thinbeach With one night in town while the ship is at port, we follow our lead stoker into a world of bars, brutes, brawls and bawdiness, where the only objective is to have a good time, all else be damned, which you get the sense has happened many times before, at many cities around the world, whenever they get a night at port. When a young woman attempts suicide by jumping into the water, our stoker dives in to save her, and thus begins a very unromantic love tale. Being who he is, this is seen only as an opportunity to bed her, and being promiscuous herself, she is only too happy to go along with it.In a strange twist that doesn't make a lot of sense, they decide to get married then and there in the bar, and lo and behold, a paster just happens to be in the vicinity, and lo and behold, he just happens to agree to the ceremony, despite being opposed to the idea, and despite their not having the license! Apparently everyone considers this a great deal of fun - well, I guess they're all drunk!The next day we are supposed to get the idea the two of them have changed their ways, and this hasty, illegal, drunken marriage was actually the best thing for them. He leaves her to get back on the ship, before suddenly deciding the stoking life is not for him anymore, and swims back to shore. In the meantime she has been arrested for the possession of clothes he stole for her, but is saved by his reappearance and admittance of guilt, and they are for sure going to live happily ever after, just as soon as he's served his stint in jail.Poor as the story is, I still highly recommend 'The Docks of New York' on account of the first 30 odd minutes, by which point the plot hasn't yet completely disintegrated, and are some of the most beautiful put to film. The fire steamed boat, the smokey bar and the misty dock create a wonderfully hazy atmosphere, seducing us into this messy world far more convincingly than the characters seduce each other. If only they had ended it then, it would have been a classic.

judy t This film is perfect. It's about 2 people meeting, falling into something like love, and deciding to spend their future together. It had a few more subtitles than needed, a common irritant with silents, but some of the dialogue cards actually - surprise - enhanced the viewing experience by highlighting Bill and Mae's basically decent characters.This is one of the 3 Von Sternberg silents reissued by Criterion. I like 'Underworld' a lot, but I'm head-over-heels with 'Docks', due primarily to George Bancroft. No one else could have played Bill as well. Not Beery, not McLaglen. This is an example of an actor and a role fitting like a glove. And the same goes for Betty Compson playing Mae, a gal who, to put it mildly, is down on her luck. Mutually attracted as they are, but each cautious, they circle around, taking the other's measure. As Mae says, "You ain't so bad, Bill." And she's spot on in summing him up.Bill is a hard-drinking, brawling big hunk of masculinity who's confident in who he is, his physical strength, and his chosen life. He's a no longer young man who's at peace with himself and his place in the world. He has a work ethic - "I've never missed a ship sailing in my life" - and pride in his job, back-breaking labor that will use him up before he's 40. When Bill says to Mae, "I never done a decent thing in my life", he looks like he means it when he says it, but we know differently.A few years earlier female hearts beat faster watching Valentino sweep Vilma Banky off her feet. But Valentino, wonderfully watchable as he is, is make believe, whereas Bancroft is the real thing. But how will Bill make a living after giving up his life at sea? That's not in the script, but because we care what happens to these 2, my guess is he and Mae will scrape together a few dollars somehow and open their own bar along the docks of New York.

drednm What a treat this tough, realistic movie is. George Bancroft, Betty Compson, and Olga Baclanova are all great is this cynical yet tender story of the waterfront.Director Josef von Sternberg fills a simple tale with pathos and great atmosphere. Tough stoker Bancroft rescues a girl (Compson) from a suicide attempt and "marries" her for a night of fun. But he gets involved in a web of murder, thievery, and drunkenness.When Norma Desmond said "we had faces then" in Sunset Boulevard (and yes I know it was Gloria Swanson), Betty Compson was at the top of the list. With her big eyes and crooked mouth, Compson was expert at expressing emotion with a twist of the mouth, a flick of the eyelashes. She is wonderful here as Mae, the waterfront gal. Bancroft is also terrific as the big lug who falls hard for Mae. And Baclanova, best remembered for "Freaks" is a dynamo as the wronged wife.Great scenes of water and fog and birds serve as a backdrop to the drama that enfolds.Bancroft and Compson won Oscar nominations in the early days of the award and are pretty much forgotten now, but they serve up sparks here in this terrific film. A must see!

Snow Leopard There are quite a few strengths that make this silent melodrama work so well. It has a well-crafted story that moves at a good pace and efficiently uses each minute of screen time. It is very well-acted, especially by George Bancroft and Betty Compson. Compson's performance, in particular, deserves much more praise and recognition than it has received, either at the time or now. Finally, the dockside atmosphere is interesting and convincing, besides being an integral part of the story.Bancroft has a role that is particularly well-suited to him, and he does a fine job in the part. Compson has a challenging role, since she must make her character attractive yet lonely and miserable, and somewhat disreputable yet completely sympathetic, for the story to work. She gives an excellent performance in every respect, and Bancroft plays off of her character quite well. There are some fine moments in which their characters' rough edges contend with their own gentler and nobler instincts. Thus the unlikely attachment between the two not only works well, but draws you in and makes you care about them quite a bit.The supporting cast gives good performances as well, with Olga Baclanova especially good in a role that is essential to the story. Mitchell Lewis is suitably brutish as the heavy, and Clyde Cook is quite believable as Bancroft's nervous pal.Josef von Sternberg also tied together all of these strengths in an efficient and effective package, making every scene count and making you feel as if you were there on the docks with the characters. It's a fine melodrama by any standard, and is well worth seeing for anyone who enjoys silent movies.