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Movies Forum Index » Silent Movies Forum » Ealry Herr MauriceTourneur Silent Films...
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| Ferdinand Von Galitzien... |
 Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 7:42 am |
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Guest
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Due to chaotic but Germanic condition in the Schloss silent archives
within that gloomy cellar, when the servants cleaned up and put it in
order that place, some silent treasures appeared. From such a
sinister and humid source recently comes two early silent films
directed by the French (but great) director Herr Maurice Tourneur:
“La Bergère d’Ivry” (1913) and especially “Figures De Cire” (1914) a
film that it was considered lost until Herr Graf’s servants did their
duties.
“La Bergère d’Ivry” was a silent work for “Éclair” films produced in
1913 and an excellent early oeuvre ( it is considered the earliest
film that has survived of Tourneur career ).
The film tells the story of Dame Aimée ( Dame Renée Sylvaire ), a
young shepherdess who is taken under the of Dame Hortense ( Dame
Paulette Noizeux ), the wife of a village postmaster who accepts the
love propositions of the Comte de Granval ( Henry Roussel). This is a
very complicated subject because Aimée knows very well that Dame
Hortense’s husband is a very jealous man. If he finds out he will not
like such flirting, so in order to prevent a catastrophe, Dame Aimée
will try to avoid such situation.
This short film is an early example of Herr Tourneur’s carefully
artistic expertness and merits. The film has an excellent set design
with bucolic and realistic outdoor sceneries in what it might be
considered a mixture of film d’Art and naturalism film with the right
doses of drama.
The film narrative of “La Bergère d’Ivry” is concise but direct and in
spite of that the film is basically filmed with a static camera. Herr
Tourneur knows very well how to profit from such a limited technical
aspect ( on the other hand, a common practice in such early silent
film productions ). This happens with a decisive shot in where the
love misunderstandings and a threatening drama are solved by the
gathering of the main characters in the same scene and a slightly
enlarged shot to develop the crucial situations of the different
characters as performed those by restrained actors (while showing
emotions in a very conceivable way).
“Figures De Cire” (1914) was another work for “Éclair” films. If this
German count remembers well it was Herr Tourneur second collaboration
with Herr André de Lorde. Herr de Lorde was the master of the “Grand
Guignol” genre, those theatrical works full of terrifying realistic
elements such as murders, mutilations and other bloodcurdling
situations that the Parisians liked so much at the beginning of the
last century.
Due to those artistic references, not to mention that “Figures De
Cire” was considered lost until 2007, the film is very estimable.
This short film ( 11 minutes ) summarizes its theatrical references
with the virtues of the “Grand Guignol” genre but transferred to the
silent screen. Herr Touneur was more interested in the psychological
aspect of the story than to show effective special effects. For that
reason, it is especially remarkable because of its ill, decadent and
threatening atmosphere.
It is obvious that “Figures De Cire” was an illustrious reference for
Herr Gance’s “Au Secours” (1924) ( Herr Gance made a comedy with
basically the same plot that has “Figures De Cire”. That is to say, a
man must spend a night in a sinister place in order to gain an
important sum of money… by the way, in those silent times, bourgeois
men were very stylish and spent those dreadful nights with top hat and
tuxedos… ). More doubtful for this German count are some comments
that said that Herr Tourneur film influenced Herr Wiene’s notorious
“Das Wachsfigurenkabinett” (1924) because, although many elements
coincide in both films, the development of the story and the artistic
intentions are completely different.
And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because
this German Count must find some more lost films in the Schloss
cellar.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien
http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/ |
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