I admire the care in the film for costume design, set design and decoration, and makeup, with the latter especially important given the plot structure. What sparing special effects we see are done very well, with further attention to technical considerations such as lighting and editing. With that strong visual foundation, director Josef von Sternberg arranges some great scenes, and swell individual shots, making fine use of tracking at a few points. And within that framework we get a wonderfully engrossing story. I admit it's not what I thought I was sitting down to watch in the first place - as it turns out, it's much, much better. The era of silent film is filled with many timeless classics, but 'The last command' is surely among the very best.
The screenplay is truly outstanding, crafting characters of marvelous depth and complexity, and the dialogue as conveyed through intertitles is smart and sharp. The scene writing is excellent, and adept; whatever the mood in a given moment, each passing sequence is meticulously constructed to impart all due drama, vigor, and emotion. More than that, along with the characterizations and sequencing, in any given scene our sympathies may be slanted one way or another - a great credit to screenwriter John F. Goodrich, that he so masterfully illustrates how complicated people can be.
Above all, the narrative as a whole is absolutely fantastic, potent and absorbing. Early scenes don't feel especially remarkable, yet before half the runtime has passed our attention is held fast. The story is compelling, and bears significant core thematic content. I'm not sure that I'm entirely on board with the developments between the protagonist and the chief supporting character - the embellishment feels too much like a contrivance of Hollywood storytelling convention that says these figures must necessarily have a particular relationship to one another. Yet that bit of nitpicking is the only specific fault that comes to mind over the course of these 90 minutes - and as a counterpoint, it's refreshing that in a tale with subject matter dovetailing into real life (and what was then very recent history), the feature doesn't try to plant a flag. There are no heroes or villains here, just people swept up one way or another in the tidal wave of revolution. Not least of all, it must be said - I was not prepared for just how impactful the ending would be. 'The last command' had already well impressed before the finale, but I think the conclusion elevates the feature to a whole new level.
With that said, one can hardly discuss the picture without lavishing praise upon its stars. Emil Jannings famously won the first Oscar awarded for "Best Actor" in 1929, and I couldn't argue with that accolade if I wanted to. The Grand Duke Sergius Alexander is a man of contradictions, yet unswerving in his devotion to Russia, and his experiences throughout the film form a wellspring of varied emotions. Jannings deftly captures them all with superb range, poise, nuanced expression, and even calculated physicality, bringing the general to life with an astounding vitality that's a joy to behold as a viewer. (To learn that within a few years after this film the actor would go on to have an association with the worst people in the world... well, that rather puts a damper on things.) Other players are less prominent, but no one appearing before the camera is any less than capable. However, Evelyn Brent is also noteworthy in the supporting role of Natacha Dabrova, standing tall next to Jannings in his skill set while also carrying an inescapable allure about her.
I began watching with no foreknowledge, and I have been confounded in the best of ways. I'm well accustomed to watching silent films that have stood the test of time, but of any I've seen to date, few or none have been so thoroughly entrancing and exceedingly well made as this. The writing is nigh impeccable, with performances to match, and the direction ably keeps up to tie the production together. Even audiences who tend to have difficulty engaging with silent features should give this one an earnest try: 'The last command' is a phenomenal cinema classic that even nearly 100 years later deserves utmost recognition and wide viewership.
The screenplay is truly outstanding, crafting characters of marvelous depth and complexity, and the dialogue as conveyed through intertitles is smart and sharp. The scene writing is excellent, and adept; whatever the mood in a given moment, each passing sequence is meticulously constructed to impart all due drama, vigor, and emotion. More than that, along with the characterizations and sequencing, in any given scene our sympathies may be slanted one way or another - a great credit to screenwriter John F. Goodrich, that he so masterfully illustrates how complicated people can be.
Above all, the narrative as a whole is absolutely fantastic, potent and absorbing. Early scenes don't feel especially remarkable, yet before half the runtime has passed our attention is held fast. The story is compelling, and bears significant core thematic content. I'm not sure that I'm entirely on board with the developments between the protagonist and the chief supporting character - the embellishment feels too much like a contrivance of Hollywood storytelling convention that says these figures must necessarily have a particular relationship to one another. Yet that bit of nitpicking is the only specific fault that comes to mind over the course of these 90 minutes - and as a counterpoint, it's refreshing that in a tale with subject matter dovetailing into real life (and what was then very recent history), the feature doesn't try to plant a flag. There are no heroes or villains here, just people swept up one way or another in the tidal wave of revolution. Not least of all, it must be said - I was not prepared for just how impactful the ending would be. 'The last command' had already well impressed before the finale, but I think the conclusion elevates the feature to a whole new level.
With that said, one can hardly discuss the picture without lavishing praise upon its stars. Emil Jannings famously won the first Oscar awarded for "Best Actor" in 1929, and I couldn't argue with that accolade if I wanted to. The Grand Duke Sergius Alexander is a man of contradictions, yet unswerving in his devotion to Russia, and his experiences throughout the film form a wellspring of varied emotions. Jannings deftly captures them all with superb range, poise, nuanced expression, and even calculated physicality, bringing the general to life with an astounding vitality that's a joy to behold as a viewer. (To learn that within a few years after this film the actor would go on to have an association with the worst people in the world... well, that rather puts a damper on things.) Other players are less prominent, but no one appearing before the camera is any less than capable. However, Evelyn Brent is also noteworthy in the supporting role of Natacha Dabrova, standing tall next to Jannings in his skill set while also carrying an inescapable allure about her.
I began watching with no foreknowledge, and I have been confounded in the best of ways. I'm well accustomed to watching silent films that have stood the test of time, but of any I've seen to date, few or none have been so thoroughly entrancing and exceedingly well made as this. The writing is nigh impeccable, with performances to match, and the direction ably keeps up to tie the production together. Even audiences who tend to have difficulty engaging with silent features should give this one an earnest try: 'The last command' is a phenomenal cinema classic that even nearly 100 years later deserves utmost recognition and wide viewership.