I have always been surprised by the fact that the great German born director Ernst Lubitsch first made his reputation by a series of large scale silent costume dramas such as THE EYES OF THE MUMMY, MADAME DU BARRY (PASSION), and this film. Today he is remembered and revered for his comic touch in such talking films as NINOTCHKA and TO BE OR NOT TO BE and that is how it should be. His epic films are gorgeous to look at with large scale sets, elaborate costumes, and hundreds of extras but nothing that D.W. Griffith hadn’t done better a few years earlier.
Unfortunately the acting in most of these movies has dated badly and is so over the top that any sense of drama is quickly lost. That is especially true of ANNA BOLEYN (1920) one of four DVD releases from Kino highlighting Lubitsch in Berlin. Henny Porten as the title character is so emotionally overwrought as to be laughable which is clearly not the intention here. Emil Jannings, not exactly known as the subtlest of actors, seems positively restrained in comparison and it’s clear to see where Charles Laughton got his portrayal of Henry VIII from.
But to be fair to Porten, this exaggerated style is typical of other Lubitsch dramatic heroines as well including Pola Negri who would come with him to America and become a big star (she’s also in SUMURAN and THE WILDCAT which are part of this set). The film looks great with subtle tints and proper framing and features an appropriate but underpowered musical background. An orchestral score would have softened the histrionics.
It’s a good thing that Lubitsch discovered comedy otherwise he would have wound up only a footnote in cinema history. For a look at where his true talent lay, check out the comic doublebill THE OYSTER PRINCESS / I DON’T WANT TO BE A MAN also in this group of new releases along with THE WILDCAT. They are as funny today as they were in 1920 and point the way to the great Ernst Lubitsch of the future.
The Capsule Critic 