Having recently revisited this title as part of the available films of Maurice Tourneur on commercial DVD (the others are ALIAS JIMMY VALENTINE, THE BLUE BIRD, A GIRL’S FOLLY, LORNA DOONE, VICTORY, and THE WISHING RING), I am again reminded of what a remarkable director he was and what a remarkable achievement this film is. Of all the existing versions this one is by far and away the most faithful to the James Fennimore Cooper original (the Daniel Day-Lewis version strays the farthest).
The film was beautifully photographed on mostly natural locations (Yosemite Valley) and features fine understated performances from all the principal players especially Barbara Bedford as Cora (Boris Karloff is briefly seen as an Indian who throws a baby up in the air). The film is co-credited to Tourneur and Clarence Brown (Garbo’s favorite director and maker of THE YEARLING). Tourneur was injured during the filming and Brown shot most of it. In a magnanimous gesture Tourneur wanted Brown to receive full credit but Brown refused saying that he only followed what Tourneur had already laid out and that he learned his craft from him.
The print used here is from the George Eastman House and it is beautiful with subtle tints and proper framing. The title cards are new as is the electronic music score. While the score is perfectly suitable it really needs a chamber ensemble or small orchestra to fully bring it to life but this is a small quibble. This Lumivision DVD is officially out-of-print but is worth tracking down as one of the very best silent examples of transferring a classic book to the screen. That comes as no surprise for if you check Tourneur’s available titles, all but one are taken from literary sources.
The Capsule Critic 