Eagle

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Based on a Pushkin novel, The Eagle stars Rudolph Valentino as a Russian cossack who is the special favorite of the formidable Catherine the Great (Louise Dresser). He spurns her attentions, preferring not to be a kept consort. When his lands are stolen from him, Valentino transforms into a Robin-Hood-like masked avenger. Vilma Banky plays the daughter of the man who killed Valentino's own father. Despite his thirst for revenge, our hero falls in love with Vilma, who goes the "Lois Lane" route of adoring the masked-avenger Valentino but disdaining the unmasked Rudy, little guessing that the two are one in the same. Watch quickly for Gary Cooper as one of Valentino's masked minions. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Black and White
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • • [None specified]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Clarence Brown

• Producer:

  John W. Considine, Jr.

• Screenwriter:

  Hanns Kraly

• Cinematographer:

  George Barnes, Devereaux Jennings

• Editor:

  Hal Kern

• Art Director:

  William Cameron Menzies

• Costume Designer:

  Adrian

• First Assistant Director:

  Charles Dorian

• Intertitle Writer:

  George Marion, Jr.

REVIEW:

• Rudolph Valentino is at his most natural and appealing in this swashbuckler. He wears the period costumes, from the Cossack uniforms to the formal French jacket and trousers, as if they were his second skin, moving in them with a dancer's grace and casual sexuality. His Vladimir Dubrovsky is played with wit, humor, and humanity -- a revelation when compared to the stiff posturing of much of his earlier work. In addition, the star is helped at every angle: The story is action-packed and entertaining, the direction intelligent, and the cinematography (courtesy of George Barnes) is some of the most poetic of the silent era (in addition, the banquet scene contains one of the most impressive tracking shots of the 1920s). The delicately beautiful Vilma Banky is a fetching co-star, and the support (especially Louise Dresser as the worldly Czarina) is excellent. The Eagle was under-appreciated in its day and made only a fair amount of money. Nowadays it is recognized as a great example of film making in the 1920s, although it's also not revived often enough. Those who have seen the beautiful restoration with the Carl Davis score can consider themselves fortunate, indeed. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi