{"id":25128,"date":"2012-04-06T14:32:10","date_gmt":"2012-04-06T21:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25128"},"modified":"2020-12-27T13:05:10","modified_gmt":"2020-12-27T20:05:10","slug":"eagle-the-1925","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25128","title":{"rendered":"Eagle, The (1925)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I enlisted for war service only.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Poster-190x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"190\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-25129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Poster-190x300.jpg 190w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Poster-81x128.jpg 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a handsome young Cossack (Rudolph Valentino) rebuffs the romantic advances of Catherine the Great (Louise Dresser), he must flee to safety; meanwhile, after learning that his father (Spottiswoode Aitken) has been fleeced by a notorious thief (Albert Conti) &#8212; whose beautiful daughter (Vilma Banky) Valentino recently saved from a runaway carriage &#8212; he dons a mask to become an avenger known as the Black Eagle.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clarence Brown Films<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Revenge<\/li>\n<li>Royalty and Nobility<\/li>\n<li>Rudolph Valentino Films<\/li>\n<li>Silent Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nLoosely based on <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dubrovsky_%28novel%29\">an unfinished novel by Alexander Pushkin<\/a>, this historical romantic adventure (directed by Clarence Brown) was one of Rudolph Valentino&#8217;s final films before his death at the age of 31. It&#8217;s the type of material that seems perfectly suited for Valentino&#8217;s cinematic &#8220;rival&#8221;, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. &#8212; indeed, Valentino&#8217;s donning of a mask to become a Robin Hood-like avenger hearkens back immediately to Fairbanks&#8217; work in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=24019\"><em>The Mark of Zorro<\/em><\/a> and its sequel. Unfortunately, <em>The Eagle<\/em>&#8216;s storyline doesn&#8217;t offer much that&#8217;s new or particularly noteworthy; the most astonishing scene occurs early on, as the Czarina Catherine (Dresser) bids Valentino&#8217;s Lt. Dubrovsky to kneel and kiss her hand, then seems to want him to stay down in that location for much longer than he&#8217;s comfortable with&#8230; One wishes the rest of the narrative focused on Catherine&#8217;s May-December lustiness for young Valentino; instead, we&#8217;re given a fairly standard tale of vengeance and concealed identities, with obligatory romantic tensions thrown in for good measure. (Hungarian-born Banky is as beautiful as ever, though her erotic appeal is exploited much more effectively in her follow-up film with Valentino &#8212; <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25008\"><em>Son of the Sheik<\/em><\/a>).  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Solid direction by Clarence Brown<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"416\" height=\"320\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction1.png 416w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction1-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction1-300x230.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 416px) 100vw, 416px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"416\" height=\"320\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction2.png 416w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction2-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Direction2-300x230.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 416px) 100vw, 416px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>William Cameron Menzies&#8217; sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"416\" height=\"320\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets.png 416w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets-300x230.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 416px) 100vw, 416px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"416\" height=\"320\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets2.png 416w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets2-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Eagle-Sets2-300x230.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 416px) 100vw, 416px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, unless you happen to be a Valentino fan. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0015772\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.nytimes.com\/movie\/review?res=9804E7DB1F38E233A2575AC0A9679D946495D6CF\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/326468\/the-eagle#articles-reviews?articleId=73910\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-eagle-2\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I enlisted for war service only.&#8221; Synopsis: When a handsome young Cossack (Rudolph Valentino) rebuffs the romantic advances of Catherine the Great (Louise Dresser), he must flee to safety; meanwhile, after learning that his father (Spottiswoode Aitken) has been fleeced by a notorious thief (Albert Conti) &#8212; whose beautiful daughter (Vilma Banky) Valentino recently saved from a runaway carriage &#8212; he dons a mask to become an avenger known as the Black Eagle. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Clarence Brown&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25128\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25128"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59969,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25128\/revisions\/59969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}