Saved by mistake: Volume 5

Saved by mistake: Volume 5

Studio: Undercrank Productions

April 13, 2024
Web Exclusive

By Kaveh Jalinous
Photo by Undercrank Productions

Undercrank Productions' fifth volume Saved by mistake The series brings together four silent films that have been lost to time, surviving only from their 16mm versions developed for the home video market in the 1920s-1940s. It's a situation that seems almost too good (and too confusing) to be true. Because these films have been out of print for so long, their physical release allows new generations of silent film fans, and cinephiles as a whole, to discover some of the lesser-known works of cinema's first era.

The biggest and most developed film of the bunch, Lorraine of the Lions (1925), follows a circus ship that goes down in a hurricane, leaving an only child, Lorraine, and the circus animals she befriends, stranded on a remote island. After seeing a vision of young Lorraine in his home, her grandfather embarks on a long quest to find her. Years later, after Lorraine has grown up, the two reunite and he introduces Lorraine and her best friend, the circus gorilla, to mainstream society, for better or for worse. The Tarzan-The film is highly entertaining, despite the general absurdity of its plot (which, like many silent films, is part of its charm) and a somewhat rushed love story between Lorraine and one of the ship's captains.

Ironically, Lorraine of the Lions followed by the shortest and least developed film in the series, Love on the first flight (1928). This 18-minute film follows a pilot and his assistant as they land on a beach with dancing women. The comedy, created for Pathé, includes many color sequences, which provide a welcome relief to the number of overly harsh and surprisingly long sequences in the film. A smaller one, tom and jerry-The elaborate plot during the first half of the film, following a squabbling cat and mouse in the nose of the plane leading to its final descent, gives the film much needed life through randomness, fast pacing and surprising plot relevance movie.

Hoofbeats of Vengeance (1928) is an early western starring the film's horses. The film technically follows an officer on a mission to find the group of scavengers who have murdered the owner of “Rex, the Wonder Horse”. But at the same time, Rex is always at the center of the story, allowing the film to function more as a revenge story told through the horse's own eyes. The 47-minute film is action-packed, using the chase principle to deliver high-stakes thrills that are fast-moving and engaging. But the most memorable scenes in the film are those in which the horses have their own lines, including one where Rex is threatened and trash-talked by one of the smuggler's horses.

After all, The Fourth Commandment (1927) departs from the rest of the series' tendency for stories revolving around relationships between humans and animals. This film follows a young couple who get married, only to run into trouble a few years later when one of their mothers-in-law moves in with them. From there, the film explores the typical mother/daughter conflict as their separate personalities and lifestyles constantly collide. The stakes and pace of the story lose steam when the film's tension boils before its third act. Regardless, a heartwarming conclusion and the way the film explores the issue of honoring your family (even if its biblical relationships are overdeveloped and overused) make it a worthwhile watch.

Although they have disparate plots, all the films are connected by new scores by Jon C. Mirsalis, which bring the stories to life and help further differentiate them. Given the importance of scores in silent films, the lack of a score could have ruined any of these stories. Mirsali's understanding of the different tone and intensity of each film and his recognition of certain stylistic and sonic parallels present in the films allow his scores to perfectly and memorably bring everything on screen to life.

(www.undercrankproductions.com/accidentally-preserved-volume-5/)