MissSimonetta ... and I'm grateful, but this was lackluster.Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino are both excellent actors with good looks and charisma to spare. It's a shame they have no chemistry at all, devolving what was already uninspired material into a boring soap opera. The whole movie consists of the well groomed young lovers standing about in expensive formal wear, staring at each other with yearning while Gloria's unattractive husband lumbers about unaware. There's no eroticism or risqué material to liven anything up. Two rescue scenes and a flashback with Rudy and Gloria dressed in 18th century finery do spice things up a little, but they can't save the film from being anything other than a snoozer. Still, it's worth seeing once.

MarieGabrielle Gloria Swanson looks lovely and young here as Theodora, an ingénue with no money who marries businessman Josiah Brown so she may help her dear father. For the era, the film is remarkably effective, the rice throwing scene as she departs, to go to Europe with her new husband. Even while black and white and digitally restored yet bruised film, the visuals are quite interesting.Rudolph Valentino as Lord Bracondale is quite attractive. It is subtle, he meets her through the Tyrolean honeymoon, the smell of narcissus on her handkerchief reminds him of.....something....Of course all is above board and nothing happens for quite some that is untoward.What is lovely about this film is the visual sense of eroticism and romance. We do not see this today. It is subtle, no screaming, psycho-drama or histrionics. It is, in a sense the way some real romance and infidelity may be played out. Theodora loves Lord Bracondale but remains faithful to elderly and infirm duffer Josiah Brown.Eventually we see Josiah financing a safari to Algeria as he chooses to do so to rid his wife of the stigma of being married to an older, less virile man. He acquires a small legion of Algerian soldiers on an archaeological mission, but there is danger and Theodora decides to follow him.There are some innovative scenes of the Algerian desert and an archaeological site which several explorers note was a "torture site for an unfaithful woman, as from the Bible". It is stark and desolate desert, evoking barren emotions, barren marriage.I found this film charming and visual. Romantic comedies today are saccharine and trite. While some of the cinematography is rudimentary it far surpasses what passes for romantic interlude today.Please watch and Gloria Swanson looks lovely. 8/10.

ichimaru This movie astounded me. Something of this age should probably be tedious or dull, but not once did I feel bored -- quite the opposite in fact. It really touched me deeply and as someone who isn't such a huge fan of romance or silent films, that's saying something. Then again, my experience in silent films is limited mostly to Lassie, some western, and Fatty Arbuckle comedies. I suppose this is a sign that I should watch more.Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino had such amazing chemistry. The tragic love between Theodora and Hector is so palpable. But it isn't just the young lovers who shine in their roles. Robert Bolder as Josiah Brown was deeply affecting in his acting. Originally, we are less than sympathetic to Josiah and that is how it's supposed to be! But Josiah is so much deeper than he first appears: a man we initially mistook for a villain of sorts is as sensitive and caring as the woman he loves. His sympathy towards the Egyptian girl shows us that he sees himself as we had seen first seen him and at the same time proves to us that he is not the man we had mistaken him for. It was an oddly noble part from what was believed to be a very ignoble character and that alone made the film all the more sweeter.His death and his blessing for Theodora and Hector come in the same swift moment. It is a very powerful scene and even as we know he has died, we still sit on edge, hoping against hope and knowing it's not so. His death enables his beloved Theodora to find the happiness she had given up on. I don't mean to offend fans of contemporary film when I say this, but I haven't felt so touched by a character death in years.The musical composition also lends its part into making this a masterpiece. The lilting, almost haunting tune that guides us through the events of this film sets a mood that is undeniably seductive to us all. It pulls you in and moves you to the edge of your seat with the suspense it evokes. It deepens the experience so much, despite the clashing setting of 1920s England.Although I do not consider the sections of the film where it is so dissolved with age and tear to be bad, there are other things that make me hold back from the full ten stars. Gloria Swanson in particular is much too made up even when portraying a young girl. She is far more prettier than the heavily made-up portrayal of Theodora. I felt the attempt to make her look girlish was practically unbearable and her true beauty was dulled under a layer of the dark black. The shame! The text was also a bit of a mistake in my opinion. It felt far too modern and never fit in with the film itself. Times New Roman or another font would have suited better.Still a great movie and even suitable for younger viewers.

Craig Smith Hector has had many affairs. None of them really meant anything to him. Then he met Theodora while she was on her honeymoon. He falls for her and she falls for him. Yet Theodora recognizes that this is a love that cannot be. The movie has many effective scenes that show very clearly the love each feels for the other. No words are needed, no cue cards are needed.Yet she is torn between her love for Hector and her vows to Josiah. Such a conflict that love can bring. What adds to this is that I believe she also has grown to at least care for Josiah and maybe even some level of love. Still, her vows are important to her. So important that she intends to leave Hector forever.But Josiah finds out about her love for Hector. And he loves her so much that he is willing to sacrifice his love so that she can be happy. So often it seems we hurt those we love (or are hurt by them) and yet we are also willing to give up everything for the person we love so that they can be happy. And, in the end, is that not what love is?