|
|
|||
|
|
1918. A Cecil
B. DeMille Star Series Picture. Artcraft Pictures. Famous Players-Lasky
Corp. 7 reels.
Jesse L. Lasky presents Cecil B. De Mille's production "The Whispering Chorus" by Jeanie Macpherson. From the Story by Perley Poore Sheehan. Copyright 1918 by Artcraft Corporation. Produced by Cecil B. De Mille. Photographed by Alvin Wyckoff. Art Director, Wilfred Buckland. Distributed by Artcraft Pictures Corporation. Cast: Raymond Hatton, Kathlyn Williams, Elliott Dexter, Edythe Chapman, John Burton, Parks Jones, Tully Marshal, Guy Oliver, W.H. Brown, James Neill. |
Cecil B. DeMille always claimed that
this film was a turning point in his career. In his autobiography, DeMille
recalled that a critic called the film "the quintessence of morbidness."
The film is unrelentingly downbeat, lacking the humorous asides that would
have made it more palatable to an audience looking for pure entertainment.
DeMille saw it as a psychological drama, where the conflict is in the souls
of the characters rather than in forces external to them. The film was
profitable, but one suspects that audiences did not remember it fondly,
and DeMille turned to more popular (and more superficial) subjects.
There is frequent use of theatrical-style lighting to highlight a character in the frame. In other shots, cameraman Alvin Wyckoff uses gauze to focus the attention of the audience on one character, rather than cutting to a close-up. The "whispering chorus" of the title is the voices of self doubt that plague the modern wageslave. At critical junctures in the narrative, superimposed faces feed contradictory advice to the protagonist. There are no "stars" in The Whispering Chorus, though the players were well known at the time. This helps the film, since a star presence might have conflicted with the story's requirement that each of the characters be fundamentally flawed. The whole point of Jeanie Macpherson's story is that the audience doesn't really care about the fate of these characters, but you do have a great interest in the situations. The film holds up well to repeated viewings, as the characters motivations are never obvious. Raymond Hatton is a second assistant cashier frustrated with his job and his prospects in life. Having gambled away the Christmas money he saved for his wife's dress, he embezzles from his employer to buy the gift. Unwilling to face the consequences of his action, he runs away and hides, abandoning his wife and mother and faking his death. While society hems most of us into our expected roles, this character chooses his desire over his better judgment and acts on his initial instincts. The "widow," Kathlyn Williams, goes to work for fast rising politician Elliot Dexter. When Hatton returns after several years to see his mother, he is caught and put on trial for his own murder. Hatton promised his mother that he would save his wife- even if it killed him. He can save himself only by establishing his true identify and destroying the new found happiness of his wife. The wife faces the same quandary that Hatton faced earlier, when he ran away. She can only save her husband by sacrificing everything she has accomplished after he deserted her. There is no happy ending. The Kino on Video/Image Entertainment release is excellent quality, from a 35mm element in the collection of George Eastman House. It has been transferred at an appropriate speed with the original tints restored. The music score compiled by Rodney Sauer is performed by the Mont Alto Theater Orchestra. The music adds to the film, underscoring the emotion, without being showy or obvious. The disc was produced by David Shepard. (Review © 1997 David Pierce) |
|
Send additions, suggestions, comments or questions to David Pierce, prizma@onetel.com
© 1997 David Pierce