Two blockbusters on a scale that influenced the next century of film right up to the mighty world
of extended universes and modern franchises most specifically in the impact the
former had on a certain Walter Disney but also in the incredible scale of the
latter. Surely impressive appearances in both would help establish Anna May
Wong as a rising star in Hollywood but in spite of her extraordinary ability to
shine through and energise even the most confined role, it was not to be
although she worked as hard as anyone could to maintain her own momentum and if
it wasn’t going to be at home it would have to be away or even, far, far away. Still,
she was noticed in Europe, especially in Britain and Germany, second star on
the right, straight on till morning…
In the USA both films were amongst the most successful in
1924 with Thief bringing in $1.5million in 4th place and the
Christmas released Pan, eventually getting more than $600k. They were
two of the six films Anna made in 1924 and the following year she made just two
with four in 1926 and then a mixed bag of eight in 1927. Her last Hollywood
film of 1928 was the Joan Crawford vehicle, Across to Singapore and she
was uncredited but, for her first Anglo-German film she got star billing for Song
(1928) and of course Piccadilly and Pavement Butterfly in
1929.
But these two films were spectacular and high impact proving her abilities in top-level company especially the phenomenon Fairbanks – so kinetic he makes Tom Cruise look like late period Ralph Richardson – and the mighty Betty Bronson who if ever there was a female equivalent to Doug, demonstrates it in Neverland. This was an afternoon of the highest quality with two major silent works that I had been saving up for the big screen with splendid accompaniment and a passionate informed audience. One of those special BFI days.
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| Mary Brian sews on Betty Bronson's shadow: this may hurt! |
Peter Pan (1924,) with Costas Fotopoulos
Betty Bronson was a pocket rocket and was selected by JM
Barrie over 100 others tested for the role1 and we can absolutely
see why. She made quite the impression on Fairbanks’ son Doug Jnr as he had later
admitted she was his first crush on watching her in Peter Pan; she was
17 when she made the film and he was 15 when it was released and they were friends
afterwards, the actor recalling in his autobiography that It was not fully
requited. She only flirted with me…. No worries champ, you’ll be married to
Joan Crawford within five years!
Betty is certainly full of Fairbanks’ zip in every single
scene of this film, radiating health and laddish enthusiasm as the boy who
never grows up. JM Barrie’s seminal Edwardian fantasy began as a play in 1904 before
being novelised as Peter and Wendy in 1911. The first performance was at the Duke
of York's Theatre in London on 27 December 1904 with Nina Boucicault in the
title role and so Peter was always played by a woman on stage which is
noteworthy in itself in terms of the British drag tradition and the “trouser
role”.
Anna May Wong brings the noise
The story and the film despite their fantastical nature are
about parenthood and also loss with Peter possibly being inspired by the death
of David the 14-year-old son of Barrie’s friend Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, a “Lost
boy” who would never grow old and yet was happy to stay in Never Never Land. The
character first appeared in the 1902 novel The Little White Bird,
written for adults. The author ended up adopting Sylvia’s children after she and
her husband died and this too is reflected in the story with Mrs Darling taking
in the Lost Boys.
The film is a pure delight and a celebration of childhood
with opening title cards explaining that viewers need to connect with their
childish selves – no problem personally – in order to understand the photo play.
It was lovely to see a number of children in the audience too, some very
responsible parenting in evidence! The film has more of the intentions of the
play along with a portion of the dialogue and is quite different to Disney’s
1953 cartoon which smooths out the sense of loss and the overt celebration of
motherhood as well as the romantic frisson between Wendy and Peter. Disney, as
ever, uncomfortable with reality.
Esther Ralston is key to setting the tone as Mrs. Darling,
a woman of compassion and unconditional nurturing love. It is she who first
encounters Peter in the children’s nursery and accidentally cuts off his shadow
closing the window on him. She puts it in a draw and sees Peter again as he tries
to retrieve what is perhaps a metaphor for his memory, soul and/or his loving
existence on Earth… he recognises her but he can’t remember why, an extension
of the same amnesia the younger Darlings experience after time in Never Land. Philippe
De Lacy is boorish Dad Michael Darling who pranks his children and won’t keep
his end of the bargain in taking his medicine instead feeding it to Nana the
Dog, an extraordinary creation played by George Ali a puppeteer and animal impersonator
who was incredibly flexible for a 58-year-old. He also plays lion and a
crocodile… animal magic!
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| Mother Esther Ralston |
Nana may only be a dog but is the children’s nursemaid
making sure they get to bed on time and take their bath. Grumpy Dad chains her
to the garden kennel meaning she is not on hand to protect the children when
Peter and Tinkerbell arrive and, after Wendy (Mary Brian) sews Pan’s shadow
back onto his feet, whisk them into the air and off to the island of Never Never
Land. Wendy’s brothers John are played by Jack Murphy and Michael by Philippe
De Lacy who went onto play the young prince in Lubitsch's The Student Prince
in Old Heidelberg, before becoming a producer and director once he grew up!
They land in the Forest of Make-Believe and the fun
really begins with mermaids, pirates and native Americans – not for nothing did
this film come with a warning about the screening containing “racist attitudes,
language and images, including red face”, it’s a document of its time. Here we
find Anna May Wong as Tiger Lily, one of a group of “red Indians” who inhabit
the forest, she’s not in many scenes but obviously brings the required pep to everyone
although her band are unable to defeat the evil pirates led by the infamous
Captain Hook! Ernest Torrence leaves no parts of the scenery unchewed and is
spectacularly nasty as the pirate with the heart of lead… he’s the archetypical
villain from Lex Luthor to Dr Doom up against a boy that can fly and knows no
fear.
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| Peter and the Pirates... Ernest Torrence is terrfic. |
We watched a 35mm copy from George Eastman House which
ran at just over two hours with Costas Fotopoulos, seeing the film for the
first time as well, filling his accompaniment with playful inventions suitable
for an audience Barrie implored to go back to the nursery and once more believe
in fairies as the play moved on.
Today was the 55th anniversary of NFT2 and
what better celebration than an audience clapping along as Betty Bronson urged
us to signal out belief in magic and save poor Tinkerbell. Wonderful!
Doug on a magic carpet over a cast of thousands, still not sure how this was done?
The Thief of Bagdad (1924), with Neil Brand
Follow that and the BFI did with the shock and awe of Douglas
Fairbank’s and Raoul Walsh’s epic adaptation of One Thousand and One Nights
which was based on a story written by the actor under the pseudonym of Elton
Thomas according to Kevin Brownlow and David Gill whose Photoplay restoration
we watched. It is perhaps the ultimate Doug surpassing even Robin Hood
(1922) and we had fabulous accompaniment from Neil Brand whose orchestral score
for the former film demonstrated such an uncanny connection with the star and
screen. Here, Neil was The Orchestra and for 164 minutes, albeit with a very
short intermission, bringing his singular style and understanding of motion
picture composition to the fore as the picture and the action towered over the
rapt audience sat in NFT1.
The film’s sets were bigger than Hood’s and even Intolerance
and were the work of William Cameron Menzies and they were so spectacular that
Fairbanks fitted the action around them: there’s no elaborate staircase Doug
can’t ascend with bounding flamboyance, no wall he can’t climb or descend or window
he can’t slide down. He is his own special effect and, with his 21st
Century physique on topless display he is the epitome of health and efficiency –
no chocolate on top of his cappuccino or cheeky pastry before the screening in the
RFH for him… he reminds me of the moving statue in My Grandmother
(1929).
Doug plays Ahmed, the Thief of Bagdad who starts the film
off as self-interested and faithless taking whatever he wants whenever he wants
to and laughing in the faith of authority of any kind. All of this changes when
he chances to see and fall in love with The Princess of Bagdad (Julanne
Johnston) and, after his cheeky ways lead him into more trouble than he can
bear, he resolves to win her heart through honest endeavour. It’s interesting
to see quotes in the intertitles from the Quran and to see Ahmed making peace
with the Imam (Charles Belcher) who tells him, naturally, to follow his heart…
try making this film these days and screening it in our flag-infested high
streets?
Julanne Johnston and Fairbanks Snr
Against this regal and religious Bagdad stands Cham
Shang, Prince of the Mongols (Japanese actor Sōjin Kamiyama) who wants to
invade and enslave the kingdom and to have the Princess for his own. He has a
spy in her handmaidens in the form of Anna May Wong who as you’d expect makes
the most of her role especially in the scene in which Ahmed first breaks into
the royal quarters and pushes a very phallic knife against her back, at least
in the interpretation of filmmaker Michelle Williams Gamaker in her
introduction.2
Ahmed must compete with the Mongols and also the princes
of the Indies and Persia to bring home the greatest wonders from the furthest
reaches of the world a grand quest involving flying carpets, flying horses, crystal
balls and a box of delights. It is perhaps the most spectacular silent film
ever made and certainly one of the most thoroughly enjoyable especially with Mr
Brand’s flying accompaniment.
Both films are glorious and I am glad I waited to see
them first on the big screen in a live setting. Now I can’t wait to watch my
Blu-rays and work out exactly how the magic is wrought.
Meanwhile, plenty more Anna May Wong to come over the next three weeks... details on the BFI site.
Anna May Wong a spy in the house of love?
1. According
to The New York Times, 16th August 1924 who reported that Bronson
had sent a thank you telegram to the author: "I feel like a new
Cinderella, thanks to you. I realize the importance of your trust in me and my
tremendous responsibility. I am the luckiest girl in the world. Betty
Bronson."
2. Michelle
Williams Gamaker featured a clip from her film Thieves (2023) part of
her Fictional Activism initiative which is concerned with “… the restoration of
marginalised film stars of colour as central figures, who return in her works
as brown protagonists to challenge the fictional injustices to which they have
been historically consigned.” Details on her website here.
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