With a wonderful rousing score by Hugo Riesenfeld and synchronized by the Vitaphone Symphony Orchestra, this film (a pristine print) was obviously a jewel in the crown for Warner Brothers. Produced by Darryl F. Zanuck (one of his first as both a writer and producer, although an uncredited one), it starred Warner's reigning screen Goddess, Dolores Costello. The film has everything - romance, adventure, tension between the races, white slavery, an earthquake - but it did drag a bit. The prologue, featuring Tom Santschi and Martha Mattox (from "The Cat and the Canary"), showing how San Francisco was founded, went on for almost 10 minutes but was completely unnecessary to the story - a few titles would have sufficed.
Then "The Story" starts in 1906 - Dolores (Dolores Costello) is the apple of her grandfather's eye but he has worries. He is desperately trying to ward off unscrupulous buyers who want to buy his ranch for peanuts!!! Dolores also catches the eye of Terence O'Shaughnessy (Charles Emmett Mack), a young partner in his uncle's law firm. They are acting on behalf of an evil businessman, Chris Buckwell, the "Czar of the City" - he wants the ranch and he will stop at nothing to get it. Played by Warner Oland, who made a career out of playing Orientals such as Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan, even though he was in fact Swedish. The twist to the story is that he is Chinese (shock!! horror!!) - a secret known only to his brother (Angelo Rossitto), a dwarf, whom he taunts and keeps in a cage and a "flower of the Orient" (Anna May Wong) his partner in crime.
The appearance of slimy Don Luis (John Miljan, who else!!) sets the wheels turning. Hernandez hopes he will save the ranch but finds he is only lusting after his grand-daughter, as does Buckwell, who arranges for Hernandez to be in the city so he can be alone with Dolores!!! Only an earthquake can save her from a fate worse than death!!! No, not that fate - she has rebuffed Buckwell, who in his rage carries her to his "inner circle" where she is all set to become the latest export for the white slave trade. She has also discovered his secret!!!
Dolores Costello is "preposterously beautiful" as John Barrymore once claimed. From the little you see of her, Anna May Wong is very fetching. Charles Emmett Mack, who, sadly, died the same year in a car accident, was sufficiently heroic and Warner Oland showed how wonderful he was in duplicitous roles. The earthquake was quite spectacular with tinted scenes of red and purple.
Highly Recommended.
Then "The Story" starts in 1906 - Dolores (Dolores Costello) is the apple of her grandfather's eye but he has worries. He is desperately trying to ward off unscrupulous buyers who want to buy his ranch for peanuts!!! Dolores also catches the eye of Terence O'Shaughnessy (Charles Emmett Mack), a young partner in his uncle's law firm. They are acting on behalf of an evil businessman, Chris Buckwell, the "Czar of the City" - he wants the ranch and he will stop at nothing to get it. Played by Warner Oland, who made a career out of playing Orientals such as Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan, even though he was in fact Swedish. The twist to the story is that he is Chinese (shock!! horror!!) - a secret known only to his brother (Angelo Rossitto), a dwarf, whom he taunts and keeps in a cage and a "flower of the Orient" (Anna May Wong) his partner in crime.
The appearance of slimy Don Luis (John Miljan, who else!!) sets the wheels turning. Hernandez hopes he will save the ranch but finds he is only lusting after his grand-daughter, as does Buckwell, who arranges for Hernandez to be in the city so he can be alone with Dolores!!! Only an earthquake can save her from a fate worse than death!!! No, not that fate - she has rebuffed Buckwell, who in his rage carries her to his "inner circle" where she is all set to become the latest export for the white slave trade. She has also discovered his secret!!!
Dolores Costello is "preposterously beautiful" as John Barrymore once claimed. From the little you see of her, Anna May Wong is very fetching. Charles Emmett Mack, who, sadly, died the same year in a car accident, was sufficiently heroic and Warner Oland showed how wonderful he was in duplicitous roles. The earthquake was quite spectacular with tinted scenes of red and purple.
Highly Recommended.