Le capitaine Fracasse

Billed as "one of the best films you've never heard of", CAPTAIN FRACASSE gives us the rare opportunity of viewing a late silent film from outside America. This 1929 French swashbuckler is based on a well known French novel by Theophile Gautier and was directed by the Brazilian born director Alberto Cavalcanti. He is best remembered for his 1940's British films at Ealing which include NICHOLAS NICKELBY and the mad ventriloquist sequence from DEAD OF NIGHT.

Cavalcanti began his career as an art director which clearly shows in this film. The settings are marvelous (especially an inn called The Crowned Radish), the visual compositions consistently interesting, and the camerawork quite dazzling. The story plays out like a combination of THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE CHILDREN OF PARADISE. An impoverished nobleman (Pierre Blanchar) accompanies a traveling troupe of actors to Paris where as "Captain Fracasse" he tangles with an evil Duke (a young Charles Boyer) over the company's ingenue (Lien Deyers who resembles a young Cybill Shepherd). There is lots of swordplay of course along with a daring rescue and just desserts for the villians. There is also a fascinating recreation of the travelling theatre troupes of that time which I found very interesting and highly entertaining.

Acting honors go to Pola Illery and Daniel Mendaille as a pair of gypsies who have important parts to play in the plot's resolution. While there is nothing new here the picture is extremely well made and served up like a fine souffle'. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon or evening especially if you're a silent movie fan. The DVD features a beautifully restored toned and tinted print and your choice of a traditional piano score or a modern experimental soundtrack which was composed for the film's large screen showing in Paris in 2001...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.