THE BLUE EAGLE (1926)
Starring: George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, William Russell, Margaret Livingston, Robert Edeson, Philip Ford, David Butler, Lew Short, Ralph Sipperly, Jerry Madden
Writer: Gordon Rigby (based on the story "The Lord's Referee" by Gerald Beaumont
Cinematography: George Schneiderman
Music: SILENT (uncredited piano score)
B&W, 58m. 1.33:1 presentation.
Released on: September 12, 1926 by Fox Film Corporation
My experience: YouTube
There's a good movie in here somewhere. There are probably two good movies in here somewhere. But when they've been jammed together in a film that runs less than an hour, it's a bit of a schizophrenic experience.
I don't think I'll give this film a proper review, as it is missing at least 10 minutes of footage (what would have probably been the most impressive footage of all -- a battleship duel -- which is tragic, as the rest of the film is shot in a fairly pedestrian way). Print damage is also quite extensive, although when compared to the surviving print of Cameo Kirby, this is almost a 4K experience!
In The Blue Eagle, which starts off as a tribute to the United States Navy before shifting gears and going somewhere else entirely, George O'Brien and William Russell are George Darcy and Big Tim Ryan, respectively, two sailors in the Navy at the beginning of American involvement in World War I (November 1917). The two have an antagonistic relationship due to them both being hot on Rose Kelly (Janet Gaynor), who encourages both of them. The ship's chaplain, Father Joe (Robert Edeson) sets up a boxing match between them, hoping that a healthy sparring match will be helpful rather than hurtful but before that happens, their battleship comes under attack (this and who knows what else comprises the roughly ten minutes of the film that is lost to time). Unfortunately one of their shipmates perishes in the battle.
Back in New York City after the war, the two try to reenter society as cops. George's brother Limpy (Philip Ford) seems to be using, and with their mother (and presumably father as well) having passed on, it's up to George to try and keep him on the straight and narrow. Meanwhile Big Tim and his gang, including Nick "Dizzy" Galvani and Slats "Dip" Mulligan (David Butler and Ralph Sipperly, respectively), who are also friendly with George, are making life hard for George. Meanwhile, Rose's father, Sergeant Kelly (Lew Short), launches an investigation into a gang that's peddling drugs, and the trail leads back to Limpy. An offshore submarine full of drugs, a hidden cave full of explosives and a forced partnership between our two male leads ends up happily ever after, with one of our boys winning the hand of Rose and the other hooking up with Mrs Mary Rohan (Margaret Livingston), the widow of the friend who died, with Baby Tom (Jerry Madden) thrown into the mix for good measure.
If this all sounds confusing, it is. That being said, while this movie is a mishmash of unbelievable events, it's still somewhat entertaining. It'll pass the time for an hour if you're a classic film buff, that's for sure. It occupies a strange place in history, as Fox had literally just released 3 Bad Men - at that time one of his more acclaimed features - in theatres just two weeks earlier, and in just twelve months Gaynor and O'Brien would star in what to me is one of the greatest Hollywood silents, FW Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. In between those two milestones, however, that trio combined to produce an odd pastiche of military tribute, truncated war film, and pre-noir cop adventure, with a little bit of oiled up, brawling sailors and a half-hearted attempt at love wins all at the end. Not a great film, especially from an artist like Ford, but it never becomes boring!
*** no star rating given due to this being an incomplete film ***
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