The Undesirable

Produced in Hungary in 1914, The Undesirable is the kind of hoary but lively melodrama readily associated with early cinema. Adapted from a stage play, the story concerns Betty (Lili Berky), a young woman who upon the death of her father learns that he was actually her uncle, a man who adopted Betty after her mother killed her real father—a violent brute. With her entire life upended, Betty lands a job as a maid to a rich couple, only to be accused of a crime she didn't commit, while her mother, freed after serving a 15-year prison sentence, goes off in search of her. The Undesirable serves up star-crossed romance, mistaken identity, arrogance, prejudice, and tragedy while on the way to a happy ending. It's also utterly silly and quite naïve—compared to films being made in the U.S. and Western Europe at the time—but still a curious time capsule, as well as one of the first films by Mihály Kertész, who would go to Hollywood and change his name to Michael Curtiz, later directing The Adventures of Robin Hood, Casablanca, and Mildred Pierce, among other classics. Long believed lost, a print was discovered in a New York City basement and repatriated to Hungary, where it was restored and given a superb new musical score by composer Attila Pacsay. Although hardly a lost masterpiece, The Undesirable is an interesting artifact from a country whose silent film legacy is not well represented. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)