C.E.Mack Redux
James Roots
Emmett Mack.
Boy, THE FIRST AUTO was certainly a fateful film. I gather
from Ed's posting that a copy still exists in viewable
condition. Is it available from any of the usual sources?
Mack had a great profile and was handsome with his mouth
shut. Once he opened the drawbridge, though, all the horses
came charging out and changed his entire appearance to one
of utmost dorkdom. It was very distracting, but then, THE
UNKNOWN SOLDIER proved to be a film eminently susceptible
to distraction in the viewer. One tedious cliche after another,
and the humour was by Murnau.
Jim
TJNORT
following line dropped on him by the object of his desire (portrayed by Pola
Negri): "Think of me as half-mother, hallf-lover." Later on in this film,
Negri horsewhips Holmes Herbert, whom she subsequently marries. Moreover,
Negri is playing a worldly member of the European nobility who, in the
aftermath of a romantic disappointment, goes to visit her "country cousin" in
America, a role that is of course taken by Chester Conklin. (I am making none
of this up.) After viewing this film (which was I believe described as a
"romantic comedy") I was initially unsure if I required treatment by Dr. Freud
or by "Doctor Howard Doctor Fine Doctor Howard." Since then, I have come to
believe that this film, WOMAN OF THE WORLD, demands to be featured as a
midnight movie by our finest art house cinemas. Attendees will be requested to
bring their own whips (except for Norman Bates, who will bring his mother), and
will also be requested to make a donation to either the Charles Emmett Mack
Memorial Fund for the Subversion--I mean Preservation--of Mental Health, the
Pola Negri Horsewhip Society or the Holmes Herbert "Beat me, I love it--AND
you" Foundation.
(The preceding was an unpaid advertisement.)
John Aldrich
wrote:
>Thanks for the postings in response to my query about Charles
>Emmett Mack.
>
>Boy, THE FIRST AUTO was certainly a fateful film. I gather
>from Ed's posting that a copy still exists in viewable
>condition. Is it available from any of the usual sources?
UCLA has done a marvelous restoration of this one with the original
Vitaphone soundtrack. I first saw it at one of their Festival Of
Preservation programs, and I know it has played on TCM several times
since.
--John Aldrich
kara...@my-deja.com
If I recall correctly, the negative had to be reassembled because so
many individual shots were removed and put in Warner's stock shot
library (lots of especially rare and oddball cars were on display in the
film). The missing shots had to be tracked down and the *puzzle* put
back together. THE FIRST AUTO is a fascinating film, on many levels
(I wouldn't say it's "something for everyone, but you do get Gibson
Gowland and William Demarest in the same film!).
Ed Watz
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Glamour Studios
Pussycat, Kill Kill!") and proves that John Waters was not ahead of his time, but
in fact way behind the times.
Archie Waugh
Richard M Roberts
>
> In article <361725b9...@news.earthlink.net>,
> jazz...@earthlink.net (John Aldrich) wrote:
> many individual shots were removed and put in Warner's stock shot
> library (lots of especially rare and oddball cars were on display in the
> film). The missing shots had to be tracked down and the *puzzle* put
> back together. THE FIRST AUTO is a fascinating film, on many levels
> (I wouldn't say it's "something for everyone, but you do get Gibson
> Gowland and William Demarest in the same film!).
>
> Ed Watz
>
feature Russell Simpson in a major role. Delightful film.
RICHARD M ROBERTS