The Swan
An imaginary European kingdom is the setting for this classic romance. Later re-done as a Grace Kelly vehicle, the original silent version is a lot more interesting, boasting a marvelous performance by Adolphe Menjou as a skirt-chasing prince, and superb cinematography by Alvin Wyckoff, DeMille's ace cameraman.The splendid setting of this film would've been right up Erich von Stroheim's alley, but he was under contract to M-G-M at the time. Instead, Dimitri Buchowetzki took up the megaphone, and the result is a film with plenty of romance and wit to please American audiences, and just the right continental touch to give it a distinctive style. Nearly forgotten today, Buchowetzki died only a few years after directing this film, and it remains the only one of his works in circulation. If "The Swan" is any indication, he might've become another Lubitsch. We'll never know. Organ score by Bob Vaughn.Supplemental material: Al St. John stars in the two-reel comedy "Jungle Heat" (1927). It's a slapstick riot with unusual stop-motion animation effects and some incredible sight gags!