189017-the-cossacks-why-be-good

‘The Cossacks’ and ‘Why Be Good?’ Are Rampant Nonsense

As the silent era was ending, Hollywood turned out slick, predictable, pleasingly made entertainments punched out of perfect formulas. Two examples, The Cossacks and Why Be Good?, are newly available from Warner Archive.

The Cossacks is allegedly based on Leo Tolstoy’s novel, but Frances Marion’s adaptation is pure Hollywood. The Cossacks are described as “simple as children”, a society where the men go off to fight Turks and come home to carouse while women work the fields. The chief, called the Ataman (Ernest Torrence), is ashamed to have a “woman man” for a son. Lukashka (John Gilbert) lounges at home with his shirt open, helps his mother lift heavy burdens, and doesn’t bother going to war. It’s just a phase. When his manhood is humiliated sufficiently by the whole village, he proves himself in the latest skirmish by killing ten Turks and discovering blood isn’t so bad.

Their society is presented with gentle mockery throughout, as when the Ataman declares he’ll “slit every unbelieving throat in these mountains!” and then announces “Now to prayer.” When he and his son are captured by Turks in the last act, the latter are shown as equally bloodthirsty in the name of Allah. This part of the film suddenly becomes a western shot in Arizona. Meanwhile, there’s been a romance between Lukashka’s girlfriend (Renée Adorée) and a dandy Russian prince (Nils Asther) who decides to marry her. The finale is as rowdy and unconvincing as can be, especially the “happy ending”.

Wikipedia cites Cari Beauchamp’s 1998 book on Frances Marion as a source that Marion was frustrated by the studio’s requests for rewrites and that director George Hill left the project in dissatisfaction. Clarence Brown reshot several scenes. The final product has little of Tolstoy, and the film’s primary purposes are to show several scenes of stunt riders doing tricks on horses and many shots of Gilbert throwing back his shoulders and laughing. Great attention is paid to the sets by Cedric Gibbons and Alexander Toluboff, so the picture looks as handsome as Gilbert. This lovely print comes with a new score by Robert Israel.

DVD: Why Be Good?

Film: Why Be Good?

Director: William A. Seiter

Cast: Colleen Moore, Neil Hamilton

Year: 1929

Rating: Not rated

US DVD release date: 2014-11-12

Distributor: Warner Archive

Rating: 6

Extras rating: N/A

Image: http://images.popmatters.com/news_art/w/whybegood_dvdblog_dvdart200.jpg

Why Be Good? is one of the final projects of star Colleen Moore, who didn’t make the transition to talkies. She specialized in that Jazz Age stereotype, the virginal flapper. No matter how much she kicks up her heels in booze-ridden speakeasies to the music of African-American bands, no matter how well she dances the charleston in her Louise Brooks haircut, and no matter how many tuxedoed young fools she strings along, she’s still “good” and “decent” and thus worthy of marrying a millionaire even though she’s only a shopgirl. As she tells her understanding mama (Bodil Rosing), she’ll be disgraced if the crowd finds out she’s really a good girl! If it sounds dated, keep in mind that this type isn’t dead even in today’s films.

The lovestruck rich boy is played by Neil Hamilton, also known as Commissioner Gordon in the ’60s Batman series. Here he’s a dashing playboy, thoughtfully rubbing his blocklike chin while his subtle papa (Edward Martindel) raises a sly eyebrow and pours suspicion into his ears about the new girlfriend. “That girl knows life and shows it!” After an opening reel that’s one party and giddily designed nightspot after another, and a middle-act misunderstanding when it’s revealed that she works in the same store owned by her new beau’s daddy, it all comes down to a test of virtue and a speech about how women behave the way they do all because of hypocritical men.

Like many features in that final silent year of 1929, this movie was released with a ready-made soundtrack of music and effects. This print, discovered in the late ’90s, has been newly restored and looks as clean and sharp as The Cossacks. William A. Seiter’s direction is seamless and engaging. Both films are rampant nonsense, yet they still fizz.

RATING 6 / 10