The Garden Of Eden (1928)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B-     Extras: B-     Film: B

 

 

Silent films are getting more respect than ever thanks to DVD and another gem to go along with Kino’s Metropolis (1926) and Milestone’s It (1927) is Flicker Alley’s release of the 1928 independent production The Garden Of Eden.  Directed by the great Lewis Milestone and distributed at the time by United Artists, the film was produced by its star, Corrine Griffith.  The story involves another young woman who wants to go into show business, but her trip is not going to be easy.

 

Along the way, she meets some ruthless people; singer Toni (Griffith) also meets a young man named Richard (Charles Ray) who she begins to fall for.  The boy-meets-girl story is predictable and amusing, but the aspects of the film that make it hold up today include the different look at being a performer backstage that is not another rehash of A Star Is Born.  Based on a stage play, Milestone makes it move more like a motion picture and the production design by the great William Cameron Menzies is such a winner, that you often forget you are watching a film 77 years old and counting.  In some ways, the film even feels otherworldly, but it is a beautiful production and the comedy aspects are as authentic as they are effective.  No wonder Milestone survived in the business for over half a century.

 

The best thing about a film like this is that it shows how great Hollywood and the system it came to be known for was even in the silent era, even in an independent production.  This is still an amazing representation of the kind of top talent the studios employed, even if all were taking a break from being with one of the big studios.  Unlike the boutique independent productions of today, this was very ambitious and entertaining, with the lack of racial stereotypes, sexism and other conventions that had not yet developed another set of plusses for the film.  It runs a mere 78 minutes but is entertaining all the way, especially in such a nice copy.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is black and white and was shot by John Arnold, A.S.C., in what is a beautiful example of how great film looked even then.  This copy of the film is often in remarkable shape considering its age and I have yet to see digital High Definition look this good, aging notwithstanding.  In addition to Menzies’ work and the appealing actors, the composition is not the usually stale, stuffy or flat kind many silent films are known for.   Like all silent films, this one comes with a music score and we get a newly recorded one here, this time by Robert Israel.  It is clean and clear, decoding for Pro Logic in a way that expands the sound despite no real surrounds.  That makes for pleasant playback.

 

Extras include production stills, many images from the 1928 press book, information about a lost color sequence from the film and two short films.  Hollywood The Unusual (1927) is about the town in the late 1920s showing many of the great landmarks from a film intended for home consumer film projection, while The Toy Shop (also 1928) is a two-strip Technicolor short with Jingle Bells as the opening song.  Despite having its own soundtrack, there are no spoken works.  The image lacks detail, but it is interesting.  Hollywood The Unusual has a new piano score and is presented in a sepia tone wash.  Despite that, it has some fine clarity and detail for its age.  That rounds out a fine DVD.  As for The Garden Of Eden, it may just be an independent Hollywood classic.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo