Lonesome

Paul Fejos' Lonesome (1928) is a rare hybrid of silent and sound film, completed just as The Jazz Singer kicked off the rush to talkies. At heart, it's a simple, sweet romantic drama about two young working-class people—Jim (Glenn Tryon) and Mary (Barbara Kent)—living in the crush of New York City and looking for companionship, who find each other during a Fourth of July weekend. As the pair become acquainted during a playful day at Coney Island, Fejos observes their innocent courtship with a mix of poetic images and sophisticated filmmaking: the camera floats above them amidst the throngs, whooshes through carnival rides, and cross-cuts between the two when they are accidentally separated after a fire breaks out, capturing the panic along the crowded midway. The three brief dialogue sequences are static and somewhat awkward—although also a little endearing when seen as an attempt to address the turbulent changeover occurring in cinema—and the film features a lovely synchronized music and effects track that adds to the atmosphere of the metropolis at rush hour and the jovial mood of the famed amusement park. Bowing on DVD and Blu-ray in a beautifully restored and remastered edition, extras include two bonus Fejos films from 1929 (the silent The Last Performance, and a reconstructed sound version of the musical Broadway), audio commentary, archival interviews, and a booklet with notes and essays. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)