tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post2388906793257938785..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Sadie ThompsonSJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-34242434352918717352016-01-16T20:07:04.593-06:002016-01-16T20:07:04.593-06:00I've seen a couple of Valentino films. I agree...I've seen a couple of Valentino films. I agree his appeal hasn't translated well, but viewed through an old lens, I can see why he was such a huge star. <i>The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse</i> is one I've stumped for to be on the 1001 Movies list, and it would have been a better choice to represent Valentino than the rather stiff and ludicrous <i>The Eagle</i>. <br /><br />Swanson was absolutely deserving of her star status. I can't imagine I'd want to watch <i>Sadie Thompson</i> again any time soon, but she'd be the reason to see it again. If only silent dramas weren't so consistently <i>goofy</i> I'd be more likely to spend more time with them. Comedies and horror tend to be the silents that translate to the modern day the best, at least for me.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-44701530219591706172016-01-16T08:46:16.105-06:002016-01-16T08:46:16.105-06:00I just caught up with this thanks to TCM and I agr...I just caught up with this thanks to TCM and I agree it's all you say. Of course without the over earnest preaching there wouldn't be much of a film and the Joan Crawford remake "Rain" followed this pretty closely. <br /><br />Not long after sound came in Lionel Barrymore's health declined sharply so he always seemed rather decrepit, it was interesting to see him as a younger vibrant handsome man even it he was a bit overemphatic. But the main inducement for me was seeing Swanson in her first nominated performance. I've seen a few of her other silents, and her first talkie The Trespasser, and she's almost always without reservation the best thing in them. It's easy to see why she did well in silents, her eyes are huge and very expressive and for a small woman she owns her space-her force of personality is strong. So she enlivens this film and it was also was cool to see Raoul Walsh in a different capacity than directing but I can't imagine watching again. The loss of that final reel is also a letdown.<br /><br />In regards to those other silents of hers there probably aren't any that you'd enjoy since her main venue was drama in what at the time were fancy clothes and now look like drapes. Avoid Beyond the Rocks at all costs!!-I watched it because it had been lost for decades then a print was discovered in Sweden and it was a costarring vehicle for Swanson and Rudolph Valentino (a star whose appeal has not translated across time) but it was dull and static.<br />joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-70217380742141063832014-04-29T11:56:41.866-05:002014-04-29T11:56:41.866-05:00A film like this one puts perspective on Swanson&#...A film like this one puts perspective on Swanson's performance in <i>Sunset Boulevard</i>. When you realize that in a lot of ways she <i>was</i> Norma Desmond, that film becomes even greater.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-17513760057446845172014-04-29T10:12:47.313-05:002014-04-29T10:12:47.313-05:00Interesting post! Besides Sunset Blvd. and Airport...Interesting post! Besides Sunset Blvd. and Airport 1975, shockingly, I haven't seen any other Gloria Swanson performances. Just looking over her filmography, apparently 15 of her 50 feature films are also considered lost. As you, i'm definitely interested (feel obligated) in taking a look at her silent film work. <br />Klaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05006608076041962884noreply@blogger.com