This silent movie, its story constructed around the famous Sir Edward Cole Burne-Jones painting, which in turn was based on the Tennyson poem, is a fair, if pedestrian romantic story about a rich lord (played by Reginald Denny) who loves a poor tenant (played by a Mary Astor so young she hasn't quite lost all her baby fat), who are brought together by the artist painting the picture. The compositions of the individual shots are beautiful -- parts of it were shot on Louis Comfort Tiffany's country home -- but the piece is very static. I can only conclude that Herbert Blache's technique was not up to anything more and this increasingly out-of-date technique would, eventually, result in the end of his career by the end of the decade.
2 Reviews
Early Mary Astor
garyjack511 August 2023
This short 22 minute escapist romance is a bit slow but features a young 15 year old Mary Astor making her way into film. There is nothing too impressive about the short film as it juxtaposes the characters between present and past.
Mary commented years later to leading man Reginald Denny that he was the first man to have kissed her. She is petite and thin as a very young woman at this early stage in her career. One can see that she has a talent for conveying feelings well through her facial expressions. She is caught between supporting her crippled brother and a desire to connect romantically with a sturdy young man to start a new life.
The restored copy is not great but it is watchable.
Mary commented years later to leading man Reginald Denny that he was the first man to have kissed her. She is petite and thin as a very young woman at this early stage in her career. One can see that she has a talent for conveying feelings well through her facial expressions. She is caught between supporting her crippled brother and a desire to connect romantically with a sturdy young man to start a new life.
The restored copy is not great but it is watchable.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
