I understand this was an early effort from the freshly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer. The combined resources were put to good use when they hired Ramon Navarro, Wallace Beery and Enid Bennett to star, with Fred Niblo directing.
The plot is a quality melodrama about two young lovers who get separated in the big city. The action sequences are above average. The performances are top notch. The photography, the use of sets and lights, and the tinted stock all help create a first-rate look.
I bet no expense was spared.
And in this century it got an excellent soundtrack.
My favorite scene is when Navarro looks up too see Bennett's face. Camera cuts to her closeup. Very high wear & tear. I actually gasped. Back to closeup of Navarro for his reaction shot. Hearbreaking.
My not-so-minor beef is that for much of the third act after this, Navarro acts like a violent, moody ingrate. The writers should have tried harder because once the viewer loses sympathy our emotional investment is seriously side-tracked. Thus the ending does not satisfy in the way that it should.
The plot is a quality melodrama about two young lovers who get separated in the big city. The action sequences are above average. The performances are top notch. The photography, the use of sets and lights, and the tinted stock all help create a first-rate look.
I bet no expense was spared.
And in this century it got an excellent soundtrack.
My favorite scene is when Navarro looks up too see Bennett's face. Camera cuts to her closeup. Very high wear & tear. I actually gasped. Back to closeup of Navarro for his reaction shot. Hearbreaking.
My not-so-minor beef is that for much of the third act after this, Navarro acts like a violent, moody ingrate. The writers should have tried harder because once the viewer loses sympathy our emotional investment is seriously side-tracked. Thus the ending does not satisfy in the way that it should.