Peter Pan

Plot synopsis:
Set in London, circa 1900, George and Mary Darling's preparations to attend a party are disrupted by the antics of their boys, John and Michael, acting out a story about Peter Pan and the pirates, told to them by their older sister, Wendy. Their father, who is fed up with the stories that have made his children less practical, angrily declares that Wendy has gotten too old to continue staying in the nursery with them. That night, they are visited in the nursery by Peter Pan himself, who teaches them to fly with the help of his pixie friend, Tinker Bell, and takes them with him to the island of Never Land.
A ship of pirates is anchored off Never Land, commanded by Captain Hook with his sidekick, Mr. Smee. Hook boldly plots to take revenge upon Peter Pan for cutting off his hand, but trembles at the presence of a crocodile, which consumed Hook’s hand and is eager to taste the rest of him. The crew's restlessness is interrupted by the arrival of Peter and the Darlings. Tinker Bell, who is very jealous of Pan’s attention to Wendy, persuades the Lost Boys that Pan has ordered them to shoot down Wendy, which Tink refers to as a “Wendy bird”. Tinker Bell's treachery is soon found out, and Peter banishes her. John and Michael set off with the Lost Boys to find the island's Indians, who instead capture them, believing them to be the ones responsible for taking the chief's daughter, Tiger Lily.
Meanwhile, Peter takes Wendy to see the mermaids. The mischievous mermaids delight in tormenting Wendy but flee in terror at the sight of Hook. Peter and Wendy see that Hook and Smee have captured Tiger Lily so that they might persuade her to disclose Peter's hideout. Peter and Wendy free her, and Peter is honored by the tribe. Hook then plots to take advantage of Tinker Bell's jealousy of Wendy, tricking her into revealing the location of Peter's lair. Wendy and her brothers eventually grow homesick and plan to return home. They invite Peter and the Lost Boys to return to London and be adopted by the Darling parents. The Lost Boys agree, but Peter is so set against growing up that he refuses, presumptuously thinking that they will all return shortly. The pirates lie in wait and capture the Lost Boys and the Darlings as they exit, leaving behind a time bomb to kill Peter. Tinker Bell learns of the plot just in time to snatch the bomb from Peter as it explodes.
Peter rescues Tinker Bell from the rubble and together they confront the pirates, releasing the children before they can walk the plank. Peter engages Hook in single combat as the children fight off the crew, and finally succeeds in humiliating the captain. Hook and his crew flee, with the crocodile in hot pursuit. Peter gallantly commandeers the deserted ship, and assisted by Tinker Bell's pixie dust, flies it to London with the children aboard. However, the Lost Boys decide to return to Never Land rather than be adopted in London. Mr. and Mrs. Darling return home from the party to find Wendy not in her bed, but sleeping at the open window. Wendy awakens and excitedly tells about their adventures. The parents look out the window and see what appears to be a pirate ship in the clouds. Mr. Darling, who has softened his position about Wendy staying in the nursery, recognizes it from his own childhood.

Tags: fantasy, action

Review:
Barrie agreed to allow Famous PlayersLasky to make a movie version of his 1904 Christmas pantomime Peter Pan, he laid down some pretty stiff terms.
Not only was he to have casting approval, but the title cards were to use as far as possible the dialogue of the stage play; the plot line was to keep to the original Three-Act structure; the characters were to be those of the playnone were to be eliminated and additional characters were not to be introduced; and above all, the characters were to fly realistically.
Sir James also insisted on writing a long Preface to the movie in which he made the point that Peter Pan was a pantomime and needed to be accepted as such.
The picture was a huge success anyway and catapulted eighteen-year-old Betty Bronson (whom Barrie himself had chosen for the lead) into celebrity status overnight.So to really appreciate the picture we need first to understand what a panto is and what Barrie did to change or modify its structure and traditions.By the turn of the century, the annual Christmas pantomime had become a very elaborate affair.
Of course, pantos always had plenty of real children milling around the stage, but the leader (who had practically all the lines) was a young adult (even though he or she might be a impersonating a character supposedly ten or twelve years younger).
Barrie intended that Mr Darling and Captain Hook always be played by the same actor.
Unfortunately, both Brenon and Paramount jibed at this idea and finally convinced Barrie that on a motion picture set, it was impractical.The principal change (and it was a brilliant one) that Barrie made to the traditional structure was not to turn the Dame into a dog (Dames had often played comic animals in the past) or even to restrict the Dame's frolics to Two Acts (although top-billed, the Dame's role was often not all that large.
Now we can appreciate the movie for what it is: not just a filmed pantomime but one that goes beyond the restrictions of the stage to make the spectacle more spectacular, and the special effects even more wonderful and startling.Also we can now enjoy the way the movie is cast and played.
However, super-sexy Betty Bronson makes an ideal Peter Pan (it's important that the character be lasciviously attractive yet act as if she is totally unaware of this factand this Miss Bronson accomplishes remarkably well, no doubt due to Brenon's meticulous direction).
Even though her stage age is around twelve or thirteen, she is not only the leader of the children, but a genuine mother figure and is supposed to look just a few years younger than the actress playing her mother, in this case twenty-two year old Esther Ralston.
Forty-five year old Cyril Chadwick fits the bill nicely.It's a tribute to Brenon's skillful yet sensitive direction, James Wong Howe's beautiful photography, Pomeroy's fascinating special effects and the enduring charm and cleverness of Barrie's fairy tale that the movie is just as enchanting in 2007 as it seemed to appreciative worldwide audiences in 1925..
Peter Pan---An Enchanting Silent Film For All Ages.
After watching the Kino DVD of PETER PAN,  I was delighted to have this most charming of silent films finally available in a quality video release.The picture quality, which was subtly tinted amber and blue, will disappoint no one, although it looked more like a really good 16mm print than a 35mm to me.
A great deal of the magic in PETER PAN was supplied by cinematographer James Wong Howe.
Betty Bronson, who convincingly plays a child although we never forget that she's really a grownup woman, gives a performance that is unusually `fey' and she seems to have fully developed every muscle in her face that can cause an adorable look to radiate to the viewer.
Ernest Torrence as Captain  Hook will remind everyone of their grandfather while he comically menaces Peter and the Lost Boys, but remains the perfect gentleman with Wendy------complete with courtly bowing and a flourish of his handkerchief .
She (played by George Ali) is the delight of the film.PETER PAN is filled with magical touches that never seem to go too far or become foolish.
It wouldn't have worked with many silent films, but for PETER PAN it was marvelous------a  tribute to Carli's ability to match a narrative theme with it's programmatic musical compliment.The "value ads" are production stills from the film along with a poster and lobby card.
Mayer are more than just interesting.A title card at the very beginning tells the audience that the acting may seem whimsical to an adult but that "all the characters are seen with a child's outlook on life.....even to the adults in the story.
PETER PAN was directed by Herbert Brenon with a screenplay written by Willis Goldbeck, based on the story by J.M. Barrie.
He is also credited with popularizing the name Wendy, which was very uncommon before he gave it to the heroine of Peter Pan. When he died he left the rights to this story and all it's future profits to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for children.
This filmed version of Peter Pan, the very first (of eleven so far) opened Christmas week, 1924.
Paramount, like every other studio, looked on its films as disposable product.
Everson, one of the great silent film historians, never tired of rhapsodizing Peter Pan or its glowing star, Betty Bronson.
James Card, curator at George Eastman House and one of the great heroes of film preservation, longed to see this childhood favorite with a desperate nostalgia.
One of the best-liked silent movie stars both on and off the screen, Mary Brian plays Wendy.
And the family's pet dog Nana was such a good actor that in real life he was called George Ali. As for the lead role of Peter Pan, it was the author James Barrie who selected Betty Bronson, then an unknown to play the coveted role after he turned down silent superstars Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson & Lillian Gish.
(And she could fly!) It is surprising when you see how lavish the sets, costumes and special effects are that the budget for this film was only $40,000 and I think this is much better than the 1991 version which cost $70 million dollars to make.
I would like to read a quote from the New York Times, from MORDAUNT HALL, one of their toughest critics written Christmas week of 1924 – "That wonderful ecstatic laughter, tinkling and beautiful, just the laughter that Barrie loves to hear, greeted Herbert Brenon's picturized version of "Peter Pan" yesterday afternoon in the Rivoli.
It was laughter that reminded one of the days of long ago when one believed in a sort of Never Never Land, when the smiling sun on an early morning made one dance with joy over the dew-covered grass, when the fragrant Spring flowers sent a thrill through one's youthful soul, when one gazed at a real fish in a shallow rippling stream and expected to hook it with a bent pin, when one thought that after all it might be possible to fly.
PETER PAN like the WIZARD OF OZ has helped remind adults of what innocence we all shared back when we were children.
This is a very entertaining adaptation of the story of "Peter Pan", and the production, particularly in the visual effects, is rather impressive for its time.
The cast is a good one, with a lot of enthusiasm for their roles, and the whole movie has a lively pace to go along with the interesting story and plenty of good visuals.Betty Bronson delivers everything that you could expect as Peter, and it's easy to see why J.M. Barrie himself chose her for the role.
In what seems to have been her first screen role, Mary Brian is appealing as Wendy.It sticks mostly to the essentials of the familiar story, which is usually appealing to children while potentially quite interesting to adults, for different reasons.
Peter's desire to remain a boy, and the offbeat nature of the fantasy world, make the story much more than a whimsical daydream.The visual effects, particularly the 'flying' sequences, work very well for their time, and they must have been very exciting for the movie's original audiences.
The fantasy story is combined with just enough reality (back at the Darling home) for it to fit together nicely."Peter Pan" is a movie and stage perennial, so there is no shortage of versions to choose from.
But this one is very enjoyable, and it is certainly recommended for anyone interested in seeing a silent movie version of the story..
While the sets are much the same on the ocean, the fantasy is left intact with children conquering bitter pirates.The real fantasy of this film is how George Ali, in his only film role, makes a costumed dog seem so realistic.
To me, the story here & the moral are more defined than the later Walt Disney animated version of the same story.If you want to make a great home movie night, watch this film, then watch "Finding Neverland" starring Johnny Depp made years later.
I would like to add that Esther Ralston, as Mrs Darling, is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen on film.
The story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, who comes to the Darling house searching for his shadow and meets the three children (Wendy, Michael, & John) and takes them back to Never Never Land and to the Lost Boys.
This film has such a childlike magic charm that gives it a different appeal to the Disney & Mary Martin versions of the story.
Only problem I felt, was the film lost some of its magic after Peter and the children left the Darling house.
I really didn´t know about that there is a silent movie PETER PAN.
A biography about James Mathew Barrie and after that they showed the silent movie from 1924.
When it comes to pure entertainment, there are very few silent movies that come close to PETER PAN.
This whimsical story is also exceptional because I think that adults would enjoy the film at least as much as kids.
Second, when they showed the home of Peter and the Lost Boys, it was a magical and wonderful place with giant mushrooms for chairs, glowing jack-o-lanterns as lights and the coolest beds I've ever seen.
The story just looked wonderful and had among the best set designs and stunts of any silent films and I would rank it among best best of the age, such as THE CABINET OF DR.
Four different times in the movie they made reference to this--such as the Lost Boys singing patriotic American songs when they were caught and another time when Wendy told her brothers to "act like proper American gentlemen".
As often (KIng Kong, Snow White), the 1st try is the better for ever: so Peter Pan visual magic doesn't come from Disney but from this old, silent, BW one!
A bit like next year Phantom, i'm amazed by the fantastic sets, so real and so poetic and nothing done with CGI :) : the bedroom, the lost boys island, the mermaids, the beach, the pirates ship!
The story is really about child fantasy: adventures and parental love and for sure, the cast is amazing: it was good to meet again Mary Brian and that was a surprise to find a girl as Peter!
This is arguably the best translation of 'Peter Pan' to the big screen, and I say this almost 100 years after its release!The story is as true to the original stage play as any other version filmed, with the dialogue on the inter-titles being particularly accurate, and acting performances are tender, sincere and all strike just the right note.This film would be a fantastic introduction to silent cinema for anyone interested in getting a taste of it; and definitely one that would captivate the children.
The mind of a child can be a strange and fascinating place, and this early silent adaptation of Sir James Barrie's famous play looks at times almost as if it were written and directed by a team of precocious kids.
Rarely seen today (after being unfairly eclipsed by the animated Disney version), the film imagines Never Never Land as a strictly pre-adolescent dream world filled with innocent childhood fears and longings: friendly Indians, evil pirates, hungry alligators, all saturated in a sort of mock Freudian surrealism, with even the vicious pirates pining for mommy.
Adding to the oddness is the sexual ambiguity of the title character, played by a sprightly Betty Bronson (looking more like a tomboy than a young lad refusing to grow up), and some wonderfully fervent Victorian patriotism (caught by Captain Hook, the children begin defiantly singing 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee').
i now own every peter pan film ever and this one is really one of my favorites.
i love the fact that it is a silent film with the subtitles and cheap effects.
it was practically right on the button of jm barrie's play and book, not the adapted for little kids story.
if you're into the peter pan movies, this one is a must see.
you can see the true story of peter pan and experience what it was like to make a movie back in the 1920s.
Only a splotchy, hypo-stained, black and white print survives today, and much of the film is obscured, leaving only a hint of its original beauty.The first Barrie, Brenon and Bronson project, Peter Pan (1924) was nearly lost altogether.
Employed by Eastman Kodak after World War II, Card discovered existing prints of several features previously considered lost, among them Paramount's Peter Pan, stored across the hall from "  the old screening room for student organists." A chubby, perpetually smiling sound technician named 'Chum', who preferred the abandoned screening room to his digs at the YMCA, had been showing the films at parties.
DeMille directed no less than Gloria Swanson.Paramount began its search for the lead in Barrie's Peter Pan (1924), with a casting call of epic proportions.
Betty Bronson was a gangly young dancer who, as James Card observed, had a "  seventeen-year-old, unactressy face."An author's participation in performing arts brings with it a sense of authenticity.
Anna May Wong (The Thief of Bagdad 1924, Piccadilly 1929), played the mischievous wild little Indian, Tiger Lily, while twenty-three-year-old Esther Ralston, was an image of serene motherhood as Mrs. Darling.
Broadway veteran George Ali, who specialized in animal parts, played Nana, family dog and nurse to the Darling children.
Mary Brian in her first screen role as Wendy, was smitten with Peter, the object of Tinker Belle's ire, and mother to the Lost Boys.
So many images from this film have appeared in later versions of Barrie's play.
Mermaids lie sunning on the beach (Catalina Island), while Hook feeds a clock to the crocodile, and the indians hunt a lion.Although a more complex treatment was developed, Paramount wisely remained close to the play, using Barrie's original text for the inter-titles, with only minor changes made to 'Americanize' the characters.
I admit it was also pretty odd how Peter Pan was played by a woman.
Peter Pan still leaves to be with the fairies, though.
This film is unlike any peter pan film I have seen.
It is like watching The very first Peter Pan theater show on the big screen.
The special effects and costumes are different then other films I have seen that were made during this time period.One of the scenes that is truly captivating is when Tinkerbell attempts to find Peters Shadow.
58 yrs old George Ali was amazing as Nana the dog but probably as crocodile.Betty was good as Peter Pan but why couldn't they have got a sweet looking boy instead of a girl.Our girls were bit ewed by girls kissing each other so much, wonder if the kids 88 yrs ago felt the same.Perhaps those kids were lot more innocent and believed into her being a boy.We had a lady playing harp live during the movie and had a QA session after the movie which was great for kids as they had so many questions.All in all absolutely a delight and a MUST WATCH for ALL..
I am a fan of Maude Adams, the first American (1905) to play Peter Pan on the stage.
They were both women playing a boy's part.Betty looked quite masculine, but I had to remember that she was female when she kissed the women on the lips.
I have also seen PP both as a stage play and as a beautiful ballet.
The ballet Peter was played by an adult male.For finally being able to see "Peter Pan 1924" (silent movie, with sepia coloring and beautiful music), I am totally fascinated.
it's a must own for any fan of Barrie's children's classic and for anyone who loves silent movies.
kinda freaky, but i was definitely impressed.todays audience are bound to crack a few snide jokes about the numerous scenes of actress Betty Bronson as Peter, kissing and snuggling the other female performers.
i know on stage that Peter is traditionally played by a woman, but these scenes do make you smirk a little and think, "lez be gay".it's also fun to get a chance to view the legendary, but seldom known these days, Ana may Wong as Tiger Lilly.the only real problem with this delightful classic is the Americanization of it.
no offense to America, but this is a English story and to Americanize it and have the children sing "my country 'tis a thee..", is all wrong for the English 'Peter Pan'.still, this is a wonderful adaptation and even for a silent movie, amusingly quaint.
there's plenty here for any adult viewer who is sentimental and nostalgic about Barrie's 'Peter Pan' and loves old, archival cinema.