For once, a remake that is superior to the original! Cecil B. Demille's 1915 version of the same story was campy and boring, although Sessue Hayakawa was a fascinating presence.
In this film, the motivations of all the characters make more sense. While the husband in the first movie was a sap, the husband in this one is a man who loves his wife and is willing to sacrifice himself for her. The wife in the first film is somebody who loves her self respect, and finally throws it out the window in a grand sacrifice, but the wife in this film is a woman of the world, who wanted to tell the truth from the beginning. The villain in the first film was an inscrutable Oriental. He simply plays by different rules. However, the villain in this one is a lustful, decadent monster, who is also a liar.
George Abbott knows how to move the camera... and gives a fascinating view of the world of the rich... with the decadence just under the surface.
They really don't make 'em like they used to... The closest I have come to the perversion in this film has been David Lynch's Blue Velvet.
In this film, the motivations of all the characters make more sense. While the husband in the first movie was a sap, the husband in this one is a man who loves his wife and is willing to sacrifice himself for her. The wife in the first film is somebody who loves her self respect, and finally throws it out the window in a grand sacrifice, but the wife in this film is a woman of the world, who wanted to tell the truth from the beginning. The villain in the first film was an inscrutable Oriental. He simply plays by different rules. However, the villain in this one is a lustful, decadent monster, who is also a liar.
George Abbott knows how to move the camera... and gives a fascinating view of the world of the rich... with the decadence just under the surface.
They really don't make 'em like they used to... The closest I have come to the perversion in this film has been David Lynch's Blue Velvet.