Docks of New York (1928) (Silent)

Docks of New York (1928) (Silent)
Customer Review: Excellent film
Throughout the years, being myself mostly a `30s-`50s classic-films buff, I've "learned" or have been able to watch, like and enjoy the Silents, and to recognise when a Silent Movie rises "above" the average (i.e.: "Sunrise"), and this grim, realistic Von Sternberg picture surely does! Before Josef Von Sternberg created the bizarre, sumptuous and decadent world in which his "creation" (Marlene Dietrich) "breathed life", in many films between 1930-1935, he made some GREAT films, also at Paramount Pictures, during the late Silent Period, among them "Underworld", "The Last Command", "Thunderbolt" and this one I'm reviewing. Here, macho-man George Bancroft (excellent) plays a very rough stoker who wants to spend his only day on land, having fun, drinking at bars, surrounded by women of "easy virtue", but then he meets Betty Compson (I won't tell any further details about tho movie's plot, in order to not "spoil things") and his life changes... Strong performances by all the cast, especially Bancroft, Compson and alluring russian actress (Olga) Baclanova, better known for her nasty role in the 1932 Tod Browning horror masterpiece, "Freaks". The film's scenery, art direction, the sets, the "mood" are EXCELLENT, truly depicting the life in these "Docks" of New York. A great movie by all accounts.
Customer Review: A pleasure to watch!
I can only echo what others have already said about this excellent silent movie made in 1928, when techniques and styles were well developed - only to be abruptly ended a year later when sound arrived. So for anyone a bit reluctant about silent films, or simply new to them, then "Docks of New York" is a great place to start. It is a simple yet touching story of true love in an unlikely setting: the rough dockyard neighbourhood with its drunken barroom brawls and 'ladies of the night'. It moves at a comfortable pace and takes in much visual detail, while building a certain suspense about what happens next, making this film a real pleasure to watch. Definitely worth having!