I am grateful for this Warner Archive release of the Turner Classic Movies version of this rare Tod Browning film. Up until now I only had it on a VHS tape which was dubbed from a PAL released in the U.K. The picture quality was OK but the transfer was a little too fast (typical of PAL transfers) and the music score was inappropriate. Now this film and several other of Lon Chaney’s MGM films are seeing the light of day giving us the opportunity to really see “The Man of a Thousand Faces” at work. As another reviewer pointed out, there is little makeup involved but Chaney’s body language is extraordinary especially as the crippled missionary proprietor, The Bishop.
The story is a typical offbeat Chaney love triangle where his Limehouse criminal Dan “Blackbird” Tate is in love with French puppet performer Renee’ Adoree who is in love with a sophisticated jewel thief played by Mary Pickford’s first husband Owen Moore in the performance of his career. The Blackbird’s alter ego is the fake cripple The Bishop which gives Chaney the opportunity to distort his body (see DVD cover). Strangely enough the criminal Chaney looks just like Albert Finney while Moore’s West End Bertie could easily have been the inspiration for The Penguin in the Batman comics.
As is usually the case with Tod Browning, this film is a deft combination of striking visuals coupled with a far-fetched but strangely believable plot that is anchored in the grotesque. The black box puppet show of Rene Adoree is a classic example of this. It startles when it’s first seen and once seen it’s hard to forget. As is also typical of Browning, the ending is rather sudden. Nevertheless THE BLACKBIRD leaves an impression thanks to a couple of powerhouse scenes. The confrontation between The Blackbird and West End Bertie in Bertie’s apartment is a classic. This release is also aided memorably by TCM’s commissioned background score. While it isn’t a top drawer offering, it’s never less than compelling.
The Capsule Critic 