Scott Lord Silent Film: Lon Chaney in The Ace of Hearts (Worsley, 1921)

During 1921 Wallace Worsley directed Lon Chaney with actress Leatrice Joy. "The Ace of Hearts" was photographed by cameraman Don Short.

Lon Chaney

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Scott Lord Silent Film: Lon Chaney in Oliver Twist (Frank Lloyd, 1922)

Frank Lloyd directed and co-scripted with Harry Weil the film "Oliver Twist" for First National during 1922. Lon Chaney stars in the film with child actor Jackie Coogan. Robert G. Anderson, in his volume Faces, Forms, Films, the artistry of Lon Chaney gives an account of Chaney having frightened the child star as The Man of a Thousand Faces. Anderson places a description of Lon Chaney's portrayal of Fagin in a section concerned with with Age and Make Up. "The make up must indicate age as well as the physical characteristics...The actor must determine how he can reveal the personality and background of the character." Anderson explains the use of combinations of aluminum powder for grey or white hair, a lining pencil to delineate wrinkles, grease paint and putty.

"Oliver Twist" was photographed by cameramen Glenn McWilliams and Rober Martin.
In addition to starring in the film “Oliver Twist” (eight reels), during 1922 Lon Chaney appeared in two films that are now lost, “Blind Bargain” (Wallace Worsley) in which he starred with Jacqueline Logan and “Quincy Adams Sawyer” (Clarence G. Badger, eight reels), in which he starred with Blanche Sweet and Barbara LaMar. That year Lon Chaney also starred in "Shadows" (Tom Forman) with actress Margueritte De Le Motte and "A Light in the Dark" (Clarence Brown) with actress Hope Hampton.

Lon Chaney


Lon Chaney

Scott Lord Silent Film: Lon Chaney in While the City Sleeps (Jack Conway...

Biographer Robert G. Anderson, in his his volume Faces, Forms and Films, the artistry of Lon Chaney, describes the portrayals made by the Man of A Thousand Faces, including thos in which he used little or no make up. "For roles in which Lon Chaney appeared without make up are as intersting as those in which he appeared with it. He was always in character; his own personality was subordinated. His mannerisms, guestures, expressions belonged to the character; as did the dress, the detective in 'While the City Sleeps' though neatly dressed, was probably too absorbed in his job to notice the spot on his vest, probably the result of a hurried breakfast." Still, the diegetic world being visual, one might ask if the spot had merely been placed the by the director as a reference for the cameraman.

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Scott Lord Silent Film: Lon Chaney in He Who Gets Slapped (Victor Seastr...

Scholar

Bo Florin points out that a famikar image in "He Who Gets Slapped" (seven reels), directed by Victor Sjostrom is referred to in the cutting continuity script as the "Symbolic Clown", the isolated character dressed in white recurrently appearing spinning his ball. Florin looks at the function of this image within the narrative as bookending sequences with a direct adress to the audience. Albeit while blogging David Bordwell notes that the film was a great success, mostly due to the emerging talent of Lon Chaney, he does in fact give the film only a brief mention when looking at Scandinavia's Golden Age of Silent Film Drawing to a Close, which can very much be attributed to Victor Sjostrom and Mauritz Stiller both coming to America.

As film criticism often inludes audience reception on the part of the journalist-spectator, it may be worth looking at fan magazines from the first-run of the film, not so much for the public sphere of reception, which perhaps includes the art house, but for the public dimension. Picture Play Magazine wrote of Lon Chaney, "As the loveable clown in the Metro-Goldwyn feature 'He Who Gets Slapped' he gives a achara terization of rare qualities and when he dies he pulls your heart strings untill the really break."

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Scott Lord Silent Film: Lon Chaney in Mr. Wu (William Nigh, 1927)

Scott Lord Silent Film: Lon Chaney in The Scarlet Car (DeGrasse, 1917)

Directed by Joseph de Grasse during 1917, "The Scarlet Claw" starred Lon Chaney, Franklin Farnum and Edith Johnson.

During 1917, Joseph de Grasse also directed Franklin Farnum and Lon Chaney in the film "Anything Once", with actress Marjorie Lawrence. Although the film is not yet presumed to be lost, it is unknown if any copies now survive.

Silent Film

Lon Chaney

Lon Chaney

Scott Lord Silent Film: Lon Chaney in The Trap (Thomby, 1922)

"The Trap" (six reels) by directed by Robert Thorby featured both actors Lon Chaney and Lon Chaney Jr. The scenario of "The Trap" was written by George C. Hull from a story by Lon Chaney. The film was photographed by cameraman Virgil Miller. Lon Chaney.

Lon Chaney

Lon Chaney Movie Posters

Scott Lord Silent Film: Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik (Melford,1921)

The 1921 Photoplay review of "The Sheik", starring Rudolph Valentino and Agnes Ayers may or may not infact seem cryptic to modern readers, "For the glamor and beauty of the desert, the colorful costumes, the real love story lend themselves to shadows...The whole is more or less a tangible version of 'Pale hands I love, beside the Shalimar, where are you now, who lies beneath thy spell.' But we wonder what the censors will do to to it."

silent film

Rudolph Valentino