BEST FILMS OF 1922
by Mike Lorefice

Haxan
Benjamin Christensen

***

Foolish Wives
Erich von Stroheim

Stroheim wrote, produced, directed, starred in, codesigned, and cocostumed, but unfortunately didn't have final cut. His original 6 1/2hr or so opus was, at various times, hacked down to a mere 73. Though Stroheim's films were dark, the butchery was probably more due to their uncommon sophistication. The film does for vanity what Greed did for greed, as Von Stroheim is a charming false aristocrat trying to con the fortunes of married American women who need (or at least think they do) something their American husbands can't give them. It's also a stunning look at decadent postwar Europe, which Stroheim spent loads reproducing. Supposedly it's the first million dollar movie, and though this amount threatened to bankrupt Universal in this case the overspending does add to the final product, which more than passes for Monte Carlo. Again it's hard to tell if it's a masterpiece or not given the amount that's survived, but the attention to detail, the maturity of the story (both in terms of intelligence and sexual depravity), and the effectiveness of closeups (granted he picked this up from Griffith), and the sequencing are generally years ahead of their time. In particular, the fire scene stands out for it's modernity, utilizing editing to show what's going on with the threat, the threatened, and the potential savior to create something as effective as anything in Eisenstein's cannon. [9/7/05] ***1/2

Grandma's Boy
Fred C. Newmeyer

Lloyd's second feature, all 49 minutes of it, is a relaxed modest comedy of situation that once again was a better developed short. It lacks the stunts and set pieces of Lloyd's more famous work, but is arguably better for not being in such a rush and certainly one of his most important for being the first feature length comedy that had a fully developed lead. Lloyd called it his favorite of his films, largely because of the emphasis on character. They actually went back and added more jokes after the test screening, but Lloyd fought to ensure Grandma's Boy remained closer to being a drama that elicits a lot of chuckles than an out and out comedy. It succeeds by allowing the comedy to come to it rather than what modern audiences have been taught a comedy is, basically something infantile that constantly forces gags which are usually at the expense of someone else. There are two stories threads that function on the same principle of Lloyd's cowardice. He must get over his inability to defend himself in order to win the love of his soon to be real life wife Mildred Davis from The Bully (Charles Stevenson) and to do this he must accept his duty and participate in the manhunt of the murderous Tramp (Dick Sutherland). The story revolves around the Grandmother's (Anna Townsend) deception, telling Lloyd a story of how his cowardly grandfather became courageous during the Civil War when he was given a powerful amulet that made him invincible. This flashback gave Lloyd a chance to play a dual role, donning period rims, and delivering some of the funniest bits in the film. Though Lloyd believes he's superman, the only thing that changes is his confidence level. He's still as bumbling as ever; it just doesn't make him run and hide anymore. Though the characters have generic names, they are very human and easy to relate to. It's a much more mature work than what Chaplin was doing at the time; he doesn't introduce characters just to chase and/or fight with him. Townsend tends to steal the show as the feisty, fiery, and clever Grandmother, sticking up for Lloyd when she needs to but knowing that won't solve the problem, she must devise a way for him to see that he is capable of sticking up for himself. The sight gags are top notch, but they get more aid from the story than usual because there's more than what's on the screen this second. For instance, the 1860's style suit Lloyd begrudgingly agrees to wear to impress his girlfriend's family because he has nothing else, a "one of a kind" that was his grandfather's, turns out to be the same one the girlfriend's black servant is wearing. You can call it quaint, old fashioned, whatever, but there's no denying the humanity shines through. [11/25/05] ***1/2

Nosferatu
F.W. Murnau

Early poetic horror is one of the true classics of expressionist style with expert camerawork, framing, and set design. The fact that it boasts the scariest screen villian of all-time doesn't hurt either. Ironically, Schreck actually means fear. ****

The Paleface
Buster Keaton & Eddie Cline

***

Phantom
F.W. Murnau

***