'The Deep Purple' is based on a stage play (about which, more in a moment). I was surprised to discover that William Cameron Menzies was this film's art director ... and disappointed, once I'd seen the results. Menzies was the greatest art director in the history of films, but his work here is a far cry from his brilliant achievements in 'Thief of Bagdad' and 'Things to Come'. In fairness to Menzies, it's obvious that this film was made on an extremely low budget, with actors who were obscure even in their own day. Raoul Walsh, the director, shows his usual excellent pacing but little of the slam-bang realism that would distinguish his later efforts at Warner Brothers. Walsh served as his own producer here, which may explain the pinchpenny production values.
William Lake (Stuart Sage) is a mining engineer who went out west with some mining equipment he invented, and promptly made a fortune: now he and his millions are back east and in search of a wife. For some reason, this extremely wealthy man is staying in the seedy boarding-house run by landlady Kate Fallon (Helen Ware). In the dialogue titles, several people identify her as 'Fresno Kate', which ought to be a tip-off that she can't be trusted. Ought to be, but isn't.
There's a burgeoning romance between Lake and virginal Doris Moore (played by the dull Miriam Cooper). Unfortunately, along comes suave villain Harry Leland (Vincent Serrano), who looks and acts like Snidely Whiplash on Thorazine. Leland is accompanied by several henchmen and henchwomen, the most interesting of whom is "Pop" Clark ... whose nickname is due to the fact that he looks and behaves like a saintly father figure.
Leland contrives to set up Lake for the old badger game, using Fresno Kate as bait. Naturally, this queers the romance between Lake and Doris. Soap-opera complications ensue.
I was very intrigued to see Wilson Mizner's name in the credits of this film. Although Mizner briefly worked as a screenwriter, he apparently had no direct input into this movie: Mizner was co-author of the stage play 'The Deep Purple' on which this film is based. Mizner was one of those larger-than-life characters whom no author of fiction would dare to invent. In a career course similar to that of this movie's fictional hero, Mizner went west to make his fortune ... in Mizner's case, in the Klondike gold rush. But, from all accounts (including his own boasts), Mizner made his Klondike wealth as a pimp, as a blackmailer and from various other illegal lurks. The character in this movie who most nearly resembles the real Mizner would be villain Leland. A few years ago (as I write this), Stephen Sondheim tried to write a musical about Wilson Mizner and his brother Addison, who was only slightly less colourful. I was disappointed that Sondheim's project never gelled ... possibly because the careers of the Mizner brothers are only barely believable.
And this movie, too, is less plausible than it might be. British actress Louise Mackintosh gives an impressively understated performance as the hero's widowed mother, but most of the other cast members overact. I'll rate 'The Deep Purple' only 5 out of 10.
William Lake (Stuart Sage) is a mining engineer who went out west with some mining equipment he invented, and promptly made a fortune: now he and his millions are back east and in search of a wife. For some reason, this extremely wealthy man is staying in the seedy boarding-house run by landlady Kate Fallon (Helen Ware). In the dialogue titles, several people identify her as 'Fresno Kate', which ought to be a tip-off that she can't be trusted. Ought to be, but isn't.
There's a burgeoning romance between Lake and virginal Doris Moore (played by the dull Miriam Cooper). Unfortunately, along comes suave villain Harry Leland (Vincent Serrano), who looks and acts like Snidely Whiplash on Thorazine. Leland is accompanied by several henchmen and henchwomen, the most interesting of whom is "Pop" Clark ... whose nickname is due to the fact that he looks and behaves like a saintly father figure.
Leland contrives to set up Lake for the old badger game, using Fresno Kate as bait. Naturally, this queers the romance between Lake and Doris. Soap-opera complications ensue.
I was very intrigued to see Wilson Mizner's name in the credits of this film. Although Mizner briefly worked as a screenwriter, he apparently had no direct input into this movie: Mizner was co-author of the stage play 'The Deep Purple' on which this film is based. Mizner was one of those larger-than-life characters whom no author of fiction would dare to invent. In a career course similar to that of this movie's fictional hero, Mizner went west to make his fortune ... in Mizner's case, in the Klondike gold rush. But, from all accounts (including his own boasts), Mizner made his Klondike wealth as a pimp, as a blackmailer and from various other illegal lurks. The character in this movie who most nearly resembles the real Mizner would be villain Leland. A few years ago (as I write this), Stephen Sondheim tried to write a musical about Wilson Mizner and his brother Addison, who was only slightly less colourful. I was disappointed that Sondheim's project never gelled ... possibly because the careers of the Mizner brothers are only barely believable.
And this movie, too, is less plausible than it might be. British actress Louise Mackintosh gives an impressively understated performance as the hero's widowed mother, but most of the other cast members overact. I'll rate 'The Deep Purple' only 5 out of 10.
