The Eagle (1925)

Charming and brutal

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Copyright 16 November 1925 by John W. Considine Jr. An Art Finance Corporation production, released through United Artists. New York opening at the Mark Strand (in the presence of Mr Valentino himself): 8 November 1925. U.S. release: 8 November 1925. 7 reels. 6,755 feet. 75 minutes. Shooting title (and indeed release title in some countries): The BLACK EAGLE. NOTES: Although it failed to reach the top of the popularity poll in the U.S./Canada (it still took excellent money), The Eagle was a sensational success in Europe and Australia. COMMENT: Great fun. Aside from the artistic opulence of its sets and costumes, the flair of the players, the invigorating suspense of the script and the stylish elegance of direction and photography, what we all like about The Eagle is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Valentino plays with just the right touches of agility, gallantry and self-deprecation. His light, graceful manner contrasts well with the more emphatic jollity of James Marcus' heavy, the self-preening immovability of Louise Dresser's implacable czarina, the suave servility of Albert Conti's captain, and above all the confident yet vulnerable innocence of Vilma Banky's heroine. The basic story is the old Hollywood ploy of a what-she-didn't-know-was, but it's given a number of clever twists here by the screenwriter Hans Kraly (borrowed from Ernst Lubitsch); and these captivating turns, as stated above, are interpreted with deliciously subtle performances by Valentino and more especially, Miss Vilma Banky (borrowed from Sam Goldwyn). All in all, with its assured mixture of suspenseful action and light humor, involving drama and sensitive, storybook romance, - plus picturesquely creative sets by Cameron Menzies and period finery by Adrian, - The Eagle is an absolute joy. AVAILABLE on DVD through Image. Quality rating: ten out of ten.

A wanted Russian lieutenant becomes a masked vigilante seeking vengeance upon the man who stole his family's land, only to fall for his charming daughter.The character of Black Eagle, interestingly enough, does not exist in the original Pushkin novel and was inspired by the performance of Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro in "The Mark of Zorro". ("The Eagle" is also notable in cinematic history for its famous extended tracking shot of the food-laden table in the banquet scene.) This is the sort of film that made Valentino famous, because who doesn't want to see him as a sort of swash-buckling hero? Heck, he buckles the swash with the best of them.

Along with greats like Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino was one of the greatest and most famous actors of the silent era. Starring in silent classics like "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" and "The Sheik", Valentino was an absolute star in his day. Sadly, he died at the young age of 31, just one year after the release of this masterpiece.Mixing elements of comedy, drama, action, romance, and even thriller, "The Eagle" is an astonishingly entertaining work that can please almost any film fan, whether they're an obsessed movie buff or an average movie goer. Don't avoid it because it's a silent film and you're afraid of reading, because if you do avoid it you'd have missed out on something truly spectacular and one of my new all time favorites.

I, like many on my side of the big pond, have a cheap, shoddy and very poor DVD transfer copy of The Eagle from InstantVision LTD (IVL). The music is rubbish, inappropriate and repetitive with no thought, (or care for that matter), given to the importance of music accompanying a silent film. Music can, when used effectively, accentuate certain parts of a silent movie such as having soft music for romantic/sad moments in the plot and lively music for party/action scenes. Sadly the IVL release has three random pieces of music on a loop, which sadly near ruined the movie for me and made it difficult to sit through and it was nothing more than a lottery of getting the right music at the right time. So IVL, in my opinion, have committed what can only be tantamount to movie manslaughter. I'll stop short of movie murder as I'm sure the intention was there to put out a good product and anyone who releases silent movies these days will usually get a big thumbs up from me anyway.Gripe aside, I'll proceed with the movie itself. The Eagle is basically the Zorro legend transported from Spanish owned Los Angeles, to Imperial Russia, which is a bit of a white lie really, as Alexander Pushkin's story 'Dubrovsky' was originally written in 1832 but first published posthumously in 1841, pre-dating Johnston McCulley's Zorro creation by over 80 years. (It's amazing what information you can get from Wikipedia).Rudolph Valentino plays Vladimir Dubrovsky and Officer of the Imperial guard of Czarina Catherine II, played by a strangely attractive Louise Dresser. Just before what is to be a regal inspection of her troops, Dubrovsky, borrows the Czarina's horse to rescue two ladies in a runaway carriage.One of the lady's is Mascha Troekouroff, played by the very beautiful and not at all strangely attractive Vilma Banky. Dubrovsky is smitten with her at first sight and his feelings are not exactly unreturned.After the rescue, they part company, but the Czarina has witnessed his act of derring do and she too takes a shine to him and orders him to report to her chambers that evening.He's goes thinking that she may want to give him some award, She's asked him there in the hopes he will give her one. However, Dubrovsky refuses the advances of the sex-mad Czarina and deserts his post and becomes a wanted man. His timing couldn't have been worse as he soon gets word that his families house, land and estates have been forcibly taken over by the evil Kyrilla Troekouroff, (James Marcus).Having alienated the Czarina who's very command would have corrected the problem, he heads for home seeking revenge. his task is not made any easier by the revelation that the damsel in distress he rescued is actually Kyrilla's daughter.In order to protect his identity he assumes the masked alter ego 'The Eagle' and undertakes a kind of Robin Hood/Zorro role, and with his band of followers sets out to deprive Kyrilla of his ill gotten gains and restore then to the rightful owners. He also assumes yet another alias in order to do infiltrate Kyrilla's inner sanctum, (and possibly get off with his daughter as well), that of Marcel Le Blanc, French Tutor hired by Kyrilla for his daughter's education. Dubrovsky is now in the perfect place for his planned revenge.The Eagle is arguably Valentino's best film. I've seen the Sheik and Blood & Sand, and were not particularly enamoured by either, in fact the whole 'Valentinomania' is sort of lost on me as I don't think he was a brilliant actor and am certain that had he lived, he would not have made the transition to sound. So I was left with a 'what was all the fuss about' feeling.I did, However, think that Vilma Banky was superb as was Louise Dresser, but the highest accolade I reserve for director Clarence Brown. His direction is flawless and it's no wonder that Louis B Mayer would soon have him at MGM to direct Greta Garbo & John Gilbert in many of their 'period' movies such as 1927's Flesh & The Devil.I enjoyed The Eagle, but thanks to the IVL DVD issue, I enjoyed it more with the sound off. I suggest you do the same. However, I'd rather watch Tyrone Power in the Mark of Zorro instead it's virtually the same story but a much better film.Enjoy!