THE DAUGHTER OF DAWN - Review By Greg Klymkiw - Milestone restores important lost film.

Any day is a great day to watch and rejoice in this important "lost" piece of cinema history, but Canada's NATIONAL ABORIGINAL DAY is a pretty good reason to celebrate the gorgeous Milestone Cinematheque's Blu-Ray of The Daughter of Dawn, an independent 1920 silent picture that stars over 300 members of Oklahoma's Comanche and Kiowa nations.

When it comes to film restoration and preservation,
it doesn't get better than Milestone Film and Video.

The Daughter of Dawn (1920)
Dir. Norbert A. Myles
Starring: Esther LaBarre, Hunting Horse,
White Parker, Jack Sankeydoty, Wanada Parker

Review By Greg Klymkiw

Mysteries abound from the period we know as the dawn of cinema and they almost always centre upon the multitude of films which existed ever-so-fleetingly, then disappeared from the face of the earth due to the vagaries of distribution and exhibition - not to mention the highly combustible nature of nitrate film stock (eventually eschewed after cinema's first fifty-or-so years in favour of more stable stocks). The bottom line is that most major studios considered films as "disposable" product and far too many pictures simply disappeared, going the way of the majestic Dodo Bird - forever.

One of the biggest mysteries is the production of The Daughter of Dawn, which was manufactured by The Texas Film Company in 1920. Shot on location in a wildlife refuge near Lawton, Oklahoma and starring over 300 members of the Kiowa and Comanche Nations, it probably makes even more sense that it became lost to the sands of time given that it was a genuinely independent film, bereft of the usual barnstorming entrepreneurial showmanship oft-applied during those early days.

In fairness to producer Richard Banks, he had enough vision to secure actor/director Norbert A. Myles to write a script based on a Comanche legend and then mount a spectacular production in a tough location, using local Native Americans, not only as actors, but as the primary artisans of the costumes, sets and props. The film's existence was never in question, nor were the obviously prodigious efforts to make it, but given the popularity of similar works of the period (such as the films of Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, Robert Flaherty, Edward S. Curtis, et al), why it didn't follow similar footsteps is a major head-scratcher.

As far as we know, The Daughter of Dawn had one public screening at a sneak preview in Los Angeles, followed one year later with a screening in Topeka, Kansas and then, completely falling off the map. Its spotty distribution/exhibition history might be one of the greatest mysteries of all. When one compares its aesthetic attributes to the vast number of ethnographic documentaries, docudramas and straight-up dramas shot on location during this period, with real people in front of the cameras, The Daughter of Dawn easily holds its own against seminal works like Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness, Grass: A Nation's Battle For Life and In the Land of the Head Hunters.

The picture is a rip-snorter of the highest order. It's a classic love triangle set against the backdrop of war. Dawn (Esther La Barre) is the daughter of a powerful Kiowa Chief (Hunting Horse) and she's madly in love with the handsome White Eagle (White Parker). Alas, the sly, lumpy, bumbling Black Wolf (Jack Sankeydoty) is in love with Dawn and because he's imbued with considerable wealth (he owns a whole whack of ponies), the Chief is torn over bestowing his daughter to an ideal match. Will it be love that wins out over wealth or vice versa? Neither. The Chief decides that bravery is the greatest attribute, so he sets a challenge to both men to prove their worth.

Simple, yes? Well, there are spanners in the works. Red Wing (Wanada Parker), a not-so-fetching "catch", is madly in love with dopey Black Wolf and her jealousy knows no bounds. Worse yet, some neighbouring Comanches are fixing to go to war with the Kiowa Nation and plan to make a raid in order to steal women and goods. When Black Wolf proves to be no match for the brave White Eagle in the competition, he grabs his "lesser" paramour Red Wing and hightails it over to the Comanche side to turncoat his way into an act of ultimate revenge.

There will be war.

The Daughter of Dawn proves to be a supremely entertaining western adventure. Director Myles trains his camera upon the action with a first-rate eye for staging and detail. We not only get a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Native Americans (thanks mostly to their cultural/artistic contributions), we're treated to nice dollops of romance and some truly spectacular action scenes (including a buffalo hunt, no less).

How and why this movie fell through the cracks is beyond me. Is it possible that neither the film industry nor audiences were ready for a movie about Native Americans taking centre stage? (A cool bit of historical trivia is that actors White Parker and Wanada Parker were the children of leading Comanche leader Quanah Parker.) Well, whatever kept this film from finding its true place at the time, the point is now moot, because now is the time.

Extraordinarily, though the film was long lost, an Oklahoma private detective was paid for his services with a few cans of nitrate film stock which, as it turned out, was the only extant print of The Daughter of Dawn. It eventually found its was into the hands of the Oklahoma Historical Society who commissioned an all-new original musical score by noted Comanche composer David Yeagley and eventually, for all of us who love movies, it was happily placed in the hands of the visionary Milestone Film and Video who have made it available to the world - ninety years after it was first made.

THE FILM CORNER RATING: ***** 5-Stars

The Daughter of Dawn is available on a sumptuous Blu-Ray/DVD via Milestone Film and Video on their Milestone Cinematheque label. It looks gorgeous, of course, thanks to a beautiful 35mm restoration and 2K transfer and the home entertainment package is replete with an informative introduction by Dr. Bob Blackburn, the featurette "Finding the Film: with Bill Moore of Oklahoma Historical Society", interviews with Comanche Darren Twohatchet, Kiowa Dorothy Whitehorse, William D. Welge of The Oklahoma Historical Society and featurettes on the musical score.

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI - Review By Greg Klymkiw - Restored on Kino Lorber Blu-Ray

In what manner will the creepy somnambulist
DEFILE this sleeping beauty?

Love? Or LUST?

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Dir. Robert Wiene
Starring: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt,
Friedrich Fehér, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski

Review By Greg Klymkiw

Like many great horror movies, it all begins innocently enough. In a gentle, pastoral setting, two distinguished gentlemen are seated on a bench along a well-manicured pathway flanked by tall, lush bushes. Their conversation is animated and cultured until the men are forced to pause when a stunningly beautiful woman passes by. She's clearly and deeply immersed in her own thoughts - so much so, one might even assume she's in a trance, or sleepwalking.

LOVING CESARE

Whichever it might be, she is all woman and the ethereal countenance she bears is more than enough to have most men locking their gaze upon her with the same intense, almost somnambulistic state she's in herself.

The younger gentleman, Francis (Friedrich Fehér), informs his elderly male companion that this woman is, in fact, Jane (Lil Dagover), his fiancée. The older gent is, like anyone would be, burning with curiosity. Francis willingly obliges the fellow's thirst for added illumination.

So begins our tale proper, as Francis recounts what proves to be a strange and sinister narrative, one that chills to the very bone marrow.

Robert Wiene's great German expressionistic horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, set the bar mighty high for the unique approach to cinema which captured the hearts and minds of movie-goers in the post-WWI Weimar Republic of Germany. This rich artistic period yielded such classic and highly influential films as Nosferatu, still the greatest Dracula of them all, The Golem, the mythic Hebrew legend with shades of "Frankenstein", Waxworks, the truly bizarre anthology of famous creeps in history, Faust, still the ultimate selling-one's-soul-to-the-devil shocker, Dr. Mabuse The Gambler, the thrilling mad genius super-criminal epic, The Holy Mountain, the wacko mountaineering melodrama of jealousy and betrayal starring future notorious propagandist Leni Riefenstahl, Die Nibelungen the monster-and-magic-filled myth of German "superiority", Metropolis, the incredibly prescient science fiction masterpiece, Pandora's Box, a harrowing journey into the clutches of Jack the Ripper, The Blue Angel, the sickening nadir of a man's downfall, M, the horrifying child-molester-killer-thriller, Vampyr, an eerie adaptation of Le Fanu's terrifying short stories "In A Glass Darkly" and finally, just so many more masterworks of the supremely original kind that it's nigh impossible to catalogue the lot of them without several volumes of detailed study.

All were characterized by their use of high contrast, shadows, twisted and/or stunted architecture, madness of the most insidious kind and yes, on frequent occasions, the supernatural. Most were huge box-office hits, at first in Germany and then, the whole world.

In addition to Wiene, the period gave us the immeasurable talents of Fritz Lang, Paul Leni, F.W. Murnau. Josef von Sterberg, Arnold Fanck, Ernst Lubitsch, G.W. Pabst, Carl Dreyer, Leni Riefenstahl and a bevy of filmmakers who broke new ground and shaped cinema worldwide - not only during and just after this period, but astonishingly, forevermore.

The horror films of the 30s and 40s, plus film noir of post-WWII America were, in particular, motivated to pursue new and exciting directions by the expressionists. Even straight-up studio maestros like Clarence Brown, Mervyn LeRoy, John Cromwell and Sam Wood (in addition to so many others), brought dollops of expressionism into their work, no matter what the genre. (And Lord knows, legendary production designer/director William Cameron Menzies, himself so influential, was highly rooted in expressionistic creation.)

Certainly, trying to imagine a contemporary tapestry of cinema without Blade Runner, Sin City, The Crow and virtually any movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock and Tim Burton is impossible to imagine in a world without German expressionism. (Hitchcock's time observing the mighty machine of Germany's UFA studios is clear throughout his entire canon and he might be the clearest example of a bonafide expressionist working consistently during the first two-thirds of the 20th Century.)

Cinematic storytelling during the expressionist period was stuffed to the gills with new and exciting ways of exploring both narrative and thematic concerns. With The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Wiene not only smashed through walls already established in these early days of the art, but he essentially laid down a road map for the rest of the industry in both Germany and the world to follow and use as a springboard.

Using the aforementioned framing device, Wiene simply and elegantly presents us with a tale told through the perspective of its narrator and as such, we're plunged into a nightmare world which may, to varying degrees, feel tempered by the character of the storyteller, and yet, it's a thought that only occasionally skips across our respective cerebella like a neatly thrown stone upon still waters. We're ultimately forced to accept that this is a world that exists within the framework of fairytale and myth and not merely via the words of the tale's teller.

CESARE THE SOMNABULIST

Plunged into his narrative, we're introduced to the wild-eyed, shock-haired, dusty-coated, top-hatted Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) in a sleazy carnival side-show where the mad showman presents Cesare (Conrad Veidt), a sinister, grimly thin, coffin-sleeping somnambulist. Under the hypnotic command of the not-so-good Doctor, Cesare steps out of his box, his constant state of sleep allowing him the uncanny ability to predict the future.

Our loving couple Francis and Jane have attended a performance with their friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski). Creepily, Cesare predicts that Alan's death will arrive swiftly, within the next day. Alan, alas, as per the somnambulist's divination, becomes the first of many who are murdered in the sleepy German village of Holstenwall. Francis and Lily immediately begin to investigate Alan's death. The mostly useless local constabulary are barking up the wrong trees and it's up to our plucky lovebirds to get to the bottom of this grave mystery.

It doesn't, however, take a degree in rocket science to predict that some extremely nasty stuff, fraught (of course) with danger, will assuredly assail our adoring couple.

Given the political backdrop in Germany at this time: rising inflation, widespread disgust over the Government's acquiescence to the victors of WWI and an overwhelming desire for new leadership (who'd turn out to be Adolph Hitler), it's not surprising that much of the evil in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is shrouded in the duplicity of respected public figures who present a side of benevolence to the world, but under the cloak of night and/or disguise, plan to carry out their nefarious schemes involving deceit and treachery. In the case of Caligari himself, this rumpled psychopath is not what he appears to be on the surface and indeed has a dual identity from within which he's able to cloak his madness.

The film is overflowing with one creepy set-piece after another: nail-biting stalking sequences, murders most foul, shadow-enshrouded evil, edge-of-the-seat chases and shocking moments of jaw-dropping revelations. Most importantly is the point of view which not only yields a mediated world, but approaches a final third packed with icy, crazed horror and then delivers a shocking, surprise denouement - one which, if taken literally, offers one level of perfectly acceptable horror, but if taken on a deeper level, yields terror fraught with the monstrous repugnance which was already gripping Weimar Germany and would, in a few short years, transform into the abhorrent reality of The Final Solution.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was the progenitor of a new and exciting cinema that changed the shape of the medium, and did indeed lead the charge of a generation of films which foresaw the groundwork being laid for the most insidious madness and hatred of all. The film's importance artistically, culturally and socially makes it a motion picture to be experienced again and again, but also placed under the microscopic view of insanity incarnate.

THE FILM CORNER RATING: ***** 5-Stars

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is available on Blu-Ray via Kino-Lorber. This is easily one of the best home-entertainment acquisitions one could possibly make. The new 4K restoration of the film has rendered an image that's never looked better and on Blu-Ray, it's utterly eye-popping, especially the clarity of the colour tinting. Added features include: German intertitles with optional English Subtitles, a phenomenal score performed by the Studio For Film Music at the University of Music, Freiburg (and for those so inclined, which I'll admit I was not, a separate score-track presented by DJ Spooky), a fine essay in booklet form by Kristin Thompson, an extensive image gallery, a fascinating demonstration of the restoration and the pièce de résistance, the brilliant 52-minute documentary Caligari: How Horror Came to the Cinema. In Canada, the Kino Lorber edition is available via VSC (Video Services Corp.)

THE PENALTY - Review By Greg Klymkiw - Lon Chaney is one of the best screen actors of all time. His performance as the deformed Blizzard is preserved on this gorgeous BluRay/DVD by KinoLorber

"Crying won't help, talking might."

The Penalty (1920) *****
dir. Wallace Worsley
Starring: Lon Chaney, Claire Adams, Charles Clary, Ethel Grey Terry

Review By Greg Klymkiw

Imagine the horror.

One day you're a happy-go-lucky kid from a well-to-do San Francisco family and the next you wake up from an anesthetic-induced slumber to discover you've been transformed into a deformed, legless freak. This is what they call a living nightmare - one that will last the rest of your life. Even worse, you overhear the senior surgeon chastising the junior surgeon for accidentally performing unnecessary amputations.

"Good God, you should not have operated," the senior doctor says to the flabbergasted young surgeon. "You've mangled this child for life."

Now you know for sure.

Your legs could and indeed SHOULD have been spared.

What happens to you, now?

Many years later, far from the hearth of your family's home, you live amidst the squalor of seedy bars and whorehouses within a radius of several city blocks, the notorious Pacific Avenue leading directly from the waterfront to provide a myriad of opportunities for sailors and dock workers to engage in all manner of sinful and sordid activities. However, unlike the shady denizens of the Barbary Coast you now call home, you wear only the finest tailored clothes and in spite of the knurled stumps below your thighs, jammed into a pair of steel legs, you've clearly acquired considerable power and respect - even though it's amongst the scum of the Earth.

Your name is now Blizzard (Lon Chaney) and you're hellbent on both revenge and masterminding a massive criminal coup to bring the City of San Francisco to its knees. You're one mean, downright reprehensible son of a bitch. Every woman you cast your eyes upon, no matter what their station, become your whore and anyone - ANYONE!!! - who dares cross you or fuck you up will die.

"Laughter burns a cripple like acid."

The Penalty, directed by Wallace Worsley (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Ace of Hearts) and co-written by Gouverneur Morris (adapted from his famous and utterly insane novel) with ace adaptation specialist Charles Kenyon (A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Petrified Forest, The Iron Horse), is one lollapalooza of a crime picture.

Sumptuously shot and cut with a blistering pace, it's not only a movie that knocks you on your duff, chills you to the bone and at times, totally creeps you out, but is infused with elements of tragedy that even move you. Though Blizzard is one of the most foul creatures put on celluloid, the astonishing performance by Lon Chaney, Worsley's terse, brilliant direction and a screenplay that takes one unpredictable turn after another ultimately yields a picture that manages to rip humanity out of the soul of its main character.

While you're not necessarily rooting for him, you come to recognize elements of redemption dangling in front of him and you're riveted by the hope (against hope) that he'll grab one of the olive branches extended by the universe to lift him out of the grime to remove even one or two black spots on his tortured soul.

And what a tortured soul Chaney creates. When a young artist seeks the ultimate model for a sculpture of "Satan After The Fall", she takes one look at Blizzard's mug with its horrendous sneer and eyes radiating a mixture of hatred and agony, and knows instantly, he's the one.

She sees him as a "model". We, however, have already seen several instances of Blizzard conducting himself with Satanic gusto during the perpetration of cruel and criminal actions. In fact, his treatment of a woman who betrays him, but realizes too late that she loves him is akin to a psychologically abusive pulling the wings off a fly until finally, he warns his slaves (yes, slaves!) that she "now sleeps on a marble slab".

Chaney as Blizzard is no mere movie villain. He infuses the role with pure, unadulterated evil and hatred. He's beyond bad, beyond creepy, beyond villainous - he's fucking scary. And finally, what makes him scary is the humanity he pulls from the depths of the character.

When Blizzard declares that "Laughter burns a cripple like acid," we're alternately moved and horrified. We dare not doubt for a second that he's been the target of endless derision and at the same time, we know what lengths he'll go to in order to avenge the butchery perpetrated upon him - first with the literal butcher and then with the whole world.

Murderer, thief, pimp and white slaver. Blizzard's body is not only twisted, so is his soul.

And the sheer physicality of the role is a marvel to behold. We have no doubt Blizzard is legless. Chaney clearly underwent endless pain to keep both legs tucked and burrowed deep into the steel legs. Every move, every breath and every step he takes seems genuinely wracked with utter agony. Even more tragic are the very few moments where Chaney's eyes reveal brief sadness, regret and yes, even a deep-seeded tenderness that creeps out from within his soul.

Chaney really was a great actor and he had so much to offer in film after film. For me, he truly is one of the actors who defines the very notion of what it is to deliver a full-on, full-blown screen performance. Known as the "Man of a Thousand Faces", Chaney used his astounding prowess with makeup effects to apply physical manifestations to his "look" for every role so he could go a few steps further to embody whatever character he played.

The Penalty is a bonafide classic of cinema. The picture is so riveting and skilfully wrought that at times, it's hard to fathom that the movie is over 90-years-old. Though the film is silent (this should be enough to betray its age), the expert storytelling, the crazily inspired writing and Worsley's superb direction all conspire to render a picture that feels far ahead of its time.

So much of this feeling comes from Chaney himself.

The camera loved him.

More importantly, Chaney loved the camera.

"The Penalty" is available on Kino-Lorber. Mastered in HD from a 35mm restoration by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department and featuring an astounding new musical score by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, this is a Blu-Ray to cherish. It also includes surviving footage of Chaney's now-lost "The Miracle Man". "By the Sun's Rays", a very cool 1914 one-reel western with Chaney as an unlikely thief is on the disc as well as vintage original trailers from "The Big City" and "While The City Sleeps". Feel free to order the film from the handy links below. Great prices and you'll also be supporting the maintenance of this site if you do so.