Director: MAURICE TOURNEUR. Screenplay: Charles Maigne. Based on the 1909 stage play by Maurice Maeterlinck. Film editor: Clarence Brown. Photography: John van den Broek. Sets and costumes designed by Ben Carré. Presented by Adolph Zukor.
Not copyright 1918 by Famous Players-Lasky. New York opening at the Rivoli: 31 March 1918. 81 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Two children set out to find the blue bird of happiness.
COMMENT: I much prefer the magnificent 1940 remake to this one. Admittedly, once the movie gets started (and its seems to take forever to get going), we are presented with some really magical sequences, despite Tourneur's disappointingly static direction. Only three times does he enliven proceedings by moving his camera. On all other occasions, it's up to the players and the lavish sets and special effects to stimulate the audience. Fortunately, the movie was obviously produced on an admirably large budget, and, by and large, the acting is most acceptable. In fact, the lead children are both charming and charismatic and it's amazing to learn that Robin Macdougall made no other films at all. The neighbor's sick daughter with the soulful eyes, Katherine Bianchi, also impresses.
AVAILABLE on DVD through Kino. Quality rating: 6 out of ten. Although presented in all the splendor of its original tints, the DVD has a surprisingly large number of important defects, including at least 20 minutes of worrying print deterioration, a missing scene of around 6 minutes in the middle of the film, and a concluding sequence that has almost totally dropped out except for three or four irritating freeze frames.
Not copyright 1918 by Famous Players-Lasky. New York opening at the Rivoli: 31 March 1918. 81 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Two children set out to find the blue bird of happiness.
COMMENT: I much prefer the magnificent 1940 remake to this one. Admittedly, once the movie gets started (and its seems to take forever to get going), we are presented with some really magical sequences, despite Tourneur's disappointingly static direction. Only three times does he enliven proceedings by moving his camera. On all other occasions, it's up to the players and the lavish sets and special effects to stimulate the audience. Fortunately, the movie was obviously produced on an admirably large budget, and, by and large, the acting is most acceptable. In fact, the lead children are both charming and charismatic and it's amazing to learn that Robin Macdougall made no other films at all. The neighbor's sick daughter with the soulful eyes, Katherine Bianchi, also impresses.
AVAILABLE on DVD through Kino. Quality rating: 6 out of ten. Although presented in all the splendor of its original tints, the DVD has a surprisingly large number of important defects, including at least 20 minutes of worrying print deterioration, a missing scene of around 6 minutes in the middle of the film, and a concluding sequence that has almost totally dropped out except for three or four irritating freeze frames.