It has been a long time in coming but at last Josef von Sternberg’s three legendary silent masterpieces are coming to DVD and in a Criterion edition no less. I’m not quite sure how or why Paramount agreed to this but I’m certainly not complaining. As others have pointed out, DOCKS OF NEW YORK and THE LAST COMMAND were available on home VHS some 30 years ago. They were high quality transfers accompanied by newly recorded Gaylord Carter organ scores. UNDERWORLD has never been available in a first rate transfer of any kind so that alone makes this set extra special.
In addition, all three films will have 2 new scores to accompany them which will only enhance the viewing experience even more. Too bad the Gaylord Carter scores weren’t included as they were models of their kind. Throw in the Criterion extras like the 96 page booklet and a 1968 interview with von Sternberg himself and you have something no silent movie enthusiast or film buff should be without.
For those of you unfamiliar with these films the stories are as follows. UNDERWORLD, the first of the three, can rightfully be considered the first gangster feature as it chronicles the rise and fall of crime boss Bull Weed and his associates. It also offers silent comedy fans a rare opportunity to see Larry Semon in a more serious role which was one of his last film appearances. Film number two, THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK, positively oozes atmosphere as it takes us into BLUE ANGEL territory with its vivid depiction of a lowlife bar full of smoke and fishnets and the poor souls who inhabit it.
The best of the three, THE LAST COMMAND, features Emil Jannings’ greatest American performance as a Russian general traumatized by the Russian Revolution and reduced to appearing as an extra in Hollywood movies. William Powell scores as a former revolutionary who is now a movie director. If you don’t want to purchase these then get your Netflix queues ready or your Amazon stream for they are indispensible.
The Capsule Critic 