2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Watner Brothers which today is one of the largest multimedia conglomerates with the ownership of an incredible back catalog of movies from companies that they have outlived (RKO, MGM, United Artists, Allied Artists to name a few of the better known ones). But it was a noble animal that first paid their bills and became the world's first canine superstar. There were dog stars before Rin-Tin-Tin such as Jean the Vitagraph dog, Shep the Thanhouser collie, and another German shepard named Strongheart but none became the worldwide phenomenon that Rinty did.
This Kino Lorber Blu-Ray continues their ongoing partnership with the Library of Congress in restoring and releasing silent movies to home video. It features the first Rin-Tin-Tin vehicle WHERE THE NORTH BEGINS from 1923 and then his very successful later feature CLASH OF THE WOLVES from 1925. It makes for an interesting contrast to see just how much success changed the style of the Rinty movies. Most people prefer the later, flashier CLASH OF THE WOLVES but I found WHERE THE NORTH BEGINS far more engaging. With its smaller budget and no name stars (not to mention the former's irritating comedy relief), NORTH tells its story simply and effectively.
NORTH opens with an introductory title card that gives the back story of Rin-Tin-Tin. He is one of a group of puppies found on a World War I battlefield. A soldier named Lee Duncan kept two puppies, one male the other female, and named them Rin-Tin-Tin and Ninette after two French children's dolls. Nimette died on the way over to America but Rinty thrived and was trained by Duncan for dog shows. His remarkable ability to carry out a wide variety of commands got him noticed by a Hollywood agent who thought that he would compete well against other dog stars. He was signed to a contract and the rest is history.
The plot of NORTH is one that would be recycled many times in later Rin-Tin-Tin movies. It is inspired by Jack London's CALL OF THE WILD. A crate containing a puppy falls off a sled and is found by a pack of wolves. They raise it as one of them and once he grows up, he becomes their leader. We then meet the human characters: a Canadian trapper, his fiance', and the villainous trading post boss. He sends the trapper out to sell furs then has him ambushed and left for dead. He is found by Rinty and they form a bond as they make it back to the trading post. Rinty exposes the villains and he and the couple live happily ever after.
In CLASH OF THE WOLVES, Rinty is once again the leader of a wolfpack. Unlike NORTH which uses real wolves, this pack is mostly German shepherds. A fire forces the wolves into a Western town to find food. Rinty is injured on the way and is nursed back to health by a young Charles Farrell (2 years before 7th HEAVEN) who has discovered large deposits of borax. The town surveyor wants it for himself so he ambushes Farrell who is then rescued by Rinty. Together they expose the surveyor and all ends well. Farrell's girlfriend is played by June Marlowe (Miss Crabtree from the OUR GANG series) and the extremely unfunny comic relief is provided by "Heine" Conklin (no kidding).
Like other releases in this Kino Classics / Library of Congress series, it's pretty much a bare bones affair with only a commentary by film historian Anthony Slide on CLASH OF THE WOLVES, the only bonus feature. Nevertheless the transfers are excellent with the prints looking quite remarkable considering their age. I'm a little surprised that Warner Brothers didn't issue a special 100th anniversary commemorative edition to honor the canine star that made Al Jolson, Jimmy Cagney, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, 3D, and now BARBIE possible but then, most success stories don't want to acknowledge their humble origins...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.
This Kino Lorber Blu-Ray continues their ongoing partnership with the Library of Congress in restoring and releasing silent movies to home video. It features the first Rin-Tin-Tin vehicle WHERE THE NORTH BEGINS from 1923 and then his very successful later feature CLASH OF THE WOLVES from 1925. It makes for an interesting contrast to see just how much success changed the style of the Rinty movies. Most people prefer the later, flashier CLASH OF THE WOLVES but I found WHERE THE NORTH BEGINS far more engaging. With its smaller budget and no name stars (not to mention the former's irritating comedy relief), NORTH tells its story simply and effectively.
NORTH opens with an introductory title card that gives the back story of Rin-Tin-Tin. He is one of a group of puppies found on a World War I battlefield. A soldier named Lee Duncan kept two puppies, one male the other female, and named them Rin-Tin-Tin and Ninette after two French children's dolls. Nimette died on the way over to America but Rinty thrived and was trained by Duncan for dog shows. His remarkable ability to carry out a wide variety of commands got him noticed by a Hollywood agent who thought that he would compete well against other dog stars. He was signed to a contract and the rest is history.
The plot of NORTH is one that would be recycled many times in later Rin-Tin-Tin movies. It is inspired by Jack London's CALL OF THE WILD. A crate containing a puppy falls off a sled and is found by a pack of wolves. They raise it as one of them and once he grows up, he becomes their leader. We then meet the human characters: a Canadian trapper, his fiance', and the villainous trading post boss. He sends the trapper out to sell furs then has him ambushed and left for dead. He is found by Rinty and they form a bond as they make it back to the trading post. Rinty exposes the villains and he and the couple live happily ever after.
In CLASH OF THE WOLVES, Rinty is once again the leader of a wolfpack. Unlike NORTH which uses real wolves, this pack is mostly German shepherds. A fire forces the wolves into a Western town to find food. Rinty is injured on the way and is nursed back to health by a young Charles Farrell (2 years before 7th HEAVEN) who has discovered large deposits of borax. The town surveyor wants it for himself so he ambushes Farrell who is then rescued by Rinty. Together they expose the surveyor and all ends well. Farrell's girlfriend is played by June Marlowe (Miss Crabtree from the OUR GANG series) and the extremely unfunny comic relief is provided by "Heine" Conklin (no kidding).
Like other releases in this Kino Classics / Library of Congress series, it's pretty much a bare bones affair with only a commentary by film historian Anthony Slide on CLASH OF THE WOLVES, the only bonus feature. Nevertheless the transfers are excellent with the prints looking quite remarkable considering their age. I'm a little surprised that Warner Brothers didn't issue a special 100th anniversary commemorative edition to honor the canine star that made Al Jolson, Jimmy Cagney, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, 3D, and now BARBIE possible but then, most success stories don't want to acknowledge their humble origins...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.