The Divine Lady (Frank Lloyd, 1929) C-

A completely trite and ordinary silent romantic melodrama that probably wouldn't have been nominated for it's Academy Awards if it wasn't a glossy period piece that probably spared no expense. Disputed Best Actress nominee Corinne Griffith plays Emma, the cook's daughter who, through fate and a scheming nephew, manages to marry an older English ambassador in Italy during the French Revolution. She eventually meets, saves and falls in love with naval hero Horatio Nelson. Since they are both married, however, a scandal erupts and they must decide what to do about their relationship. Everything in The Divine Lady borrows from some earlier and greater silent films: the forbidden romance was handled much better in The Big Parade, the naval battle was a lot more spectacular in the 1925 Ben-Hur and the tragedy of the whole situation felt much more tragic in any Greta Garbo vehicle of the 20's. Corrine Griffith was quite good in the early scenes, especially when she freaked the fuck out and started going off on the neighbor lady, and I was disappointed when that same energy and spontaneity all but disappeared by the end of the film.

The Goddess (Yonggang Wu, 1934) B+

The Goddess is a well-controlled silent melodrama starring the Chinese Garbo, Ruan Ling-yu. The film could have easily been something as trashy as something like The Sin of Madelon Claudet, but the sentimentality is downplayed to perfection. The acting is some of the finest I've ever seen in a silent film from Ling-yu's heartbreaking mother, driven to selling her body to support her young son to Zhang Zhizhi, whom I wanted to punch in the face everytime he came on screen (which proves he was doing his job well).

The Toll of the Sea (Chester M. Franklin, 1922) C+

The Toll of the Sea was the first feature length film shot in Technicolor and, if nothing else, is worth a look for that. The process is a little primitive (only two colors- red and green- could be used in this early process) but it's almost looks realistic. The story is your average silent melodrama: a Chinese woman (Anna May Wong) is seduced, abandoned and knocked up by an American. Thankfully, director Chester M. Franklin doesn't overdo the dramatics and a lot of the film is actually somewhat touching (if somewhat overdone). Anna May Wong isn't great here, but she has the making of a genuinely great actress. If only Hollywood had let her do more challenging work and not stereotype her because of her Asian heritage- she might have been the next Shearer or Bow if she had been given more experience.

The Peach Girl (Wancang Bu, 1931) C-

A perfectly respectable movie, but it's really nothing more than a sub-par Greta Garbo tragedy. I know I shouldn't have been expecting some grand, sweeping epic that would have put 1930's China into perspective for some American 70 years later, but The Peach Girl is something I would expect from MGM, filmed on the back lot with white actors in "yellowface." Everything from the scene with the children slinging mud at each other (with some landing in the face of the rich landlord) to the fair scene to the dramatic deathbed finale. Actress Ruan Ling-yu was considered the Chinese Garbo before her tragic suicide in 1935 and you can see why she was so beloved in her time. She's not given much to do here, but when her beautiful face fills the frame in a close-up few silent actresses can compare.

The Dragon Painter (William Worthington, 1919) C-

A respectable, if not too interesting, silent film starring Japanese star Sessue Hayawaka. The premise is interesting- a talented painter who becomes awful after finding love- but the execution is deadly. Throughout the first half, title cards dominate the screen so much that I thought I was reading a novel instead of watching a movie. Director William Worthington forgets the first basic rule of filmmaking: you have to tell the story visually. There are less title cards in the second half, but were not exactly subjected to passionate filmmaking here (i.e. I was bored). Seeing this Asian perspective is something that we wouldn't have normally seen in 1919, but there could have been a more interesting way to adapt this Japanese style to Western storytelling.

The Cheat (Cecil B. DeMille, 1915) A (x2)

In 1915, D.W. Griffith released The Birth of a Nation, which is widely considered one of the most important films during the silent era (technique wise, anyways). I'd wager that Cecil B. DeMille's breakthrough, The Cheat, is probably just as important and a hell of a lot more fun. It's 60 minutes of pure adrenaline that doesn't waver throughout it's long runtime. The Cheat is about a spoiled woman (Fannie Ward) who steals money from a fundraiser to try to make money on an investment opportunity. When the investment tanks, she is forced to borrow money from her Burmese businessman friend (Sessue Hayakawa) who, in return for the loan, wants sex. She tries to pay him back when her husband's own investment comes in, but he doesn't want the money and literally brands her like a cattle when she refuses. The Cheat is a shocking movie, especially for 1915, and as technically superior as anything from the late silent era. The editing isn't as crisp or exciting as the endings to Griffith's Intolerance or Broken Blossoms, but it's an upgrade compared to a lot of other films of the teens. There are fewer long shots and long takes and more cut ins and close ups than I would have expected. Sessue Hayakawa gives such an incredible performance that I'm surprised he doesn't receive more praise for it. He's subtle in a way that many silent stars aren't, but he's not so subtle (like in Broken Blossoms) that you don't see anything happen. It's the type of performance you wish to see in every silent movie but rarely ever do. The first time I saw The Cheat I thought that Fannie Ward was super over the top and not an example of great acting. This time around I thought Fannie Ward was a hell of a lot more interesting. Sure, she's still way over the top, but from her first scene you understand exactly who she is. You can almost hear her voice when she's telling her husband that she needs a bunch of new dresses for the upcoming charity events. And that last scene in the courtroom- scandalous!