The Garden of Eden

One of Hollywood's most versatile directors, Lewis Milestone went from the frantic comedy of The Front Page to the somber pacifism of All Quiet on the Western Front to the detached cool of the original Ocean's Eleven. Milestone is in whimsically romantic mode with the 1928 silent film The Garden of Eden, one of cinema's endless variations on the Cinderella story. Aspiring opera singer Toni (Corrine Griffith) travels to Budapest but ends up becoming a cash-strapped showgirl, until she's temporarily rescued by a baroness who takes her on vacation in Monte Carlo for two weeks in the lap of luxury at the Hotel Eden. When those two weeks are up, however, will Toni turn into a pauper again, or will she find love with one of two suitors, a composer and a colonel? Scripted by Hans Kraly, an early collaborator with Ernst Lubitsch, The Garden of Eden is a frothy fairytale carried by Griffith's convincing performance, as well as some top-notch visual humor--especially a courtship via flashing lights and the wedding-in-bed finale. Sporting a fine transfer and solid extras, including the silent shorts "The Toy Shop" and "Hollywood The Unusual" (which offers a fascinating travelogue of 1920s Hollywood architecture), this is recommended. (D. Fienberg) [Blu-ray Review—Aug. 21, 2018—Flicker Alley, 71 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $19.95—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 1928’s The Garden of Eden features a fine transfer with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio. Extras include a digital pressbook with promotional materials (11 min.) the 1927 short 'Hollywood the Unusual' (10 min.), and a production stills slideshow (3 min.). Bottom line: this silent gem shines on Blu-ray.]