Like the typical movie-goer of a century ago, I'll see anything with Lon Chaney on the marquee.
I found this film to be on the spare side, not nearly as psychologically compelling as a Chaney vehicle like "Laugh, Clown, Laugh." But it offered enough to keep me watching till the end.
Chaney plays Sergei, a dim-witted peasant who rescues an aristocrat during the Russian Revolution. The grateful Countess Tatiana (Barbara Bedford) assures him that they'll always be friends.
However, an Iago-like gatekeeper at Tatiana's estate (Karoly Huszar) tries to stir resentment in Sergei, egging him on to the point of near-mayhem ("Idiot, am I? Well, idiots kill!").
The movie creates a sense of chaos and panic as the rich have their doors kicked in and must flee into the night. They're targets for extortion. (Anyone else hear echoes of 21st-century civil strife in a note from the hoi polloi? "Your riches were stolen from the people. Leave 5,000 rubles for us at the gate. If you don't, we will take everything.")
Like its protagonist, this movie ultimately seems a little simple-minded. Still, an hour with Chaney is never entirely wasted.
(You might want to see the Wikipedia bio of Ms. Bedford, who later left acting to embrace a surprising second career.)
I found this film to be on the spare side, not nearly as psychologically compelling as a Chaney vehicle like "Laugh, Clown, Laugh." But it offered enough to keep me watching till the end.
Chaney plays Sergei, a dim-witted peasant who rescues an aristocrat during the Russian Revolution. The grateful Countess Tatiana (Barbara Bedford) assures him that they'll always be friends.
However, an Iago-like gatekeeper at Tatiana's estate (Karoly Huszar) tries to stir resentment in Sergei, egging him on to the point of near-mayhem ("Idiot, am I? Well, idiots kill!").
The movie creates a sense of chaos and panic as the rich have their doors kicked in and must flee into the night. They're targets for extortion. (Anyone else hear echoes of 21st-century civil strife in a note from the hoi polloi? "Your riches were stolen from the people. Leave 5,000 rubles for us at the gate. If you don't, we will take everything.")
Like its protagonist, this movie ultimately seems a little simple-minded. Still, an hour with Chaney is never entirely wasted.
(You might want to see the Wikipedia bio of Ms. Bedford, who later left acting to embrace a surprising second career.)