In late 19th century Vienna, Lena Smith, a naive peasant girl from Hungary, has a child by a corrupt young cavalry officer, and goes to work in his house as a servant, hiding the truth from his unsympathetic father, while the son returns to his profligate ways. Robbed of her child first when he is a baby, and later when they are separated by the war, she suffers imprisonment, contempt, and shame in order to protect the child.
So, The Case of Lena Smith from way back in 1929. If you’re into silent films, especially those intense melodramas where someone really goes through it, then yeah, this is probably worth digging up. It’s got that raw, dramatic punch these old movies could deliver. But if you're expecting snappy dialogue or anything res...
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Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.
Josef von Sternberg
Edward LeSaint
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"So, The Case of Lena Smith from way back in 1929. If you’re into silent films, especially those intense melodramas where someone really goes through it, then yeah, this is probably worth digging up. It’s got that raw, dramatic punch these old movies could deliver. But if you're expecting snappy dialogue or anything resembling modern pacing, you might find it a bit of a slog. It’s definitely for those who appreciate the historical weight, the grand gestures, and the sheer audacity of some of thes..."
Esther Ralston
Jules Furthman, Julian Johnson, Samuel Ornitz
United States
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