The Manxman (1929) - Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock is one of the biggest names in film history, the immortal master of suspense that would generate numerous and imperishable films, creating school and leaving perennial imprint on subsequent generations of filmmakers. Now, the stage of talkies in the genius of suspense is not the best known for the vast majority of public viewers, but the fact is that the British master also had his moment in the silent film, far less prolific than the rear sound stage, but not without good works. The film now discussed is the last one from good Hitch for silent cinema, still shoting in his native Britain, but already assimilating and accepting what since 1928 was an inescapable reality, the advent of sound in cinema. Hitchcock since his inception was already given to literary adaptations to the cinema, now adapts a bestseller by Hall Caine, in which the story of a love triangle is portrayed. It is the story of a fisherman, lifelong friend of an eminent lawyer, both meet a beautiful girl, they fall in love with her, but is the fisherman who is closer to her; being rejected by her father because over his poor economic condition, he decides to travel, make money and come back for her, she promises to wait, and he leaves her under the care of his friend, a decision that he will regret. Attention to the farewell of silent movies by Hitch.

              

With images of the sea and sailing world we enter a port where fishermen are working and earn their daily bread. Here we see the fisherman Pete Quilliam (Carl Brisson), who receives  visit by his friend Philip Christian (Malcolm Keen), successful lawman who reports of an employment possibility. They go to the Isle of Man, where they meet young Kate Cregeen (Anny Ondra), daughter of the local business owner, and both are spellbound by the girl. It seems that Pete has more chemistry with her, but Kate's father, Caesar Cregeen (Randle Ayrton), completely rejects fisherman because of his humble condition. Pete gets, however, Kate to promise to wait for him, he will travel to Africa to raise money and approval of Caesar, leaving the girl in the care of his good friend Philip. Time passes, Kate and the lawyer have approached themselves, they have fallen in love, false news about the death of Pete makes them consume their love, but the fisherman lives, and eventually returns to the island. Upon returning, the three are reunited, both hide the truth to Pete, he and Kate get married, she has become pregnant, but the child is Philip's, who has gone away from it all, to focus on his career, he is about to be appointed Judge. Philip gets the nomination, he and Kate have not forgotten each other, she runs away from home, finally the truth can not be hidden any more and the three characters must take decisions.

The image with which all credits of the film are seen presents some large boulders in the bay, the surf caressing the rocks, fiery as the passions that move humans, we are being introduced a prelude to the story that we are about to watch. Some moralistic intention peeps out in the Hitch film, when a text box reports the thought of how no matter if a man wins it all, if in change loses his soul, a feature that curiously would not leave the cinema of the British, and the friends of the French nouvelle vague, Truffaut in the front, later would seek to claim. The prologue of this short film will be diagramming its stage, the bay and its intense waves, followed by the serene journey that makes the camera around the port, make an introduction to the world of fishermen, because they are also reached by the camera with general shots; the physical context of history has been presented to us promptly. Good Hitchcock in his cinematic language at the end of the silent era shows sober, creating pleasant images, harmonious framings, which at the times that flow, are appreciable. While there are not many outdoor shots, we have a significant example of it in the short sequence of Philip walking in the park with Kate, with imposing and beautiful general shots, but there will be other relevant sequence in this regard. I refer to the sequence in which both meet on the beach, with some interesting low-angle and high-angle shots, with pierced rocks framing the characters, setting up an interesting visual exercise that differs from the rest of the footage, another exercise outdoors where the filmmaker makes good use of these open spaces, and the posibilities of that bay. Also among the resources used we will see the classic overlayed planes, and while not use this too much, we can observe it in certain sequences, a fairly common technique in then cinema, which Hitch seemes not to have had problems in running.

The narrative strength of the picture lies partly in the first shots appreciated, the resource becomes powerful narrative tool of silent film, of silent stage of the great Hitch. The director says goodbye to his time in the silent cinema paying tribute to the resources of that phase of the cinema, and so we see some images or elements that narrate without words, and an exemplary sequence of this is the one with Kate's diary. Two female hands explore the tiny notebook where when turning pages we see the interaction of both, with Philip, the closeness that the characters have developed, particularly being eloquent the sheet where she strikeout "Mr. Christian" to write "Philip". Extraordinary use of narrative tool, wordless and through an image we are witnessing the change in their feelings, it has definitely been an approach, and is a good example of how the master performed his last brushstrokes managing the expressive and narrative resources that the projecting silent cinema offered in its dusk. Another moment as well exemplary becomes when Philip and Kate consume their torrid affair, in the family mill, she drives the gears of the mill, while the camera focuses these gears moving, we know what is happening, again Hitch uses an expressive and at the time narrative tool of silent movies, communicating without words for the last time, at least in a soundless film; then the mill will come back to scene when Caesar compares it with a mill of God, slowly rotating, causing discomfort and remorse in clandestine lovers. The film however gets acquiring a darker aesthetic, as the psyche of the characters is degrading, in particular according to Kate, and her slow debacle, because she has virtually led a double life. It is true that in some sequences a marked theatricality halo in its conception is noticed -the final sequence with the three of them is a good example of it-, but overall the feature does not feel like it fell too much in those depicts.











It prevails on the movie a not so dynamic or loose camera, although is efficient in administering the shots, generating medium shots, long shots, American shots, good frames of the protagonists also; as stated, in his farewell of silent films, Hitchcock uses a sober and serene, not spectacular language, even to say that Hitch was sopposedly more pending of the talkie Blackmail and its realization, since both features were held almost simultaneously; those were prolific years for the British. Hitchcock set the adaptation of a novel where the protagonists are beings prisoners of the circumstances, their unbridled passions, some passions which generally have fatal outcomes, but the picture is not given that, a picture that certainly seems to have left unsatisfied writer Hall and filmmaker as well. The protagonists and their plight suggest a tragic corollary, like a pressure cooker ready to explode, but finally the director chooses rather a harmless, lukewarm outcome, that does not feel entirely according to the circumstances presented, and a likely source of nonconformity from the writer. It's a simple story, without much ornaments or spectacular twists in its development, is a story that rests on passions, jealousies, lies, love and hate, that's why it is quite human, so it feels true, close and plausible. As acting attraction we have the Ondra, beautiful playing well her mercurial character, we delight seeing her beautiful and graceful, Kate's youthful spontaneity and volubility are well embodied by the Polish actress, who gives freshness and innocence to the island girl. The story is known, and there are even videos, of beautiful Ondra auditioning for the first sound film by Hitchcock, Blackmail, released the same year as this feature. Apparently the Eastern Europe accent of actress, although did filmmaker doubt at the beginning, eventually convince him though, and thus closed the Polish the stage of the silent cinema for Hitchcock, and inaugurated the sound stage, certainly a nice trivia. She is the subject of most of the close-ups of the film, and that is something to thank, for these close ups of her beautiful face are the aesthetically more attractive matter of the movie, reflecting and emphasizing her lightness and frivolity, because at times there is real uncertainty of what will the girl do, who behaves like a weathervane for most of the film. I think the film can not be considered as a masterpiece, it is still far from the greatest achievements, both silent and sound by filmmaker, but it's a good movie, something necessary and unmissable for Hitch fans, his last silent film.

Hallelujah (1929) - King Vidor

When ending the twenties of the last century, undoubtedly the arrival of sound to cinema was its largest and most important achievement, the maximum revolution, something that was reshaping the global film scene, creating changes that will never disappear. Hollywood was by far the largest film production center, and wth the inminent emergence of sound ahead, put many of its greatest creative geniuses to test, and King Vidor is one of the most brilliant exponents of those years. For this, his first sound film, the American director adapts a story he wrote himself, in which he presents the experiences of a farming family of blacks, whose eldest son is entangled with an attractive dancer, seductive woman who betrays him to lose, in a gambling game, all the money obtained for selling the family farm, and a brother of the protagonist dies. He runs away, becomes preacher, remakes his life, but when later returns to his village, he finds the female again, that once again will make him suffer difficulties. At the dawn of the then novel talkies, with the stars of ecran beginning to explore their voices, Vidor dares to shooting his first filmic exercise with an entirely black cast, also shots an exemplary film exercise that was already beginning to use sound as central element. A memorable film, considered by some as the first great masterpiece of talkies.

              

In a cotton farm, we see the old Parson (Harry Gray), with his wife "Mammy" (Fanny Belle DeKnight), and their children, the eldest is Zeke (Daniel L. Haynes). After seeing family perform daily activities with cotton, young Zeke meets the beautiful Chick (Nina Mae McKinney), she dances in the street, and when she learns of a hundred dollars that the young man has proceeding from the selling of his family farm, she deceits and leads him to a gambling place. There, with a friend of hers, who is called Hot Shot (William Fountaine), she gets to make Zeke lose all the money betting on the dice; the loss of the money generates a roughhouse, his younger brother Spunk (Everett McGarrity) dies over a bullet, and Zeke leaves town. Time passes and the fugitive has become preacher, religious man who after years returns to his village, now married to the virtuous Missy Rose (Victoria Spivey), but when he finds again Chick, unexpected things happen. The voluble Chick is still interested in Zeke, preacher who suddenly abandons his new life by going with the flighty girl, who soon tries to elope with her former lover Hot Shot. A crazed preacher pursues the fugitives, in a fatal run, ending with the preacher in prison, but having a warm and comforting ending to his misfortunes.

The picture takes us immediately into the world and intimacy of the family of blacks, we see them singing, dancing with ardor, even the smallest of the house dance with ease and joy at home, we see the Mammy matriarch cradling his stems before sleeping; it is a close, intimate, warm environment, in which comedy never ceases to be present, on a film that is characterized precisely by being the first to introduce thereby the world of blacks, a sincere and simple approach to their routine, everyday life. But we also see the family singing in their work, jingling happily while working obtaining cotton, walking and singing in musical marches of almost ritualistic activity, their daily way of earning a living. In the years in which films presenting genuinely black actors was just something utopian, King Vidor breaks all molds shooting a film with real black actors, and to top it off, the entire cast was African American, not a single white in his cast. Even more remarkable feat when we appreciate contemporary exercises by other directors, with white actors who presented with their faces covered in bitumen to portray African Americans, a form of representation very spread out and then adopted; when we see one of the many films of David Wark Griffith, just to mention the most famous filmmaker then, this detail is checked promptly. That is why the merit of Vidor, his courage and boldness in this film are really remarkable, is appreciable the genuine approach that makes to the then unexplored world and reality of African Americans, without painted faces, without absurd or false ornaments, only portraying their daily routine with simplicity and closeness. It is a significant and positive audacity which materializes Vidor, then confessed the director that had been one of his wishes to make a film about African Americans with a cast of genuinely black actors, and behold got it. That initial happiness, joy and innocence will be broken however, as the feature itself, which suffers severe change, partition of its structure when in the second part thrust out the dark passions, vengeance, death and lust.

As pointed out, in the film there is preeminence of dancing, music, ambience of the black race, one of the characteristics because of which the actors of color were slowly gaining notoriety and increased occurrence in the history of North American cinema. There will be many scenes of singing, music scenes, almost choreographic, even appearing embryonic jazz notes, gaiety, joy and charisma, a compendium of skill and use of the just arrived cinema novelties. Just one year after reaching the sound to the movies with The Jazz Singer (1928), filmmaker Vidor makes this colorful and eloquent sound splurge, sets which, as said, perhaps not in vain more than one proclaimed as the first masterpiece of the talkies, it is actually the first feature that wields in such an exemplary manner and uses the intimidating new resources available to filmmakers. Certainly the cinema had changed, had changed forever, for the first time the sound was a fundamental part of a picture, the sound could already mould a film, its structure, the sound could set the pace of the film, guiding sequences montage, become effectively the core of the film. It was the first time a film dare such an enterprise at such a crucial moment for cinema, the American director indeed tilled a well-earned place in the annals of the history of film art. The merit is great: when sound was still under discussion, while silent film acting legends were collapsing before the imminence of having to test their thoughtlessly inadequate voices, while geniuses filmmakers were refusing to produce talkies and predicted the ruin of the new cinema development, pops out this significant feature. It has an auditive core since assembly and narrative rhythm lie precisely in that sound, is a powerfully auditive film, having the sequence of lament for the death of Spunk as an excellent example of the interference of sound in film, strength and weight that has in the structure of mentioned sequence.

Thus, visual aesthetics, or a prodigious use and deployment of the camera remain in the background, as the preponderant issue is the fervid use of sound, and the construction of much of the film according to this aspect, linking many elements around lyrics, songs, dances, sermons by Zeke (to highlight, however, the sequence that closes the film, in which interesting exercise in camera we observe, Zeke chasing Hot Shot through a swamp in what can be seen as a prelude to the camera in hand later French nouvelle vague would depict). The latter mentioned, preachings sequences, are undeniable evidence of the landing of sound in cinema, and sequences like this, in addition to the sequences of mourning for the death of Spunk, are also eloquent samples of close-ups work on the feature. We will see a remarkable assembly work, permeating those moments of frenzy, extreme alienation and lust in the case of preaching in front of Chick, grief and severe pain in the case of the child's death. Different feelings but dealt with simile efficiency thanks to the work of close-ups that brings us into the drama and feelings, passions of the characters, while as well flaunts the best light and shadow contrast-game seen in the film. And precisely that is another aspect worth to highlight in the feature, the portrayed feelings in it, the strength of the drama and its characters, because to the merits mentioned regarding superb use of the sound, we add a very human story. Tragic characters, tormented individuals, who can not escape their pathetic dramas, their intense passions, this enriches the movie adding to its successes, a strong and very human story, in which lust is present, as when we see Chick biting Zeke's hand. By the way, it is obvious that the mark and the heavy legacy of a lifetime (the about four decades that film was existing, at least) making films through some manners, did not disappear from the overnight. And so, on the film still we appreciate echoes of the silent realizations, still some details in the assembly, but basically in the narrative aspect, in the transition from a sequence to another, it is perceived what is a perfectly natural inertia of yet narrating with silent film resources. It is said that the picture was initially silent-made, the sound was added later along with the dialogues, a fact that actually can not be far-fetched, knowing that in the early sound films, it was usual habit shooting a silent version, along with the talkie version, understandable considering the fact that sound was a revolutionary and innovative new method of shooting. The performances are positive, strong, perhaps highlighting Nina Mae McKinney with his fiery interpretation, uttering intensely Hallelujah! while approuches Zeke, one of the most pathetic figures in the film. Crucial and necessary feature, certainly an important part of the history and development of film art, a cornerstone to understanding its maturation process.

Christus (1916) - Giulio Antamoro

Centennial film, a film that has endured ten decades, a century-old picture, produced when the cinema was beginning to form as art, when the sound was not yet a reality in the audiovisual arts. At that time, as always, Italy was a nation that had much to do in terms of artistic production worldwide, and while Hollywood began with his filmic system of mass production, Germany was producing its best expressionist exercises, italics lands generated what is known as Italian realism. And Giulio Antamoro was one of the referential filmmakers at the time of Italian and world cinema, where epics were produced, movies about great historical epochs, and what can be called religious subgenre, within which this film is framed. As the feature's title indicates, the filmmaker portrays the story of the son of God, Jesus Christ, with all his human experiences, his birth, his growth, his life, passion and death, and of course his resurrection. The film is then a quick tour of the most representative Christian stories, and also a very interesting exercise of adaptation of immortal figures of painting and even sculpture to cinema field. One of the first films to introduce Jesus Christ as a character in the story, and a film that would begin the long tradition dedicated to portraying the story of Jesus on the big screen.

           

After seeing an angel who appears to the Virgin Mary (Leda Gys) announcing her future divine powers, we see the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus, who has memories of dead people tormenting him, he seeks to eradicate the Jews. We see a stable, where a strong glow takes place, the son of God was born, there is joy and the Magi begin their journeys through the desert to find and pay homage to the newborn. King Herod, restless with rumors that spread, orders the killing of all the firstborn of the lineage of David, while Pontius Pilate (Amleto Novelli) also begins to pay attention to the subject. Mary and Joseph then begin the flight by Egypt since begins the search for the firstborns, but the holy family manages to escape. Christ has already grown (Alberto Pasquali), is baptized by John, meets Mary Magdalene (Amalia Cattaneo), performs the miracle of walking on water, raising of Lazarus, among other wonders. But Jesus is betrayed, he is denied by Peter three times before the cock crows, at the last supper, is discovered the traitor Judas Iscariot (Augusto Mastripietri), which delivers him to the Romans. Christ is captured instead of Barabbas, is crucified, there are tears and suffering, but ends up resurrecting by the third day, he ascends to the heavens ending the Incredulity of Saint Thomas.

The character of the picture is promptly captured and portrayed when the first frame we appreciate is that of the Annunciation itself, a central, paradigmatic and referential figure in the painting art. We even see the actors, the composition of the frame, clearly imitating traditional pictorial composition of that moment in Christian history, the angel Gabriel announcing to Mary the future. Ambitious way of opening the feature, showing pretty much of what the film is, being the Annunciation one of the capital Christian figures, and knowing that some immortal and prodigious painters competed to paint it with more gracefulness. The fiery adoption of pictorial art as a basis and guide gives the film another halo, another presence, frames where those winks are more obvious differ significantly from the rest, with that solemn composition of central conception, noticing the perspective as orientation of this conception of the image, the pictorial halo approaches some frames even to theatrical depict. The strong iconographic content is of course one of the great characteristics of the film, the lamb, Saint John Baptist and his attribute in the form of a cross, the dove of the Holy Spirit, the last supper. And of course, the powerful representations, powerful pictorial adaptations, beginning with the mentioned Annunciation -versions of this Christian icon there are many, by Botticelli, even Michelangelo himself, among others-, Correggio's The Nativity, Baptism of Jesus by Perugino, Leonardo's Last Supper, the Crucifixion by Andrea Mantegna, respecting always the original composition of the paintings; special mention for adaptations of sculpture The Pieta by Michelangelo, and Raphael's Transfiguration, both of remarkable beauty, aside the obvious and enormous complexity involved of adapting to the motion pictures two works of this magnitude. It is curious that all these egregious artists share Italian citizenship. Such is the strength of the film in this regard, that even low mobility or dynamic of the camera ends up working to that final effect, to that kind of little film finish, which is closer to the theoretical two-dimensional conception of painting, but finally impregnates the picture of a very interesting presence.

It is remarkable also that the timing, the temporal context of Italian cinema is reflected in the present movie in the form of a kind of blockbuster, of the great scenarios, great locations, many extras, it certainly shows the effervescent moment of Italian realism, right in the years before the World War One, devastating event that would transform Italy and the whole world. Thus it is appreciated that context, how to translate these historical, epic, religious events so characteristic of this Latino film school, and if you also add that the movie was shoted in Egypt, one can imagine the dimension of the film. In this regard, some of the sequences that portray exteriors are treated exemplarily, capturing the grandeur of Egyptian places, and obviously many of its most representative works, the pyramids, the Sphinx, among others. The expertise of Italian filmmakers in this type of filming is hence observed when large temples and huge columns appear, as well as grandiose and imposing statues, and of course, the providential pyramids, a cinema work where expertise and specialization is evidenced, the Italians were masters of this so-called realism, which combines the epic, historical, and also religious. The film is thus a compilation of the life of Christ, his most representative and iconic experiences, traditional beliefs and stories of Christ are respected, and are presented in chronological order, his baptism, his passion, death and final resurrection, in this which is one of the first major film works dealing with this issue. But the truth is that the picture, in its reduced footage (87 minutes), shows a rapid succession of them, the experiences of Christ are narrated, they are concatenated one after the other at a rate for some moments frantic. However, although it sounds paradoxical to say, despite the brevity of the footage, Antamoro gets to impregnate his film of a positive serenity, according to the nature of the portrayed. This leads to the key of the feature, which is not its narrative rhythm, or montage, but rather the strength of its representations, its images, that as we have seen, often contain a great richness and interdisciplinary content artistically speaking.

Addressing other issues of staging, it is interesting and remarkable the resource on how representing spectra, the ghosts of the unjustly killed tormenting Herod, correct resource in which there is almost interaction between two separate planes, the human one and the surreal or dreamlike. It is a resource that will be seen repeatedly throughout the film, certainly a technique that seems to have mastered quite well the filmmaker, who takes advantage of the overlay images technique, achieving the ghostly appearance of some figures. Also, in certain sequences the Roman director is capable of generating appreciable chiaroscuros, powerful contrasts of light and shadow to highlight the strength of certain moments, like the raising of Lazarus, for example. Regarding the field of music in the film, at the beginning it feels awesome and in abundance, accompanying the initial moments, permeating of deep religiosity the film, then decrease its prevalence, and move to sporadically regain its presence and interference in history; is particularly sensitive to note a change in musical accompaniments when there are tragic events for the Savior ahead. The performances in the film are correct and the mentioned serenity in the picture is reinforced by Alberto Pasquali's performing as the central figure, in which is certainly one of the first films with Jesus Christ as protagonist and main core of the facts; his interpretation, although I consider it positive, perhaps is excessive by moments in severity, but I think its does not fall in too much hype, so in general, is a contribution that adds to the film. One of first films that portrays the life of Jesus, these were the first major works of Italian filmmakers, it was the realism, the predecessor of Italian neorealism, the first great school that this country so rich in cultural production created at a cinematic level. An italian silent film, a very attractive poster which has the feature, in the early days of cinema, Italy began to produce cornerstones, and we have in this film a good example of this, where Giulio Antamoro, perhaps not considered among the greatest filmmakers of his country, gives us a good sample of the first films that were made in the beautiful Italy.