Director: Raymond Bernard
Year: 1927
Run-time: 2 hours 15 min
Source: DVD
We've seen a few films on this list, such as Intolerance and The Big Parade, that could be considered blockbuster extravaganzas, but nothing fits that description as well as the lesser-known French classic The Chess Player. The director Raymond Bernard took a fine bit of historical fiction (based on a French novel) and turned it into a grand spectacle, the ancestor of the kind of Oscar-bait like Braveheart or The English Patient.
This one has a couple interesting aspects that might put it one step above those popular, but ultimately flawed examples. First, the source material really is compelling and relatively unknown. The film is centered around the occupation of part of Poland by Russia in the late 18th century. Although we mainly see things from the side of the Polish - the fashion of Polish men having two small pigtails is really endearing, by the way - it has sympathetic characters on both sides of that dispute. Although it's not really a war movie, the battle scenes are terrific and rival those of The Big Parade. The shots of an entire hillside bursting into small pockets of musket smoke are brilliant and unrivaled today.
Secondly, The Chess Player, as great historical fiction, merges distinct historical events for symbolic effect. In this case, the second half of the film centers around the famous "chess-playing Turk", a fake automaton that is the subject of one of the most compelling Wikipedia articles to read on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Although the real "Turk" was Hungarian, making it a plot device for a Polish rebel to both elude capture and fool the Russians just works. Third, the film brings in some fantastical elements that I don't want to spoil.
The film isn't perfect - some of its plot-lines feel a little under-developed, and in particular the romance between a Russian officer and a young Polish woman doesn't quite work, despite good performances from both characters. Nevertheless, there are few silent films of this era that feel as well-produced and perfectly paced. It's not currently on streaming platforms, but it definitely should be.
Year: 1927
Run-time: 2 hours 15 min
Source: DVD
We've seen a few films on this list, such as Intolerance and The Big Parade, that could be considered blockbuster extravaganzas, but nothing fits that description as well as the lesser-known French classic The Chess Player. The director Raymond Bernard took a fine bit of historical fiction (based on a French novel) and turned it into a grand spectacle, the ancestor of the kind of Oscar-bait like Braveheart or The English Patient.
This one has a couple interesting aspects that might put it one step above those popular, but ultimately flawed examples. First, the source material really is compelling and relatively unknown. The film is centered around the occupation of part of Poland by Russia in the late 18th century. Although we mainly see things from the side of the Polish - the fashion of Polish men having two small pigtails is really endearing, by the way - it has sympathetic characters on both sides of that dispute. Although it's not really a war movie, the battle scenes are terrific and rival those of The Big Parade. The shots of an entire hillside bursting into small pockets of musket smoke are brilliant and unrivaled today.
Secondly, The Chess Player, as great historical fiction, merges distinct historical events for symbolic effect. In this case, the second half of the film centers around the famous "chess-playing Turk", a fake automaton that is the subject of one of the most compelling Wikipedia articles to read on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Although the real "Turk" was Hungarian, making it a plot device for a Polish rebel to both elude capture and fool the Russians just works. Third, the film brings in some fantastical elements that I don't want to spoil.
The film isn't perfect - some of its plot-lines feel a little under-developed, and in particular the romance between a Russian officer and a young Polish woman doesn't quite work, despite good performances from both characters. Nevertheless, there are few silent films of this era that feel as well-produced and perfectly paced. It's not currently on streaming platforms, but it definitely should be.
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