As a silent film enthusiast, I am always on the lookout for quality silent film releases on DVD. Three sources you can always depend on are Kino Lorber, Flicker Alley, and Milestone Films. From Milestone comes LEGONG: DANCE OF THE VIRGINS and it constitutes a major discovery. Although released in 1935 this movie was the final silent film release from a major studio (Paramount) and was one of the last films to feature two-strip Technicolor (red and green) which was replaced the same year by three-strip Technicolor (red, green, and blue) which is the one we are all familiar with.
LEGONG was made by Henry de la Falaise, a French nobleman who was once married to Gloria Swanson and who was then married to Constance Bennett whose film company produced it. The film was beautifully photographed and featured an all Balinese cast. The native performers are so natural it’s as if there were no camera there at all. The story is similar to F. W. Murnau’s TABU (also available from Milestone) in that it deals with a tragic story of love thwarted by local tradition. What makes LEGONG different and so fascinating to watch is the incorporation of Balinese dancing and costumes into much of the film. It works as entertainment yet serves as a documentary on tribal customs and rituals.
The film ran into major censorship problems upon its release due to the fact that the women characters were topless. It was chopped to pieces, went virtually unseen, and then was quickly forgotten. UCLA deserves high praise for the major restoration work done on this movie which included using 3 different prints to come up with the one used for this release. The two-strip Technicolor is superb and the original soundtrack was also restored and sounds great considering its age.
There is also an additional modern soundtrack composed for the film featuring traditional gamelan music. Added bonuses include two other de la Falaise films (KILIOU, THE KILLER shot in Vietnam and THE GODS OF BALI) which have not been restored plus articles, interviews, and a press kit. If your taste runs to the exotic or you are looking for something different then look no further. LEGONG: DANCE OF THE VIRGINS is the movie for you. Yet another fine release from Milestone Films’ Age of Exploration series which is devoted to native peoples and/or unusual or remote locales.
The Capsule Critic 