1928 silent drama Rating: 19/20
Plot: A cross-dressing schizophrenic crybaby is put on trial for heresy. The judges, all men with incredibly large faces, question her, trying desperately to get a confession. Later, they all have a barbecue.
I really thought the history of this movie and its survival, which I read about before watching this, set me up for disappointment. However, I watched this late at night, completely silent like director Carl Th. Dreyer intended, and was completely moved. The camera work (lots of empty space and strange angled shots of facial close-ups) makes this move without sound or others effects like no other movie I've ever seen. The acting is extraordinary, especially from Falconetti's role as the title crybaby, and the "special effects" used add to the realism, probably because they are real. The actress really had her head shaved after begging the director not to do it. A stand-in (a prostitute apparently) really did have blood spurt our of her arm during the bloodletting scene. A real cadaver was used during the burning scene. There's no pretension, no preachiness, no tricks. You see and you get and you come away wondering why so many other dramatic films end up looking so stupid. Falconetti's performance made me look up other roles, but this was her last of three roles. Apparently she was exiled and pretty much never heard from again.
Another heretic, albeit a funky one:
I had intended to see this anyway, but your score of 19 pushed me over the edge and I watched it last night. I thought it was absolutely extrordinary. It would easily be one of the three greatest silent films that I have seen and the amazing images will certainly remain strong in my memory. The version I saw had an awesome operatic score, but with the amazing style and close-ups and unrelenting tension from the opening scene, this film would remain powerful without a sound. Without reading reviews the title alone may have delayed my watching it indefinitely ( Mr. Smith Goes To Washington ), but I'm impressed that you found it and your review was excellent.I found myself sitting for several minutes staring at the screen after it was over, blown away. Wow. Easily a 19, maybe a 20.
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