The Oscar Project

Tempest (1928)

A Joseph M. Schenck Productions Film. Distributed by United Artists.

Ivan Markov (John Barrymore) is a peasant soldier under Bolshevik reign. His dream is to reach the rank of officer, something he achieves in the first half of the film amidst a display of ability (the words excellent and perfect are used pretty frequently). It’s as a part of this that he meets Princess Tamara (Camilla Horn), the royal daughter of the Czar he serves. What begins as infatuation very quickly turns into obsession as Tamara spurns him and Markov aggressively pursues. The film is classified as a romance, but in many ways, it watches more as some sort of sexual thriller.

The first thing to know about this film is that the script is really not very good. It’s full of convenient and blatant plot devices, coincidences and really stunted dialogue. The second thing to know is that it has lady-issues. A part of me says 1928, but none of the other films I have seen so far have had this exact sense of woman as commodity. Not just that, but the film devotes a good forty minutes to justifying Markov’s behaviour (which is all in all pretty sexual predator), like it’s a-okay that he violates Tamara’s boundaries, space and privacy. He forcefully kisses her, invades her bedroom (and her bed), touches her things and the script tells us this is okay too because she’s infatuated right on back (she just doesn’t know it).

There’s a part of me that thinks, in the hands of a better writer, you could have a really interesting film. Markov’s obsession with rank could make a seamless transition to his obsession with the princess. He’s reached officer and, by being infatuated with Tamara, it’s another way of climbing up a social ladder and a society that disparaged him for so long. That said, I think that would be a very different film than what this one was trying to be.

So thematically the film isn’t good, but it does have some pretty great elements. The performances are generally solid, Barrymore continues to have an excellent profile and honestly, the location and the costumes all hit it out of the park, so if nothing else, it’s worth the watch for that alone. The birthday party in particular is wonderfully shot, from the dancers to watching the events through the glass. Camilla Horn also wears some pretty ace dresses as the princess and later as a sort of political refugee.

Rating: 6 / 10

Director: Sam Taylor

Writers: George Marion Jr. & Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko

Cast: John Barrymore, Camilla Horn & Louis Wolheim

Nominations: Best Art Direction (won)

7^th Heaven (1927)

A Fox Film Corporation Film. Distributed by Fox Film Corporation.

7^th Heaven really swept up at the first Oscars. It was nominated for the most awards, and won three out of five of them. It’s interesting, because the film is very much a romance, with any other genre really sitting on the bench. That’s not to say it isn’t a great film, because it is.

Diane (Janet Gaynor) and her sister are prostitutes, living in a slum-like apartment in an unnamed city. After an incident goes pear-shaped with a wealthy relative, Diane’s tyrannical sister tries to kill her. Diane is rescued by Chico, a sewer-worker who dreams of becoming a street cleaner. He takes her in, and, after being mistaken for a couple and Chico receiving a promotion as a result, the pair decide to live together to reap the benefits of their fake marriage – one being Diane’s assumed protection, and the second being Chico’s new job. In true cinematic conventions, here begins a pretty sweet love story as the two fall for each other in spite of social standing, war and tragedy.

The film is wonderfully directed by Frank Borzage, and the cinematography is really world-building and all-encompassing (keep an eye out for some of the staircase scenes and the rooftop one early in the film – at the risk of sounding horribly cliché, both are visual feasts). Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell are kind of glorious together as Diane and Chico. The chemistry is tangible and when they fall in love, you believe it, which is a feat for a film in any age. Plus, as a couple aesthetically, they look great (I mean, really, speaking of visual feasts).

Farrell is strong as Chico too – he walks a fine line between charming and obnoxious, but always manages to fall on the best side of it. That said, Gaynor is the star of this film, as she is in Sunrise – she builds a character that’s blossoming under Chico’s kindness. Her fragility at the start of the film, a battered woman, is so beautifully portrayed, which makes her strength and her growth throughout the narrative a joy to watch and to be a part of.

7^th Heaven probably isn’t for everyone – it’s heavily romantic, even though the First World War features greatly towards the end. It is though a beautiful piece of cinema, and very character-oriented, and, actually, very much about female strength and growth, which isn’t something regularly featured in late twenties cinema.

Rating: 8 / 10

Director: Frank Borzage

Writers: Austin Strong, Benjamin Glazer

Cast: Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell & Ben Bard

Nominations: Outstanding Picture, Production, Best Director, Dramatic Picture (won), Best Actress in a Leading Role (won), Best Writing, Adapted Story (won), Best Art Direction