The Eagle **** (1925, Rudolph Valentino, Vilma Bánky, Louise Dresser) – Classic Movie Review 9243

For his penultimate film, director Clarence Brown’s 1925 The Eagle, Rudolph Valentino plays Lieutenant Vladimir Dubrovsky, a Russian Cossack officer who disguises himself as an outlaw called The Black Eagle to avenge his father’s murder.

While on duty as a lieutenant in the Russian army, he comes under the roving eye of the Czarina, Catherine the Great (Louise Dresser), but he declines her love offer and flees, a wanted man. His father’s lands have been stolen by the evil Russian aristocrat Kyrilla Troekouroff (James A Marcus). Seeking vengeance, Vladimir becomes a masked vigilante outlaw as The Black Eagle. He becomes a French instructor for Kyrilla’s charming daughter Mascha Troekouroff (Vilma Bánky), but instead of vengeance on the family falls in love with her.

In this richly entertaining silent movie, based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel, Valentino subtly sends up his romantic persona, Bánky (aka ‘The Hungarian Rhapsody’) looks lovely and holds the screen entertainingly in only her second American film (following The Dark Angel), while Dresser enjoys herself extravagantly.

A gorgeous-looking movie ravishes the eye with its opulent sets by William Cameron Menzies and costumes by Adrian.

Gary Cooper has an uncredited walk-on as a masked Cossack. It was one of 13 films he made in 1925, all uncredited.

Also in the cast are Albert Conti, James A Marcus, George Nichols, Carrie Clark Ward, Michael Pleschkoff, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Russell Simpson, Eric Mayne, Otto Hoffman, Jean De Briac and Spottiswoode Aitken.

Vladimir Dubrovsky: ‘The Black Eagle does not war against women. My lady, you are as free as you are beautiful – and that is, very very free!’

Valentino picked Bánky again as his leading lady for his next and final film The Son of the Sheik (1926).

Bánky was born Koncsics Vilma on 9 January 1898 in Nagydorog, Austria-Hungary and died on 18 March 1991. Samuel Goldwyn gave the bride away and Cecil B DeMille was best man at her film premiere-style 1927 wedding to film star Rod La Rocque on a Hollywood soundstage. Silent era movie fans had no idea she could not speak a word of English, though Goldwyn taught her to answer ‘Lamp chops and pineapple’ to all reporters’ questions.

Bánky’s best-known films are her two with Valentino: The Eagle and The Son of the Sheik (1926), in which she plays an Arab dancer. She was a big money maker star in the mid to late 1920s.

The Eagle is directed by Clarence Brown, runs 73 minutes or 77 minutes, is made by Art Finance Corporation, is released by United Artists, is written by George Marion Jr (titles) and Hanns Kräly (uncredited), based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel, is shot in black and white by George Barnes and Devereaux Jennings (uncredited), is produced by Joseph M Schenck, John W Considine Jr, and designed by William Cameron Menzies.

The 1985 restoration has a score by Carl Davis: Rohauer Collection / Thames Video Collection (1985) (US).

A 1971 restored, tinted and newly scored version by Killiam Shows runs 72 minutes. The restoration is by Karl Malkames and the theatre organ score is by Lee Irwin.

Valentino performed the spectacular opening stunt of leaping onto a horse and chasing down a runaway carriage himself.

This film and all others produced in 1925 enter the US public domain in 2021.

 © Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9243

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