La Atlántida

Might be good but was WAY too slow even for my silent film taste. The first quarter could have been 15 Minutes before The Queen shows up. Bored... quite a lot. Sorry.

Jacques Feyder's name became a household name in France with the release of his June 1921 "L'Atlantide." Taken from the Pierre Benoit 1919 novel of the same name, "L'Atlantide" has been remade a number of times since, from G. W. Pabst's version all the way to 1992 with Spanish actor Fernando Rey. Feyder's original film proved to be a big hit in Europe, with one Parisian movie theatre running the movie for over a year. Despite its three hour length, the movie had distributors from the United States vieing for its national exclusivity.

The plot consists of two French officers, lost in the Sahara desert, stumbling upon the lost civilization of Atlantis. Its ageless queen, Antinea, rules over the kingdom. She has a strange hobby of collecting lovers and encasing them in gold when she gets tired of them. Antinea stirs up trouble between the two officers, setting off a turmoil-rich battle.

Feyder persuaded the financial backers to film the entire movie in Algiers, including the interior scenes. "L'Atlantide" is the first French production to be shot in its colony. A number of film productions from France have since journied to Algiers for its unique backdrops. The one aspect that upset Feyder when beginning the shoot was actress Stacia Napierkowsk, who played the queen. She had a long resume as a famous lithesome dancer possessing attractive features which she displayed in a number of movies. When she first appeared on the set, Feyder's eyes popped out seeing her rather large frame. He had to live with that fact, prompting one French critic to write, "There is one great actor in this film, that is the sand."

When you watch as many silent films as I do, it's always exciting and gratifying to make a new discovery that's truly worthwhile. This movie is featured in the three disc set REDISCOVERING JACQUES FEYDER, FRENCH FILM MASTER. I knew of Feyder's name from the Greta Garbo vehicle THE KISS (1929) which was her last silent film. He also made the German version of Garbo's ANNA CHRISTIE (1930).

L'ATLANTIDE(The Mistress of Atlantis) is sometimes known in English as MISSING HUSBANDS. It dates from 1921 and is the first film version of Pierre Benoit's adventure novel about 2 French officers who discover a lost civilization in the Sahara Desert ruled by a mysterious and imperious woman. It is so similar to H. Rider Haggard's SHE that the author sued and won but that didn't hurt its popularity.

L'ATLANTIDE follows in the exotic footsteps of Louis Feuillade (FANTOMAS, JUDEX, LES VAMPIRES) and Fritz Lang's THE SPIDERS. Although very long at 163 minutes (it was originally 212 minutes), I couldn't stop watching it thanks to the incredible location photography in the Sahara desert, visually striking art direction, and the overwrought intensity of the performances which all combine into a remarkable piece of cinematic storytelling.

Some reviewers have criticized Stacia Napierkowska's title character as being too hefty to be a sex symbol but if you study your French Postcards that was the norm in those days. Think of Theda Bara in slightly less clothing. Stacia's no Brigitte Helm (METROPOLIS) to be sure but I found this film more engaging than G. W. Pabst's 1932 version of the same story starring Helm which is also known as L'ATLANTIDE..

The movie has been lovingly restored by no less than 4 European film archives and is presented by silent movie specialists Lobster Films of Paris. It is color tinted (though a little over-saturated at times which can be corrected by adjusting your set) and features a new score from Eric le Guen...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

The first adaptation of Pierre Benoit's 1919 adventure novel QUEEN OF ATLANTIS. A couple of unlucky Legionaires discover what's left of the lost Atlantis in the Sahara and come up against its perversely self-centered and sexually insatiable queen. Only one succumbs much to her chagrin and the trouble begins...

When his book was first published, Benoit was accused of plagiarizing H. Rider Haggard's SHE so he sued, of course, and lost but his variation's a fun fantasy yarn anyway. This tinted silent could have been imaginatively directed by famed auteur Jacques Feyder, but, alas, it's not and, unfortunately, it goes on forever. The queensize leading lady's definitely a liability in a pivotal role. The tale's been filmed many times since, including a 1932 W.G. Pabst version in both English and French, the 1948 Hollywood opus SIREN OF ATLANTIS with Maria Montez, and Edgar G. Ulmer's updating to the atomic age, JOURNEY BENEATH THE DESERT in 1961. Any one of them are an improvement.

Longhaired youngsters tend to believe that the aristocratic life is dissipated, eccentric and decadent and although that usual thinking is almost true, this German count finds life very hard, especially when it comes to combining his love of silents and his fondness for drinking. Such complications!

However, sometimes, among the nitrates settled at the Schloss cellar, a superb silent film comes along that gives the chance for this German count to enjoy, finally and the same time, both his beloved hobbies. One such film is "L'Atlantide", directed by Herr Jacques Feyder ( the perfect reason to enjoy this silent film ). The film tells the story of two French officers, Captain Morhange ( Herr Jean Angelo ) and Lieutenant Saint-Avit ( Herr Georges Melchior ) who get lost in the Sahara desert ( giving this German count the excuse to drink cocktails nonstop because of the dry setting ) and become the prisoners of the mysterious Queen of Atlantis, Dame Antinea ( Dame Stacia Napierkowska ).

This excellent film, directed by one of the most important silent French directors of his time, is full of mystery, comradeship, unrequited loves and jealousies, not to mention that it is a superb adventure film based on the successful novel by Herr Pierre Benoît and mixes all the ingredients successfully.

The story of the film is related as a long flashback ( as long as the oeuvre, almost 3 hours but the audience doesn't notice ) in which strange happenings and mysterious adventures will be suffered by our heroes in the desert ( Herr Feyder filmed in the Sahara desert itself, an audacious move for those early times ) and in the mysterious Atlantis.

Besides the enthralling Sahara scenery ( a main character in itself ) the film also had lavish settings that give the kingdom of Atlantis a fascinating and at the same time a dangerous feeling . And of course there is the cruel Queen Antinea, a kind of mantis whose charms no man can resist ( well, Herr Morhange seems more interested in his companion that in the exuberant Queen… ). Some compelling moments, such as the death of Captain Morhange and the inevitable disappearance of the city of Gôa, give the film a lyrical and disturbing atmosphere of misfortune that fits perfectly. "L'Atlantide" emerges as a film about earthly but lost paradises, especially with that evocative and magnificent scene that closes the film.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must fall into the arms of that wicked Queen.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/