The opening credits of Don Juan self proclaim the film to be "A Warner Brothers Classic of the Screen". Well this self-gratification didn't aid the film over time as Don Juan has gone down in history more so for its technical achievements over artistic merit, being the first film with a synchronized pre-recorded soundtrack with additional sound effects using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system (likewise some film fans might recognize Don Juan for footage used in the opening credits of Start the Revolution Without Me from 1970). As a result, viewers can watch the film with the same soundtrack as heard by audiences back in 1926 - not a new score or modern re-recording of the original. The synchronized sound effects themselves don't add much to the film, nor are they well synced although this was new technology in 1926 so I can't blame them.
Don Juan is, however, a good swashbuckling romp in John Barrymore's attempt to out-Fairbanks Fairbanks. Barrymore is a magnificent figure of a man, pausing every now and then to let everyone get a good look at his iconic profile. Contrary to the likes of Douglas Fairbanks or Errol Flynn, the titular character is less of an escapist fantasy but more of a tragedy in the classic tale of a man whose lust for women is his undoing; arousing from his own mother's infidelity and his father's response to such - there's more implied sex than you can shake a stick at. But this is still a romantic swashbuckler at the end of the day (reportedly with the highest kiss count in film history at a whopping 127), and the film ends with the most classic of romantic images, the man and woman riding off into the sunset, perhaps not as cliché or worn out in 1926?
In classic Cecil B DeMille style, Don Juan is a film of biblical morality but is never a preachy one at that. At the beginning of the film, Juan is courted by sultry women amongst displays of decadence when he is still a child. However in adulthood, Juan eventually comes to find redemption in Adriana della Varnese (Mary Astor) as the first woman he legitimately falls in love with and must rescue from the clutches of history's infamous, sadistic Borgia family. The wide-eyed Mary Astor is the face of innocence and virginal purity if there ever was one, as we even see her unconscious body laid down next to a statue of the Virgin Mary just to hammer the point home.
Among the film's supporting players includes Willard Louis as Juan's amusingly effeminate and theatrical attendant Pedrillo. It would make sense to have a gay attendant guide his many affairs when they arrive at Juan's residence and reassuring each one that she is "the love of his life". Don Juan also features Myrna Loy in one of her earliest screen appearances. There's no real meat to her role as Mai, Lady In Waiting as she part takes in background scheming, but it's great to see her at such an early stage in her career in a number of close-ups and lingering shots as well as many costume changes.
My one major downside to Don Juan is that I'm left wishing for more action, only getting some in the final 20 minutes with a sword duel and a Conte of Monte Cristo style prison escape. At least the film's money shot does not disappoint, Don Juan's dive on top of the stairs and onto his foe. It's filmed in one take with no editing trickery nor does a stunt double appear to be used.
Don Juan is an example of the excess and opulence present in many silent-era films from the grandiose sets to the never-ending wardrobe of costumes (even all the women still have contemporary 1920's makeup despite its 15th century setting). In the words of John Hammond - "We spared no expense". Watching these movies on a TV at home (or dare I say from a dodgy corner of the internet) really doesn't do them justice.
Don Juan is, however, a good swashbuckling romp in John Barrymore's attempt to out-Fairbanks Fairbanks. Barrymore is a magnificent figure of a man, pausing every now and then to let everyone get a good look at his iconic profile. Contrary to the likes of Douglas Fairbanks or Errol Flynn, the titular character is less of an escapist fantasy but more of a tragedy in the classic tale of a man whose lust for women is his undoing; arousing from his own mother's infidelity and his father's response to such - there's more implied sex than you can shake a stick at. But this is still a romantic swashbuckler at the end of the day (reportedly with the highest kiss count in film history at a whopping 127), and the film ends with the most classic of romantic images, the man and woman riding off into the sunset, perhaps not as cliché or worn out in 1926?
In classic Cecil B DeMille style, Don Juan is a film of biblical morality but is never a preachy one at that. At the beginning of the film, Juan is courted by sultry women amongst displays of decadence when he is still a child. However in adulthood, Juan eventually comes to find redemption in Adriana della Varnese (Mary Astor) as the first woman he legitimately falls in love with and must rescue from the clutches of history's infamous, sadistic Borgia family. The wide-eyed Mary Astor is the face of innocence and virginal purity if there ever was one, as we even see her unconscious body laid down next to a statue of the Virgin Mary just to hammer the point home.
Among the film's supporting players includes Willard Louis as Juan's amusingly effeminate and theatrical attendant Pedrillo. It would make sense to have a gay attendant guide his many affairs when they arrive at Juan's residence and reassuring each one that she is "the love of his life". Don Juan also features Myrna Loy in one of her earliest screen appearances. There's no real meat to her role as Mai, Lady In Waiting as she part takes in background scheming, but it's great to see her at such an early stage in her career in a number of close-ups and lingering shots as well as many costume changes.
My one major downside to Don Juan is that I'm left wishing for more action, only getting some in the final 20 minutes with a sword duel and a Conte of Monte Cristo style prison escape. At least the film's money shot does not disappoint, Don Juan's dive on top of the stairs and onto his foe. It's filmed in one take with no editing trickery nor does a stunt double appear to be used.
Don Juan is an example of the excess and opulence present in many silent-era films from the grandiose sets to the never-ending wardrobe of costumes (even all the women still have contemporary 1920's makeup despite its 15th century setting). In the words of John Hammond - "We spared no expense". Watching these movies on a TV at home (or dare I say from a dodgy corner of the internet) really doesn't do them justice.