Life, 1927-06-23 · page 26 of 38
Life — June 23, 1927 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page reviews silent films from the mid-1920s. The main cartoon depicts a figure spinning a large wheel labeled "Aeroplane Achievement," captioned "Now I really have something to brag about"—satirizing how filmmakers recycled old material with superficial modern technical updates. The text reviews "A Million Bid," a 1915 Vitagraph film rereleased by director Michael Curtiz with actress Dolores Costello. The critic R.E. Sherwood mocks the production: while cinematography improved (multiple exposures, lap dissolves), the original wooden **intertitles** (silent film text cards) remained unchanged—exposing how little substantive progress had occurred in fifteen years. The joke is that modernizing only camera techniques while keeping ancient dialogue cards demonstrates the film industry's laziness. The "Recent Developments" section briefly reviews other contemporary silent films, including works by famous directors like Cecil B. DeMille and Frank Borzage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“A Million Bid” “ & MILLION BID" is a product of the “gripping” school of drama which flourished in the “Bought - and - Paid - in - Full - For” epoch, and it shows its age when brought to light after fifteen years of progress, or retrogression, or whatever it is we've been doing all this time. “Now 1 REALLY have SOMETHING TO BRAG ABOUT Produced originally by Vitagraph, it has now been refurbished with camera angles, multiple exposures, lap dissolves and other modernistic contrivances, and converted into a vehicle for Dolores Costello. Every- thing about this old piece of hokum has be enovated except the sub- titles, which apparently remain ju they were in the Vitagraph ver- sion—thereby indicating just how far the art of sub-titling has advanced in fifteen years. MICHAEL CURTIZ has directed 4 “A Million Bid” with skill and x; he has tried, in effec’ her body on a Pope s, and although he has achieved r deception, he is unable to muffle the rattle of the chain drive, Miss Costello, appearing in mod- ern dress for a change, is as lovely and as drowsy as ever. R. E. Sherwood, Recent Developments Seventh Heaven. As directed by Frank Borzage, and as played by Janet Gaynor (among others), this turns out to be an exceedingly nice, sentimental picture. Mr Wu. Lon Chaney as a terrifying old Chinaman who kills his daughter—be- lieving, possibly, that it was she who wrote the scenario. Is Zat So? A great comedy manages to survive bad acting, bad direction and terrible sub-titles. Annie Laurie. Lillian Gish in a pleasantly romantic story of the High- lands. It’s entertaining but not partic- ularly invigorating. Resurrection. A grim drama outlin- ing the fall and rise of a Russian girl, beautifully played by Dolores Del Rio and Rod La Rocque, and_ intelligently directed by Edmund Carer Venus of Venice. This is very silly, to be sure, but I for one can’t conquer my passion for Constance Talmadge. Camille. The other Miss Talmadge in a very wistful and very thin drama of frustrated love. The King of Kings. Cecil B. De Mille achieves some gorgeous and impres- sive pageantry, but seems (to me) to miss the main point. Ankles Preferred. Madge Bellamy as a shapely shopgirl in a picture that may best be described as “cheap.” The Rough Riders. From the prairies to San Antonio to San Juan Hill with Roosevelt's cowboys. It’s fairly thrilling. When a Man Loves. John Barry more and Dolores Costello have all sorts of fun. Stark Love; Chang; Slide, Kelly, Slide; What Price Glory; Old Iron- sides; The Fire Brigade; Beau Geste and The Big Parade. In a word—yes comicbooks.com ae it) epg se