The MoFo Top 50 Pre-1930 Countdown: The List

Amazing how they managed to film IT decades before Stephen King wrote his book

The Unknown

Although it has an interesting plot, The Unknown failed to grab me. I didn't really like any of the characters, and the plot is already fading on me even though I watched it only a day or two ago. What I recall was that there was a very touchy man who would constantly make the woman nervous, and she goes to an armless man (who's not really armless) for protection... but the really sexually aggressive man gets the girl in the end and the man who has his arms cut off to marry her ends up trampled by a horse... both were kind of jerks. The theme/moral really stumped me, I guess it's..."Be really touchy with women and they'll eventually succumb and fall in love with you"...? So, kind of confusing but not actually that bad technically wise.

It

Clara Bow really is one of the greatest silent actresses in my opinion. In "It" she is literally glowing in her star role. It's just like Louise Brooks, she is a strikingly modern and amazing woman in a dated world... and that totally made the movie. I loved it! It was probably because of Clara Bow, but every minute of it was entertaining. The characters were fun, the story line engaging, and everything just had a snappy, quirky, lighthearted, humor. This is no epic masterpiece, like Battleship Potemkin, but it doesn't need to be. It doesn't take itself so seriously, and that's a good thing.

I'm also happy to say it's much better than the 2017 clown horror flick...

It

Adela Van Norman: Miss Van Cortland seems to be rather lacking in reserve, doesn't she?
Cyrus Waltham Jr.: Personally, I think she has plenty - in reserve!

I will definitely agree with past reviews regarding Clara Bow in this romantic comedy. One that could have been enjoyable, but nothing special, rises above it with her presence and portrayal of a strong-willed, confident woman that doesn't take any guff while playfully pursuing what she's after. The President of the monstrous department store she works at.

It is a credit to Bow who, no matter the devious nature of her pursuit, we are completely on board with her. Cheering her on to success.
I think the only moment I was hesitant was on the yacht has she played with Cyrus as he proposed. Then we see her weeping at her actions and she is instantly forgiven. Adding her rescue of Miss Van Norman when they are knocked off the ship, cements that forgiveness.
And I gotta say, I laughed when she belted her to keep her from drowning them both in her panic.
She is equally kittenish and tigeress and the nobility and inner strength shine through. An impressive feat.

Also, while her love interest is of an average sort, her foil and stepping stone, Monty, was a fun sight to watch squirm about. Who, in the end, also held a bit of a nobler side, which was nice to see.

Again, an average, enjoyable romantic comedy made special by Clara Bow.

The Unknown

Alonzo the Armless: No one will get her... no one but me!

While Freaks is Browning's masterpiece, (for many of us) The Unknown is very much a preliminary sketch work with a similar setting and story points regarding a love triangle.
I was hooked from the get-go til the very end.

Unlike other silents so far, the soundtrack to this was perfect and needed no substitution and added just the right mood and intensity to what occurs on film.

With other films, under heavy makeup, from The Phantom of the Opera to The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this very well may be the first time I've seen Lon Chaney's face in a film and all of those sublime emotions in other films, are stark and bold, here. Pretty amazing stuff.

Also, there was one scene with Joan Crawford, with her head slightly back and her eyes wide, did I actually recognize her. Otherwise, if I didn't see her name in the opening, there was no way I would have known.

Surprisingly, I don't have much to say, but, believe me, I fully enjoyed this film.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Pre-30s movies aren't always the most accessible, they're not always the most relatable or entertaining. But they can tell us so much about the times then that I think these movies, especially The Adventures of Prince Achmed, are practically textbooks on both filma nd history. The Adventures of Prince Achmed is animated in a unique and brilliant way that I have not really seen since then. It is highly influential, one of the earliest great films from a female director, and is important in the film canon. That said, I'm not sure how much I really enjoyed this film. If it was made today... well, it couldn't be. I recently saw Toy Story 4 in theaters and right before came a bunch of absolute junk trailers for animated kids movies. Angry Birds 2, Trolls 2, Some Fox Movie. Certainly The Adventures of Prince Achmed is more enjoyable even than those movies, without needing to see them. So it somewhat disappointing to see animation turning from an obviously noble art that it once was in the 1920s and 30s to kids money-making machines. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of amazing animated movies today, but most of them completely miss the mark of high quality. The Adventures of Prince Achmed brought me back to a refreshing time when animation was just getting started and was a medium treated with utmost passion and love by its creators.

Enjoyablity factor... well, that's what my rating is for. For 1926, not bad at all.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Prince Achmed: Take me to Wak-Wak!

Well, that was pretty g0dd@mn impressive!!
I just finished watching this and I am RIGHT ON the deadline for watching a film to be added to a Pre-30s Countdown List. Which I PMd yesterday. And let me tell ya, if I was able to see this BEFORE compiling/ PMing said list; this Arabian Knights, visual delight would have shot up around ten positions from the "safe" position I placed it at.
I was originally expecting to see an important technical achievement and, therefore, for me, a lot of times, "important technical achievements" are just that and not necessarily entertaining. So, I presumed would entail so-so storytelling.

I WAS F@CKIN WRONG


Since already mentioned, let's delve a bit into the technical aspects. Using two well-stated snippets from IMDB.
The first, a quote from the primary review. The second, from "Trivia":

And, now, my blathering;

While I was expecting some detailed cutouts done in some clever way with a simplistic background, I found myself more and more amazed at just how much of an utter f@ckin understatement that was!
The ingenuity was astounding. Every continuing scene held it's own extraordinary imagery.


I was mesmerized and entranced as the story played out.

And what a delightful and engaging fantasy storytelling it was.
From early on, when the Caliph demanded of the African Magician of how to get the flying horse that continued to fly higher and higher and farther away, to come back down, and if the Prince, who was riding it, was aware of it, only to have the Magician shrug offhandedly; (which made me grin and chuckle by the "performance") I was caught up in the telling of this visually impressive adventure.
.
We are given an action drenched Arabian Nights saga involving the devious endeavors of a dark Magician; such as nefarious intent for the Caliph's daughter, a funny fight of four seductresses over the Prince's attention, a kidnapped Demon Princess by the Prince and their romantic tale along with the demons that pursue, Along with a short narrative of Aladdin as he joins in for the great, final battle of this entertaining epic.

This is THE Dark Horse, for me, of this HoF.
@ahwell, you have brought some wonderful nominations to these HoFs and this, to date, is very much an unexpected and a thoroughly enjoyable film. One I know for a fact I doubt I would have ever seen - if not for this site and my involvement in these HoFs and the various Countdowns, here.
F@ckin YAY