Perhaps the most bizarre event in the annals of film preservation took place in the Yukon in the 1970s, when over 500 reels of nitrate film were discovered buried in permafrost under a long-abandoned public swimming pool. That story is told in a fascinating documentary entitled 'Dawson City: Frozen Time,' highly recommended for buffs. Meanwhile, one of the many items recovered from the tundra was a reel of Tod Browning's The Exquisite Thief, starring Priscilla Dean. This represents about 8 minutes of what was originally a feature-length release, running about an hour, total. As far as I know this fragment is all that survives, which is a shame because the sequence suggests this is an exciting, well-made crime thriller. On the other hand, 8 minutes of The Exquisite Thief is decidedly better than nothing.
The story concerns a career criminal known as Blue Jean Billie (played by Priscilla Dean), who, dressed in formal evening wear, somehow crashes a fashionable dinner party in the home of prosperous people. Mid-way into the dinner, she pulls a gun and robs the attendees of jewelry, furs, etc.-this is where the surviving footage begins-and then escapes in a car with an accomplice. Three men pursue in another car. When Billie's car crashes she manages to fend off her pursuers, then takes one of them hostage, and flees in their car. Billie's captive is Lord Chesterton (Thurston Hall), an elegant English gentleman. Once they reach her hideout Billie binds him to a chair. The dinner party host reports the robbery of his guests and the abduction of this prominent nobleman to the police. While Billie is changing clothes Lord Chesterton manages to slip out of his bonds, but rearranges them so it appears he is still tied. Billie goes to the kitchen to make coffee for her "hostage," who looks ready to spring at her. And there, darn it, the footage ends!
An awful lot of incident is packed into those surviving eight minutes. The cinematography is excellent, and the pace is breathless. Performances are good, too. Priscilla Dean was a popular star during the late 'teens and early '20s, and worked frequently with director Browning, often in roles like this one. Thurston Hall is a familiar face to film buffs, as he worked in character parts in movies and TV right through the '50s. The two leads play off each other well in this sequence. I was able to find a plot synopsis for this film in 'Dark Carnival,' a biography of Tod Browning. As it turns out, "Lord Chesterton" isn't what he seems; he too is a thief, and he manages to save Billie's bacon when one of her former accomplices attempts to turn her in for a reward. Ultimately, our two elegant crooks fall in love with each other, and decide to reform. Which is to be expected I suppose, and sounds a tad predictable, but I'd love to see the rest of this movie anyway. What survives is terrific, a real popcorn flick of its era.
The story concerns a career criminal known as Blue Jean Billie (played by Priscilla Dean), who, dressed in formal evening wear, somehow crashes a fashionable dinner party in the home of prosperous people. Mid-way into the dinner, she pulls a gun and robs the attendees of jewelry, furs, etc.-this is where the surviving footage begins-and then escapes in a car with an accomplice. Three men pursue in another car. When Billie's car crashes she manages to fend off her pursuers, then takes one of them hostage, and flees in their car. Billie's captive is Lord Chesterton (Thurston Hall), an elegant English gentleman. Once they reach her hideout Billie binds him to a chair. The dinner party host reports the robbery of his guests and the abduction of this prominent nobleman to the police. While Billie is changing clothes Lord Chesterton manages to slip out of his bonds, but rearranges them so it appears he is still tied. Billie goes to the kitchen to make coffee for her "hostage," who looks ready to spring at her. And there, darn it, the footage ends!
An awful lot of incident is packed into those surviving eight minutes. The cinematography is excellent, and the pace is breathless. Performances are good, too. Priscilla Dean was a popular star during the late 'teens and early '20s, and worked frequently with director Browning, often in roles like this one. Thurston Hall is a familiar face to film buffs, as he worked in character parts in movies and TV right through the '50s. The two leads play off each other well in this sequence. I was able to find a plot synopsis for this film in 'Dark Carnival,' a biography of Tod Browning. As it turns out, "Lord Chesterton" isn't what he seems; he too is a thief, and he manages to save Billie's bacon when one of her former accomplices attempts to turn her in for a reward. Ultimately, our two elegant crooks fall in love with each other, and decide to reform. Which is to be expected I suppose, and sounds a tad predictable, but I'd love to see the rest of this movie anyway. What survives is terrific, a real popcorn flick of its era.
