Flesh and the Devil (1926)

[scotrace]

TCM ran this recently, and it is a mesmerizing film on so many levels.

The frame compositions are beautifully and artfully done. Near the end of the silent era, they had it down. Rich blacks, brilliant whites and a range of gray textures between.

Garbo. Garbo! Her performance is filled with subtlety and wantonness. I don't think I have ever seen anything onscreen as sexy or outright erotic as her scenes with John Gilbert.

The storyline is classic. Best friends divided by love for the same woman.

Flesh and the Devil is now my very favorite silent film, and one of the best films ever made, in my opinion.

Don't miss it if the chance comes your way. And then watch it again. Actors in silent films practiced a very different craft, and their skill at telling us what they are feeling without sound - amazing.

(And it is filled with great clothes!)

 

[imoldfashioned]

I don't think there was anyone sexier (in the best way) than Garbo in some of her 1920's films--she's just mesmerizing (and Jack Gilbert isn't any slouch in the charisma department either!). She's so much more sensual in her silent films than she is in her sound pictures. That communion cup scene is quite something.

 

[LadyStardust]

I'm so very glad you liked it! It is one of my favorites also, and especially dear to me, because it's really the film that reignited my deep attraction to the past, and everything has spiraled out from there. FatD is a truly incredible cinematic masterpiece, with so many elements combined beautifully to make a truly memorable picture. I watched it recently when it ran, and while it is a bit more melodramatic than I had remembered, it is all reconciled so wonderfully that it doesn't matter.

Garbo shines in her role, but I think it's also good to mention Barbara Kent, who left a lasting impression on me, despite her lack of screen time.

 

[scotrace]

That communion cup scene is quite something.

I about fell out of my chair. She absolutely, perfectly told us how very much she physically wanted the man at her side without a word or wasted motion - and in CHURCH at the front ALTER receiving communion! It was so very deliciously wicked! I'm sure audiences must have gasped - and plenty must have got up and left.

When she and Gilbert dance for the first time, and when she later passes the cigarette from her lips to his, both are absolutely riveting. She proves that a film can be sexually charged without anyone removing any clothing.

I also agree that her later sound films were less magical. She is beautiful as ever in Ninotchka, but she really was at her best speaking volumes without a sound.

There is no other like Garbo. Could any other actress make us believe that she can capture the heart and body of any man she wants in an instant? Gilbert gives her all she needs to make it all work, but she makes it entirely plausible that he could see her for the first time - and at that moment, be lost forever.

 

[Flitcraft]

Absolutely!

 

[BellyTank]

Radiant Monochrome- the full spectrum...

B
T

 

[HadleyH]

I totally agree with everyone! Flesh and the Devil is a milestone of the Silent Era!:eusa_clap

And a word or two about Garbo. She had mystery, allure, androgyny ,style, class and humor. She still remains an honest woman in an artificial world of today.That's why, IMO, her beauty is timeless, fascinating and appropiate for all eras!

 

[Fletch]

Androgyny??? I ain't seeing the androgyny.

 

[HadleyH]

Androgyny??? I ain't seeing the androgyny.

LOL Fletch!!!

I ain't seeing it either lol

Sorry about that!

 

[imoldfashioned]

I always thought this photo was a little androgynous; it's her hands I think

Other photos from the 20's/early 30's I love; none of these photos are the best reproductions

 

[chucklehead]

I am glad someone else saw it besides me.
spectacular cinematography & sountrack!

 

[scotrace]

I've finally got this one coming on DVD. Found a great price on a TCM restored print. We shall see!

 

[bunnyb.gal]

Let us know how it is quality-wise, Scotrace. I'm in agreement that the church and the cigarette scenes are, um, smokin'! I've not seen much since that surpasses them in unbridled eroticism!

Perhaps any hint of androgyny in Garbo - which I must admit I don't see, either - has something to do with her "big feets" that she was famous for! Seriously, I think that Garbo had one of those faces and persona which are alluring to either gender that could be mislabled as androgyny.

Speaking of DVD releases, I wish there would be a "rediscovery" of the films of John Gilbert (sans Garbo). I was lucky enough to catch a couple of his talkies on TCM for example which seem to have fallen largely under the radar in the whole "pre-Code" discussion, and he does a splendid job playing a total heel!

 

[scotrace]

I've been seeking out Gilbert's films of late. There are so many fine actors and performances that are lost or forgotten. Some were quite forgettable, of course, but for many, like Gilbert, it's very unfair.

 

[bunnyb.gal]

It's like he was eclipsed by Garbo and never recovered, either during his lifetime or posthumously. He definitely deserves a TCM box set of his own.