. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ida Lupino, Paul Henreid, (more)
First filmed in 1928, Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer-winning novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey is given a ponderous treatment in this 1944 remake. Like the novel, the film begins at the end, with the collapse of a rope bridge in 18th century Peru. The story then flashes back to the lives of the five unfortunates killed in the collapse. Among the five are singer-turned-couresan Michaela (Lynn Bari), her obsequious Uncle Pio (Akim Tamiroff), feuding twin brothers Manuel and Estaban (both played by Francis Lederer) and the envious Marquesa (Nazimova). Trying to make sense of the lives and deaths of the five is sensitive young priest Brother Juniper (Donald Woods). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Bari, Akim Tamiroff, (more)
David O. Selznick's first production since 1940's Rebecca, Since You Went Away, based on Margaret Buell Wilder's bestselling novel, is a long but rewarding paean to the World War 2 "home front". Claudette Colbert plays the wife of a businessman who, though well past draft age, volunteered to serve his country as an officer (though the husband is never seen, he is "played"-via a photograph-by Neil Hamilton). Fighting back her own fears and anxieties, Colbert does her best to maintain a normal, stable household for the sake of her growing daughters Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple. She is offered moral support by cynical-but-kindly boarder Monty Woolley, by maid Hattie McDaniel (who willing foregoes her salary "for the duration") and by Navy man and friend-of-the-family Joseph Cotten, whose relationship with Claudette remains staunchly platonic. The harsh realities of war hit home several times throughout the film, first when it seems as though Colbert's husband is missing in action, and later when Jennifer's young boyfriend, GI Robert Walker, is killed in combat. From the vantage point of the 1990s, it is easy to see why Since You Went Away scored with its wartime audiences. Though the leading characters are slightly more financially secure than most of the moviegoers of 1944, the various vignettes presented throughout-complaints about rationing and priorities, shoulder-to-shoulder sacrifices, the weekly escape to the local movie house, tender partings, joyous reunions, the returning wounded, the dreaded wire from the war department-all had the ring of truth and topicality. Even today, the film's emotional highlights, particularly the much-imitated farewell scene at the railroad station, are sufficient to bring tears to the eyes of the most jaded viewer. Enhancing the film's heartstring tugging tenfold is Max Steiner's Oscar-winning musical score. If you can remain objective while watching Since You Went Away (it isn't easy), see if you can spot Ruth Roman, Guy Madison and John Derek, making their screen debuts in microscopic roles ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, (more)
Based on the novel by Vincente Blasco Ibanez, Blood and Sand is the beautifully rendered story of the rise and fall of a young, cocksure Spanish bullfighter, played by Tyrone Power. Working his way slowly up the ladder to success, Power achieves fame when he is praised to skies by fatuous, fickle critic Laird Cregar. A country boy at heart, Power finds himself way over his head with sophisticates, and is soon torn between his pious and faithful wife Linda Darnell and sexy, mercenary Rita Hayworth. It is Darnell, however, who comforts Power after his final, fatal goring in the bull ring. The film's best scenes depict the curious combination of horror and fascination with which bullfighting aficionados treat this most barbaric of "sports." Blood and Sand was previously filmed in 1922 with Rudolph Valentino; a Valentino contemporary, Alla Nazimova, plays Power's mother in the remakes. Portions of this film turned up as stock footage in the 1945 Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bullfighters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, (more)
- 1940
Based on a novel by Ethel Vance, Escape stars Robert Taylor as a young American, the son of a widowed European woman (Alla Nazimova). The mother has been imprisoned in a German concentration camp, compelling her son to ignore America's neutrality and attempt a rescue. Sneaking into German-occupied Europe, Taylor is befriended by a countess (Norma Shearer) who is the mistress of a Nazi general (Conrad Veidt). Taylor isn't certain of the countess' loyalties, but she proves herself by aiding in the rescue of the imprisoned woman. Escape is distinguished by a surprisingly subtle performance from Norma Shearer, though she gives in to her tendency to "ham" in her final denunciation of her Nazi paramour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor, (more)
- 1925
The careers of both actress Alla Nazimova and director J. Stuart Blackton were on the wane when they made this low-budget drama. Joan (Nazimova) is part of a French underworld gang, which includes her rough sweetheart, Lupin (Lou Tellegen). After provoking Lupin, she heads for a low-down cabaret, where she puts on a satirical dance. A group of aristocrats are at the club, and Joan meets one of them, Paul Dubois (Carl Miller). He lightheartedly instructs her on how to be a lady, but she takes his advice seriously. Joan falls in love with Dubois, and when she sees him kissing another woman, she is furious. Dubois' mother has given a valuable necklace to the church, which has been placed on the Madonna. Joan urges Lupin to steal the necklace, but when she discovers that the girl she saw with Dubois was only his sister, she begs him to return it. Lupin's own men wound him in a dispute over this, and Joan comes to the realization that it is him, not Dubois, whom she really loves. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alla Nazimova, Lou Tellegen, (more)
- 1925
Alla Nazimova, an ethereal Russian actress who preferred to bill herself as just plain Nazimova, tops the cast of My Son. The "son" in this instance is Portuguese youth Jack Pickford, who lives and works in a New England fishing town with his devoted mother (Nazimova). Pickford courts disaster when he falls for a gorgeous adventuress (Constance Bennett). His mother and his sweetheart (Mary Akin) despair over Pickford's outrageous behavior, and for a while it looks as though he'll never wise up. My Son was adapted from the stage play by Martha M. Stanley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alla Nazimova, Jack Pickford, (more)
- 1924
Alla Nazimova had been away from the screen for over a year when she made this drama, and she was paid well under half her former salary. To add box-office value, she was given Milton Sills as a co-star, but even so, the film did not do well either in film receipts or reviews. Reverend John Morton (Sills) is the minister at a fashionable parish, but when his uncle wills him a small fortune, he quits to open up a mission in London's Limehouse district. The uncle's mistress, Mary Carlson (Nazimova), is furious that she was cut out of the will and is determined to get the money any way she can. She finds Morton and vamps him into marrying her, though much to her chagrin, she discovers that he's intent on spending his wealth on the poor. Morton eventually discovers that Mary was his uncle's mistress, so when she runs off he doesn't go after her. Mary's life goes downhill and she takes to the streets. Morton, meanwhile, is attacked by a mob and decides that he is better without his inheritance. He holds onto his ministry, however, and Mary returns to him when she decides to repent. A version of this story was filmed as a talkie in 1930. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alla Nazimova, Milton Sills, (more)
- 1922
Seeking to bring High Art to the American hinterlands, silent film star Alla Nazimova sank a great deal of her own money into her 1922 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Salome. Art director Natacha Rambova (notorious as the contentious second wife of Rudolph Valentino) based her set designs on the works of fin-de-siecle artist Aubrey Beardsley. The story remains as always: Salome is coerced by her mother Herodias (Rose Dione) to demand the head of John the Baptist on a platter. She performs an erotic dance around the head, then is crushed to death by Herod's guards. Legend has it that everyone in the supporting cast and production crew of Salome was homosexual--hand-picked by Nazimova, who reportedly believed that only a gay aggregation could do full justice to her bizarre, excruciatingly stylized cinematic vision. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alla Nazimova, Rose Dione, (more)
- 1922
Henrik Ibsen's play had already been filmed twice before, in 1917 starring Dorothy Phillips, and in 1918 with lsie Ferguson. But this time around the star was dramatic actress Alla Nazimova, who had played Nora Helmer on stage in New York twice -- once in 1907 and again in 1918. The biggest problem with A Doll's House, circa 1922, however, was that the emancipation of a young housewife was no longer a big deal -- women had won the right to vote a couple years earlier and millions of flappers were further flaunting their independence. On top of that, the 42-year-old Nazimova tried a bit too hard to act like a woman more than ten years her junior and it showed, in her performance if not necessarily in the nicely done photography. For those who aren't familiar with the play, here's a recap of the plot: When Torvald Helmer (Alan Hale) needs to travel south to save his life, his young wife, Nora, gets a loan from ex-convict Nils Krogstad (Wedgewood Nowell) by forgi ng the name of her dead father. Years later Nora, now a mother, is still playing the capricious young girl for her husband, who has become an executive at a bank. He wants to fire Krogstad, but Nora begs him not to. When Torvald discovers the reason why, he cruelly upbraids her and casts aspersions on her character. Finally, Nora can no longer take her selfish, self-centered spouse and she walks out on him and her family. Charles Bryant (Nazimova's partner and lover) received credit as director, but it's likely that his creative involvement was practically nil. Nazimova also financed the film herself, which was unfortunate, since it lost money at the box office. This drama, like most of Nazimova's films, is lost. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Hale, Alla Nazimova, (more)
- 1921
Although by no means the definitive version of the Alexander Dumas story -- scenarist June Mathis modernizes it and the overall tone is rather cool for such a group of supposedly hot-blooded characters -- this picturization is notable for a number of reasons. To play Camille's lover, Armand Duval, film star Alla Nazimova hired a handsome young up-and-comer named Rudolph Valentino. Valentino's friend Mathis was primarily responsible for this -- although he had already been in a few films, the just-completed Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse would not be released until a few days before Camille began shooting. So the silent screen's biggest heartthrob was still a virtual unknown, as far as Nazimova was concerned. But as Armand he nearly steals the show because he seems so much more natural than Nazimova's stagey Camille -- not to mention the fact that by the film came out, Four Horsemen had already made him a star. The art direction shows the stylized hand of Natacha Rambova, and it was on this production that she and Valentino met and became lovers. The plot to Nazimova's picture stays close to the book at first -- the glamorous demi-monde gives up her lifestyle for young Armand, then gives him up at the behest of his father (William Orlamond) -- but then the ending strikes a sour note. In every other version of Camille ever filmed, the tuberculosis-stricken courtesan dies in Armand's arms. Here she dies with only Gaston (Rex Cherryman) and Nichette (Patsy Ruth Miller) in attendance -- no Armand! In spite of this huge disappointment, the picture still made money for its releasing studio, Metro. Nevertheless, this was Nazimova's last picture for the company. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alla Nazimova, Rudolph Valentino, (more)
- 1920
Sally (Alla Nazimova), a resident of London's Limehouse district, finds herself alone when her drunken father kills her mother. She goes to work in a factory, but is hit by a car containing Lady Dorothea (Claire DuBrey) and Lord Kidderminster (Charles Bryant, Nazimova's real-life partner). Kidderminster makes sure she is treated well at the hospital and then gets her a job as a model. A theatrical manager discovers her dancing talent, and Kidderminster backs her in the highly successful Verandah Revue. None of this changes Sally; she remains a sweet young girl who would not even imagine giving into Kidderminster's advances. As a result, he falls madly in love with her. His parents, Lord Fortive and Lady Fortive (Joseph Kilgour and Jane Sterling) are horrified, and Dorothea tries to destroy Sally's reputation. None of this works, and Sally herself wins over the stern Lady Fortive. Sally's childlike nature earns her the hand of Lord Kidderminster. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
Because of a heart condition, Sigrid Freson (Alla Nazimova) has to give up her career as a dancer. She travels to a British outpost in India, where she rejects the advances of a Eurasian merchant in favor of Major Tristram Boucicault (Charles Bryant), an impoverished doctor who is fighting a cholera epidemic. His father (Charles K. French) is the cruel post commander, and when the old man is found dead, Tristram is accused of his murder. The merchant tells Sigrid that he knows the identity of the killer, but he will reveal it only if she marries him. In order to save her lover, Sigrid consents, but on her wedding night, she holds him at bay with a gun. A native uprising breaks out, and Sigrid halts the riot by performing a temple dance; when they see her performance, the Hindus believe she is the wife of Vishnu. She collapses under the effort, but is brought back from the brink by Tristram. This film was based on the I.A.R. Wylie novel, The Hermit Doctor of Gaya, and although Charles Bryant (Nazimova's real-life paramour) is credited with the adaptation, it is believed that she wrote the entire screenplay by herself. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Alla Nazimova indulges her penchant for high melodrama in this screen adaptation of an Austen Adams stage play, Ception Shoals. She plays a woman, Faith, whose life is shattered when her lover dies. Faith's brother Job (Henry Harmon) locks her away in a lighthouse, but she jumps from the tower rather than be imprisoned. Faith's daughter, however, lives on. The girl Eve (also played by Nazimova) grows into her teens, sheltered from the world by her puritanical uncle. But Eve nevertheless manages to encounter a young man, Phillip Blake (Charles Bryant), who comes from "out of the fog." When Phillip returns for Eve, he has to deal with her crusty, malevolent guardian. The screenplay was familiar terrain for Nazimova; she had also starred in the stage version. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Alla Nazimova went from heavy-handed dramatic spectaculars to light comedy-drama with this picture, based on a hit play by Maude Fulton. The Brat (Nazimova) is a crude little chorus girl who has just been fired from a Broadway show. She is rescued by Mac Millan Forrester (Charles Bryant, Nazimova's partner, both business and personal), an author looking for material for his next book. He takes her home, to the horror of his mother (Amy Veness) and sweetheart Angela (Bonnie Hill). But she wins over the family when Forrester refines her rough exterior and she saves his brother Stephen (Darrell Foss) from disgrace. This Pygmalion-like story was too much of a stretch for the Russian star and it was not well-received by her fan base. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
In this atmospheric Chinese tale, (Alla Nazimova) plays Mahlee, a half-white, half-Chinese girl educated in Western ways by missionaries. She falls in love with one of the missionaries' sons, but he spurns her for an American girl (also played by Nazimova). The Chinese girl seeks revenge against the white race by falling in with the Boxers. Acting as the Goddess of the Red Lantern, she imparts various prophecies, none of which come true, and she commits suicide. The grandeur of the Oriental settings that were created for this drama overshadowed even the intense posturing of Nazimova -- no mean accomplishment! As a result, this gorgeous film lacked human interest. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Dramatic actress Alla Nazimova made her leap from the stage into the screen world with this Metro picture. Joline (Nazimova) is a dancer who gives up the cabarets to be the model and mistress of an American artist, Paul Granville (Charles Bryant, Nazimova's business and romantic partner). His paintings make him famous, but when he's commissioned by Count Adrian (Bigelow Cooper) for a Madonna painting, Paul doubts that the worldly Joline can fit the bill. She convinces him, however, and they sneak into a monastery to recreate the scene of the Madonna bringing life to a barren rosebush. Amazingly the bush, which had promptly returned to its barren state, blooms once again, and even though Joline tries to laugh it off, the prior (Frank Currier) takes this as a very real miracle. Joline eventually comes to believe and she leaves Paul to become a World War I Red Cross nurse. They are reunited when Paul enlists and is wounded in battle. This time around, they get married. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Alla Nazimova's Eye for Eye has been described by Nazimova biographer De Witt Bodeen as "the ultimate in sweet exoticism." Adapted from L'Occident, a play by Henry Kistenmachers, the film casts Nazimova as Hassouna, daughter of an Arab sheik. Falling in love with a French military officer, Hassouna rescues her swain from a death sentence, whereupon she is banished by her tribe and forced to wander the desert. Sold into slavery, she rises to prominence as a dancing girl. She is reunited with her lover, now unhappily married. Informed that the officer has murdered her Arab family, Hassouna exacts revenge by seducing the officer's son. The play's original tragic ending was clumsily altered at the very last minute to correspond to then-prevalent audience tastes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Alla Nazimova had been presented with motion picture contracts before, but she turned them down until Lewis J. Selznik offered to shoot a film version of this one-act play by Marion Craig Wentworth. The stage star had been successfully performing in it on Broadway and on the road for many months, and a lucrative deal was struck. Nazimova insisted that Charles Bryant (her partner in business and love) and Gertrude Berkeley repeat their stage roles for the screen, and she also got young Richard Barthelmess, then merely a college student, his very first film role. Joan (Nazimova) lives in a village in an unnamed European country during war time. She loses two brothers-in-law, and then her husband, Franz (Bryant), in the fighting. When the king (Alex Shannon) rules that women must bear more children for future wars, Joan organizes a protest and finds an ally in her mother-in-law (Berkeley). The story ends with Joan killing herself and her unborn child in lieu of following the king's edict. Like many stage actors, Nazimova was guilty of too many histrionics her first time before a camera, but her acting style would be refined in time (though perhaps never refined enough for modern day tastes). This picture ran in New York for several months and was put in general release in April, 1917. A month later, America entered World War I, making its pacifist theme extremely unpopular. Undaunted, Selznik pulled the film and inserted new titles which set the story in Germany, then sent the film right back out to theaters, where it continued to make money. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
