Children Of Divorce (1927) Reveals Legends Both Made and In The Making
Clara Bow was for too long a high wattage star
in low wattage prints, another of those who survive best in stills, if you could find them. Ever seen originals? Creamy,
rich, detailed ... and high as a kite on Ebay or auction sites. Once her movies
looked like that, when nitrate was the norm. Now they are either lost or eternity removed from camera elements. Two exceptions have come to
Blu-Ray as remind of what Clara Bow was and why she made a sensation,Wingsand newly-released Children Of Divorce Exhibits A and B of pictoral
beauty common to all silent films when fresh on 20's market. I'm just greedy
enough to want all of Bow output to look like these, that not to happen
in my lifetime or anyone's to come. Guess we are lucky to have even these two. We could suggest Blu-Ray upgrade for It and Mantrap, a pair of hers that exist in perhaps comparable quality. Ones of us accepting silents on take-what-you-can-get basis have
been succeeded by a generation who'll have them no way but pristine. Digital
spoils folks that way.
Children Of Divorce has been around, but not
digitally. There were archive runs, at Cinecon once as I recall. Interest runs higher for Bow being joined by Gary Cooper at career start and Josef Von
Sternberg as relief director (Frank Lloyd being credited). Children is drama of
people makingwrong decisions and reaping emotional harvest for it. Bow is
willful and for most part misguided, so we spend runtime hoping against a bad
end for her. Cooper is lip rouged and likeably awkward in tuxedoed confinement. He grabs attention from start with an almost missed horse leap
over hedges (a number of takes he did miss, from what I read). Paramount was very much run on factory basis.
You got out requisite number of vehicles and left them to run on fuel a
public's interest supplied. That put considerable weight on stars. A
Clara Bow hauled perhaps more rocks than she realized, for what would her four-or-so feature output per annum amount to with anyone else in a lead?
Children Of Divorce is probably no better or worse than missing Bows we wish would turn
up but not likely to. Fact it's here and looks so crisp is sweet icing. This
is the sort of disc release that might win new converts to pre-talkie cause.
For the deeper committed, there is Esther
Ralston as party mom to reckless Bow and hapless Coop, character traits
mirrored by offscreen future and fates of the three. Ralston was a most moderate and sensible in her choices, being married and with child when
Children Of Divorce was made, and not for a moment fooled by fairy dust that
stardom sprinkled. She'd live long as well to reflect upon it, Bow and Cooper
beating her to the barn by thirty years, give or take (GC in 1961, CB in 1965,
Ralston in 1994 at age91). Someone always gets to go last, Ralston having
opportunity to speak with historians (or rather, they with her) and consider
Children Of Divorce as ancient text it by then was. What a wildly diverse world
and culture she knew.
Part of magic Bow and Cooper still exert comes
of their hitting the high-life off as well as on the screen, leaving lore for
personalups-downs worthy of drama or farce their movies provided. Meanwhile
players like Ralston, however glamorous they register in roles (ER a wow at her
peak) simply did the job, went home, and there waited for a next assignment.
There won't be a thousand dollar run on Ralston stills at Heritage or
Butterfield, even as she did leave a best interview record of what it was like
to perform in Children Of Divorce with to-be icons that were Clara Bow and Gary
Cooper (and for her look-back, see William M. Drew's conversation with Ralston
in his Speaking Of Silents: First Ladies Of The Screen, a marvelous gathering
of profiles by a top historian). Children Of Divorce can be had on Blu-Ray from
Flicker Alley. There are extras (a Bow documentary written by David Stenn, plus
an excellent booklet essay he wrote).
When I look at the marvels Steve and crew at THUNDERBEAN and Bob Furmanek and crew at THE 3D Film Archive are working with THEIR restorations I wish the people issuing dvds of silent films in less than they can and should editions cared as much as they do.
The market ain't gonna grow if what is offered looks like feces. Somewhere out there are the original film elements used to create these substandard products. It would be great to see them get in the hands of the people who have shown they can work miracles.
I was of two minds about acquiring this title. Now you have once again moved a film to my high priority list. Thanks.
2 Comments:
When I look at the marvels Steve and crew at THUNDERBEAN and Bob Furmanek and crew at THE 3D Film Archive are working with THEIR restorations I wish the people issuing dvds of silent films in less than they can and should editions cared as much as they do.
The market ain't gonna grow if what is offered looks like feces. Somewhere out there are the original film elements used to create these substandard products. It would be great to see them get in the hands of the people who have shown they can work miracles.
I was of two minds about acquiring this title. Now you have once again moved a film to my high priority list. Thanks.
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