I can certainly understand why the discovery of this film was seen as a major event - a lost, major teaming of two of the biggest film stars of all time.
The care put into the restoration is a sight to behold - the movie is pieced together beautifully, and some sequences, like the glimpses of color, are stunning. Rarely would the sight of blue flashes on a dressing gown excite you as much as they do here.
The soundtrack, by Henny Vrienten, is a masterpiece. Soothing, romantic, sweeping, tribal, majestic. I wish the DVD release of this film had gone into more detail on the making of this genius. It truly carries the movie when the movie itself is not quite up to the task.
As for the film itself, I just felt little connection to the characters or story. While I appreciate that Beyond the Rocks did not delve into huge, murderous melodrama, there are very few stakes in a two hour film. Theodora and Hector meet. They fight their feelings as he chases her around the world. They continue fighting their feelings to the point where a supporting character is the only one who causes movement to the plot. Even at the end of the film, Theodora and Hector are on the sidelines. The film seemed more concerned with preserving the morality of the characters than with telling a strong story.
You have little reason to care about this couple, and that extends to the performances. Valentino, one of the most charismatic film idols of all time, seems restrained and lost in this role. Swanson, not too far off from her days as a comedienne, makes facial expressions in closeup which come across as if Lucy Ricardo was making a silent picture. The makeup piled on her is also distracting, and aging.
Robert Bolder, as Theodora's husband in name only, is the most interesting part of Beyond the Rocks. To the film's credit, they do not demonize Josiah, instead presenting him as a man whose time has passed and who truly does love his wife. His final scene in the film is quietly powerful, and the finest moment.
Beyond Bolder, and the soundtrack, my favorite element was the jolting fantasy sequence of the price a wife pays for adultery - a moment which has far more vitality than the rest of the film.
The care put into the restoration is a sight to behold - the movie is pieced together beautifully, and some sequences, like the glimpses of color, are stunning. Rarely would the sight of blue flashes on a dressing gown excite you as much as they do here.
The soundtrack, by Henny Vrienten, is a masterpiece. Soothing, romantic, sweeping, tribal, majestic. I wish the DVD release of this film had gone into more detail on the making of this genius. It truly carries the movie when the movie itself is not quite up to the task.
As for the film itself, I just felt little connection to the characters or story. While I appreciate that Beyond the Rocks did not delve into huge, murderous melodrama, there are very few stakes in a two hour film. Theodora and Hector meet. They fight their feelings as he chases her around the world. They continue fighting their feelings to the point where a supporting character is the only one who causes movement to the plot. Even at the end of the film, Theodora and Hector are on the sidelines. The film seemed more concerned with preserving the morality of the characters than with telling a strong story.
You have little reason to care about this couple, and that extends to the performances. Valentino, one of the most charismatic film idols of all time, seems restrained and lost in this role. Swanson, not too far off from her days as a comedienne, makes facial expressions in closeup which come across as if Lucy Ricardo was making a silent picture. The makeup piled on her is also distracting, and aging.
Robert Bolder, as Theodora's husband in name only, is the most interesting part of Beyond the Rocks. To the film's credit, they do not demonize Josiah, instead presenting him as a man whose time has passed and who truly does love his wife. His final scene in the film is quietly powerful, and the finest moment.
Beyond Bolder, and the soundtrack, my favorite element was the jolting fantasy sequence of the price a wife pays for adultery - a moment which has far more vitality than the rest of the film.