A Fool There Was

Theda Bara plays The Vampire in this early film about a man who gets whisked away from his loving family by a seductress.

This isn't a brilliant film, I have to admit. A lot of it doesn't quite work so well.

I'll start with Bara, who is the main reason to watch. As soon as she appears on-screen, you get an idea of why she was such a star.

A fabulous presence throughout, she sells her role so well with the little things. Like how, when a man pulls a gun on her, she smiles at him, her body showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, she taunts him, and we don't need titles to tell us this.

It's a terrible shame so much of her work was lost. And that Hollywood was so awful to her, for her talents could surely have made her a star - had the studios been willing to help her instead of dropping her immediately.

As for the rest of the film, it is messy, at best. None of the other actors are very good. They seem on the level of very amateur dramatics, and you can hardly tell what they're doing, were it not for the inter-titles.

The direction and staging is almost non-existent, with overcrowded, messy shots that don't convey any emotion. It gives the whole film the feel of a home movie someone shot, interesting only for the period which it is in.

I realise a lot of this can be put down to how early the film is. The crew were still coming to grips to with the technology, and they would learn fast.

There are a few really well composed shots, but they are not in service of anything. They're there to look pretty.

Bara manages to take control of the screen when she's on it. Holding attention and actually acting with her entire being, much like Lon Chaney used to do. No one else in the cast does this.

The wife is ineffectual. The brother is just a man. The sister an idiot that falls out of a car for some reason I still don't quite understand.

All this leads to a somewhat listless film. Any scene in which Bara is absent may as well be skipped, for it is either of the wife being sad or the child playing with the butler. Visual storytelling is wholly absent.

All in all, see it for Bara alone, but don't be surprised if the rest of the picture doesn't live up to expectations

I also find it entertaining how The Fool is ostracised from society for having a mistress, when I am sure that he would be perfectly fine. A rich man taking a mistress would hardly have led to his servants quitting or a decline in his social standing. His wife and mistress would surely have suffered, but the man would have been fine.

Theda Bara's films are practically all lost due to a vault fire at Fox in the 1930's. This is the only commercially available film of hers that I am aware, and I found it interesting even if somewhat flawed.

Bara herself is terrific as "The Vampire" and she is so in both known meanings of that word. She seems to be irresistible to every man she sets her sights on while draining them of life or any will of their own. As she sets her sights on wealthy lawyer John Schuyler, we see a beggar in the street who apparently was one of her past victims, and in the present there is young Reginal Parmalee who seems to think of nothing but winning Bara's character back. Nobody seems to be able to pull it together after she's crossed their path. To make her more of a seemingly supernatural dehumanizing force she is given no name - just "the woman".

The best part of this film is her performance and that of Edward Jose as Schulyer. The man literally ages before your eyes and goes from a vital man in the prime of life to a frail looking alcoholic who appears to be in his 60's as he falls prey to "the woman".

What is not so good is that some of the subplots are a bit confusing. In particular, there is quite a bit of correspondence going back and forth between Schulyer, his wife, and his employers, and the letters are shown but the writing is so faded it is difficult to read unless you stop the film and take time to look at the frame. Even then I couldn't make out some of the writing. Also, there are very few title cards, and when one finally does appear it is usually quite verbose. Finally, there is lots of time spent with Schulyer and his wife and child at home before he ever meets "the woman". This is obviously present to show how good Schulyer had it and what it was he was throwing away for a temporary thrill, but it just goes on a bit too long.

However, overall I enjoyed it and it will keep you guessing up to the end exactly what is going to happen.

Theda Bara in her classic role as the "vamp" (even the movie calls her a "woman of the vampire variety" or something like that) plays up to various millionaires, ruining their lives. One man is happily married, but the appearance of Theda always draws him back -- literally (and very theatrically) right in front of his wife! Bara's performance is good; she often uses her whole body (especially her formidable shoulders) to play a scene, in a style which though a bit overdone is very refreshing in a 1915 film, as I'm sure it was for the audiences.

A pity for this is only one of a few films left of the icon Theda Bara. Theda was a true madame who knew how to act. The film is not with Theda in a leading role. Although the movie to me is completely about miss Theda. Especially the scene where she truly convinced everyone she was a vamp. The scene where she convinces 'the fool' that she does not discard him but that she just took a ruse to test his love. But later on when he is gone she takes a wallet full of money. Another scene that draws attention is when Theda take a few flowers and crumbles one of them to dust. I truly enjoyed this classic and I surely tell you all to also see this masterpiece.

Considering that 1915 was the year of "Birth of a Nation", it is interesting to see what else passed as entertainment for cinema goers that year. "A Fool There Was" is probably the equivalent of your average Sharon Stone epic; lurid, melodramatic and utterly irresistible. This was a star making vehicle for Theda Bara, and though her style seems as remote as the ice age, one can clearly see the strength of her persona. Her appeal to 1915 audiences must have been profound.

The film is primitive even by silent standards. Close ups are stinted upon, the direction is rudimentary. Alone in the cast Bara is worth watching, though I suspect it gives but a glimpse of her full powers. Good fun, if hardly profound entertainment.