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Cult Review
Archivist John
Senior Editor
Honestly, only if you're already into silent films or you have a weird thing for Adolphe Menjou. It’s a short watch, which helps because the plot is basically one giant misunderstanding that could be solved if everyone just stopped being so polite. 🕵️♂️
If you hate movies where the main character makes their own life harder for no reason, you’re going to want to throw something at the screen. But for fans of moody, shadowy 1920s sets, it has a certain vibe.
The whole thing starts with Captain Ferréol getting ready to go to Africa. Movies from this era always treat 'going to Africa' like it’s a trip to the moon or something. 🌍
He goes to see Gilberte, his old flame, to return her letters. Why he didn't just mail them or burn them is beyond me, but then we wouldn't have a movie.
Adolphe Menjou plays Ferréol with this very specific kind of stiff-upper-lip energy. He doesn't do a lot with his face, but his mustache does a lot of the heavy lifting.
While he’s sneaking out of her house, he sees a guy getting murdered. It’s Rochemore, Gilberte’s husband. The lighting in this scene is actually really good—lots of deep blacks and weird angles that make the garden look way creepier than it probably was.
The problem is, if he tells the police what he saw, he has to explain why he was at the house. And back then, being in a married woman's garden at night was apparently worse than letting a murderer go free. 🙄
There’s a shot of him standing by a window that goes on for a long time. You can see the sweat on his forehead. It's one of those moments where the silence actually feels heavy.
I noticed a small detail: the way he handles the letters. He holds them like they're made of glass. It’s a nice touch that shows how much he actually cares, even if the situation is stupid.
Raoul Paoli is in this too, and he has a presence that almost knocks Menjou off the screen. Sometimes the acting gets a bit 'big,' which happens in silents, but it fits the melodrama here.
The pacing is a bit clunky. It feels like they had about 30 minutes of story and had to stretch it to an hour. Some of the title cards stay on the screen so long you could probably go make a sandwich and come back without missing anything. 🥪
It reminds me a bit of the tension in The Perfect Woman, but without any of the humor. This movie takes itself very seriously.
I kept thinking about Who's Cheating? while watching this. It's that same obsession with 'honor' that feels totally alien today.
There’s a scene in the police station that is just... awkward. The detective looks like he’s waiting for someone to feed him his lines. 👮
One thing that really worked was the costume design. The military uniforms look heavy and itchy. You can almost feel the wool through the screen.
I liked the ending, even if it felt a bit rushed. It doesn't wrap everything up in a neat little bow, which was a surprise for 1928.
The movie is kind of like a dusty antique you find in your grandma's attic. It’s not particularly useful, and it smells a bit funny, but you can’t help but stare at it for a while.
If you've seen stuff like Kipps, you'll know what to expect with the drama levels. It’s high. Very high.
I found myself wondering what happened to the letters afterward. They just kind of disappear from the plot once the murder happens. ✉️
The film is definitely better when it stays in the shadows. When it’s bright and daylight, the sets look a bit flimsy, like they might fall over if someone sneezes too hard.
Actually, there's one reaction shot of Evelyn Brent that is just perfect. She doesn't move a muscle, but you can tell she's absolutely terrified. That’s the kind of stuff that makes silent movies worth it.
It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a decent way to spend an hour if you want to see how they used to do thrillers. Just don't expect a lot of 'mystery'—the title is a bit of a lie since we see everything happen.
Anyway, it's better than Miss Me Again, which I found totally forgettable. This one at least stays in your head for a day or two because of how annoying the characters are being to themselves. 😅
IMDb —
1919
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