Until not that long ago, I was totally unfamiliar with Ivan Mosjoukine and this despite the fact that I have been a fan of silent films for many years. I even feature courses on them at the local university but as more silent films are discovered in archives and with new restoration techniques available the list of unknown and/or previously unavailable films keeps growing. Last year I saw and reviewed Flicker Alley’s FRENCH MASTERWORKS set which focused on the work of Russian emigres in Paris in the 1920s. This is where I became acquainted with Mosjoukine as he was prominently involved with 3 films in that set.
I have long been a fan of the silent serial especially those of French director Louis Feuillade. His FANTOMAS, JUDEX, and especially LES VAMPIRES set the template for others to follow. These and such German offerings as THE SPIDERS are concerned with master criminals, vast organizations devoted to crime and fearless crime fighters determined to bring them to an end. Pure escapism for a growing cinema audience trying to escape the horrors of World War I. HOUSE OF MYSTERY (1921-23) is different. It takes the structure of the serial and imposes a deeper, more dramatic, and more personal element into the storyline.
On the surface the story borrows heavily from THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Man is wrongfully accused of crime and unjustly convicted. He is sent to a penal colony where he escapes and is presumed dead. He returns in disguise to bring the true culprit to justice. Director Alexandre Volkoff and star and co-writer Ivan Mosjoukine take this basic plotline and add the serial tropes of multiple disguises, complicated plot developments and an extended chase sequence. The film is also divided into 10 chapters and runs 6 1/2 hours! Of course no one was meant to sit through all 10 chapters at once. It took me 4 days (3 chapters a day and the bonus features last).
Now that I’ve seen it all, I was very impressed. The cinematography (by 3 cameramen) is stunning. The silhouette wedding recalls the work of Maurice Tourneur. The performances for most of the time are restrained and heartfelt, and the storyline based on a book rather than a magazine or newspaper publication has a lot more depth. The locations are memorable and the actions of the characters believable. Having said all that, I must confess that I enjoyed the serials of Feuillade more than THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY (an inappropriate title). The protracted nature of the serial format seemed at odds with the more restrained aspects of the storyline. It made me want to see the condensed version.
Although Ivan Mosjoukine is clearly the star as he gets to wear a number of disguises and adopt different physical characteristics for each, the film belongs to villain Charles Vanel (WAGES OF FEAR) whose steady underplaying anchors the film and helps to keep it from going too far afield. The supporting character of Rudeberg the amateur photographer as played by Nicolas Koline is also key to the proceedings (his scruffy appearance is unforgettable). The restoration work on HOUSE OF MYSTERY is exemplary. The images look great and Neil Brand’s piano score does yeoman work without ever becoming tiresome. The movie is quite remarkable and should be seen by every silent film enthusiast. How often is up to them.
The Capsule Critic 