3 Silent Classics by Josef Von Sternberg

While silent cinema has its fans, many viewers probably respect more than enjoy the form, maybe assuming that these oldies are both creaky and corny. But the three beautiful and nuanced films from director Josef von Sternberg (famous for his visually magnificent melodramas with Marlene Dietrich) collected here will likely win over the doubters. Underworld (1927), an atmospheric classic that anticipates the gangster movies of the '30s, is a nocturnal fantasy with a rich interplay of character and loyalty between gangland bank robber Bull Weed (George Bancroft), redeemed drunk Rolls Royce (Clive Brook), and Weed's tough jazz-baby girlfriend, Feathers (Evelyn Brent). The Last Command (1928) stars Oscar-winner Emil Jannings as Grand Duke Sergius Alexander, a broken Russian refugee-turned-Hollywood-extra who lands a role that mimics his former life as a general in the czar's army—leading him to relive the past, with tragic consequences (William Powell costars as the director who casts him, for reasons that have more to do with past injustices than acting ability). The Docks of New York (1928), the most delicately visualized film in the trio, is a tender tone-poem of romance and regret set in the rough-and-tumble waterfront culture, with Bancroft starring as Bill Roberts, a sailor on leave in New York, and Betty Compson as Mae, his one-night stand. Sternberg's imagery is magnificent, but it's his superb collaboration with actors and rich storytelling that mark him as one of the era's great directors. Apart from minor scuffing at the reel ends, the visual quality of this Criterion Collection entry is excellent, while each film is presented with two scores—Robert Israel's lively small-combo music on all three, plus the Alloy Orchestra's dynamic compositions on Underworld and The Last Command, and Donald Sosin's delicate piano work on The Docks of New York. DVD extras include two visual essays, a 1968 interview with von Sternberg, and a 96-page booklet. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker) [Blu-ray Review—Oct. 8, 2019—Criterion, 3 discs, 244 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $99.95—Making their debut on Blu-ray, 1927’s Underworld, 1928’s The Last Command, and 1928’s The Docks of New York feature great transfers with six available scores for the three silent films. Extras include a 1968 Swedish TV interview with director Josef von Sternberg (40 min.), 2010 video essays by UCLA film professor Janet Bergstrom (37 min.) and by film scholar Tag Gallagher (35 min.), and a booklet featuring essays by critic Geoffrey O’Brien, scholar Anton Kaes, and author and critic Luc Sante, along with notes on the scores by the composers, screenwriter Ben Hecht’s original treatment, and an excerpt from von Sternberg’s 1965 autobiography Fun in a Chinese Laundry on actor Emil Jannings. Bottom line: this fine set makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]