L'abîme

It has only been in recent years that some of Ernst Lubitsch's silent films have become available on video. They prove that "the man with the golden touch" certainly had it before his more famous films of the 30's and 40's. I was unfamiliar with ETERNAL LOVE until this VHS/DVD incarnation and based on the few reviews I had seen I wasn't expecting much. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found myself totally captivated. I thought the four principals all gave fine performances (especially John Barrymore) and the photography (shot in the Canadian Rockies) was some of the best I've seen in an American silent film. The ending ,while not unexpected, still managed to have a terrific impact. Of the 3 Lubitsch silents I have seen (THE STUDENT PRINCE IN OLD HEIDELBERG and THE MARRIAGE CIRCLE are the other 2), this one tops the list. My thanks to the UCLA Film and Television Archive and to Milestone Films for making it available on video.

Eternal Love (1929)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A strong cast saves this melodrama from pretty much killing itself. Set in Switzerland, the rebel Marcus (John Barrymore) would do anything for the woman (Camilla Horn) he loves but in a drunken state he sleeps with another. The Reverend makes Marcus marry this woman, which might be the end of his relationship with his true love but soon fate steps in. This later day silent isn't nearly as bad as one might think but there's no question that the screenplay goes overboard on the melodrama and the questionable ending almost kills things. I think fans of the stars as well as the director will want to check this film out but it's questionable what impact it will have on them. We'll start with Barrymore but he once again turns in a very strong performance and you can't help but feel that he is this character. I thought he handled the more athletic aspects of the film quite well and he certainly knows how to milk every ounce of drama out of a scene. Just check out his eyes during the scene where he's forced to marry the woman he doesn't love. Horn is also very good in her role as she perfectly captures the innocence of her character and Mona Rico is pitch-perfect as the "other" woman with the more sexual nature. Speaking of sex, this film offers quite a bit of stuff that would certainly not be film-able in upcoming years including the sexual act while Barrymore is drunk off his mind. We even have the two married people coming together towards the end, which is yet another act that would have been looked down on. Lubitsch's direction handles everything fairly well but what really impressed me were the visuals. There are several tracking shots that look incredibly good including one where we follow Barrymore walking through the mountains. The performances and direction make this worth sitting through but I'm sure many will be howling at the ending. The silent film was released with a Movie Tone track, which includes the music as well as several sound effects including wind gusts, knocking, gun shots and a few other things.

Firstly, although Lubitsch had a pretty broad repertoire when it came to genres, there was nothing much he could bring to this particular one. The whole thing was already laid out for him, with the great settings (very convincing Swiss village and mountain scenery), and the whole story in place. Perhaps the one most significant thing one could attribute to Lubitsch was the shot of a lusting Barrymore panning slowly to the pile of clothes (I'll say no more so as not to spoil it). But the other odd thing was Barrymore, for me miscast as a pining young Swiss mountaineer. I think Lubitsch would have done better to cast Ramon Novarro, whom he had already used so beautifully in "The Student Prince." In short, the film is just a bit off kilter. Also contributing to the oddness is the film score of Hugo Riesenfeld, who contented himself with endless repetitions of two Brahms pieces, a piano intermezzo and the song "Von ewiger Liebe" (appropriately "About eternal love"), both rescored for orchestra. Were these at Lubitsch's suggestion? In the end, I'm wondering if the studio was trying to emulate some of those Heimatfilme being made in Austria and Germany by the likes of Leni Riefensthal.

Ernst Lubitsch had directed his last silent movie earlier in 1929, his May 1929's "Eternal Love." John Barrymore stars as a Swiss mountain man who lives off the land by hunting prey with his trusty rifle. He finds himself in trouble when the French army demands everyone in the city turn in their firearms. He refuses, sending its entire city's residents against him. The Hans Kraly script, adapted from Jakob Christoph Heer's novel, 'Der Korig der Bemina,' involves a love-triangle. German actress Camilla Horn pays Ciglia, who loves Marcus (Barrymore). However, the lusty Pia (Mona Rico) literally throws her body at Marcus. In a weak moment, he succumbs to her advances. This was Mona Rico's cinematic debut. The Mexican-born actress was in ten films before leaving the industry in 1941.

The storyline, despite not being a typical Lubitsch rom-com, had its advantages in production. The German director got to film in the stunning mountains of Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, bringing home memories of his days in the Alps. As with most directors in the last year of silent movies, Lubitsch showed an extreme comfort level by photographing one of his most visually stunning features he ever made. "Eternal Love" demonstrated that cameras without the hindrance of early cumbersome sound equipment could be transported to any geographical setting to achieve eye-popping results.

Ernst Lubitsch was one of the great masters of cinema - and his silent films are every bit as good as his talkies.

ETERNAL LOVE is one of the most passionate and moving love stories I have ever seen - with an ending that made me gasp.

John Barrymore gives one of his best ever performances here, and I now understand why he was considered such a matinee idol. Camilla Horn is also extraordinary, and possesses a rare and fragile beauty. In fact all the performances are great.

Silent films convey the passion of love so much more convincingly than most talkies. Somehow words often make this sort of intense passion comical on the screen. But here, with a divine original music score, the love is magical. Lubitsch had his "touch" in drama as much as in comedy. SEE THIS FILM!!!