THE EAGLE was something of a comeback picture for Valentino. His popularity sagged after the disastrous MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE in which he played a foppish aristocat who was a little too foppish for 1920’s audiences. This story of a Russian Robin Hood taken from Pushkin was just what he needed to regain his lost fan base. It also gave him the opportunity to let his natural comic flair come forth and really be himself much like Douglas Fairbanks or later Errol Flynn.
Rudy took no chances with this film. He got a top flight director in Clarence Brown who would later become Garbo’s favorite. He got William Cameron Menzies to design the sets and a wonderful performance from Louise Dresser as Czarina Catherine the Great. Their scene together at the beginning is a delight to watch even on repeated viewings. Vilma Banky makes a great heroine and would work with Valentino again. This movie rather than THE SHEIK or BLOOD AND SAND is the ideal introduction to Valentino.
This DVD version is virtually the same as the old VHS version although the picture is marginally better and so 4 stars instead of 5. While it’s great to have the Killiam Collection coming out on DVD, I just wish that some new restoration work had been done on this film. The other two (BELOVED ROGUE & TUMBLEWEEDS) are in better shape although they could use some work as well. Still these are superior to the old VHS copies and are likely to be the best we’ll have for awhile. Lee Erwin’s old organ score is a good one but it could have been sonically enhanced.
UPDATE 2019: The new Kino Lorber Blu-Ray of the above DVD version has been given a 2K (as opposed to a 4K) upgrade). The picture looks slightly better and the title sequence has been restored. However the slightly off center framing (due to the removal of an old optical soundtrack) is still there. The Lee Erwin organ score has been replaced by one from The Alloy Orchestra and there is a feature commentary from film historian Gaylan Studlar. While a slight improvement over the old 2002 release, THE EAGLE still needs a better restoration.
The Capsule Critic 