Thu 16 Aug 2018
A Silent Movie Review by Walter Albert: WHITE GOLD (1927).
Posted by Steve under Films: Drama/Romance , Reviews , Silent films[3] Comments
WHITE GOLD. Producers Distributing Corporation (PDC), 1927. Jetta Goudal, Kenneth Thomson, George Bancroft, George Nichols. Director: William K. Howard. Shown at Cinevent 22, Columbus OH, May 1990.
The notes for the program put it well: “…claustrophobic, oppressive and obsessed with lust and betrayal.” A bride is seen by her father-in-law s coming between him and his son. The father-in-law lies and the woman will not betray the lie, hoping that her husband will believe in her innocence in the face of overwhelming circumstantial evidence to the contrary.
The scene in which, as the wife leaves the house, she makes a gesture that without a single comment answers all the questions raised in the preceding scene of confrontation, is an unforgettable lesson in narrative economy. I feel as if this film is burned into my mind’s eye. Not to be missed if it’s ever scheduled near you.
August 16th, 2018 at 8:40 pm
Hard to remember that Bancroft was a leading man for a period in the silent era.
Once you learn how to watch silent film (because there is a learning curve involved with storytelling that is purely visual) there are treasures like this to be found.
August 17th, 2018 at 7:39 am
I always enjoyed Walter’s appreciations of little gems like this.
January 31st, 2019 at 4:39 pm
This gem of a movie only survives in a jittery, scratchy, contrasty 16mm dupe. Grapevine Video has just released it on Blu-ray with digital fixes; image stabalization and a cleaner, more detailed image.
Here’ a sample:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jhCJTDHhpXw