The Sporting Age (1928) - A silent drama about a very messy marriage

If you have about an hour and want to see how people in the 1920s handled infidelity and dramatic train accidents, you should probably check out The Sporting Age. It is a silent movie from 1928 that feels like a very long episode of a soap opera, but with more staring. 🚂

I think people who like old-school melodrama will get a kick out of this one. If you hate slow plots where characters don't just talk to each other, you will likely find it infuriating.

The movie starts with James Driscoll, played by Holmes Herbert, getting blinded in a train wreck. It happens pretty fast and then suddenly he's home and everything is different.

His wife, Miriam, is played by Belle Bennett. You might remember her from So Big, where she was much more likable than she is here.

In this one, she is having an affair with James's secretary, Phillip. Phillip is played by Carroll Nye, and honestly, he looks like the kind of guy who would definitely steal your wife while you aren't looking.

The whole setup is pretty uncomfortable. James is sitting there, thinking he's surrounded by love, while Miriam and Phillip are basically making eyes at each other right in front of his unseeing face.

There is a scene where they are all in the same room and you can just feel how awkward it is. The camera lingers on James's blank stare for a long time.

Then, the big twist happens. James gets his eyesight back! 👁️

But instead of telling everyone and having a big party, he decides to keep it a secret. He just keeps pretending to be blind so he can watch them.

It is a little bit creepy, if I’m being honest. He just sits there in the dark, watching his wife be unfaithful.

You can tell Holmes Herbert is having a good time acting like he can't see. He does that thing where he reaches out for things slightly to the left of where they actually are.

The movie gets even weirder when James decides to bring his niece, Nancy, into the house. He basically uses her as bait to distract Phillip.

Nancy is played by Josephine Borio, and she’s supposed to be this young, vibrant girl who Phillip can't resist. It works, because Phillip has the attention span of a squirrel. 🐿️

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Sporting Age (1928) through its definitive frames.

It’s kind of a mean plan, really. James is basically manipulating his own niece to fix his marriage.

There are some parts where the pacing feels a bit off. Some of the title cards stay on screen for way too long, like they think we can't read fast.

I noticed the sets look a bit empty sometimes. Like they spent all the budget on the train crash at the beginning and then just had to use whatever furniture was left in the studio.

It reminds me a bit of Forbidden Paths in the way it deals with these heavy moral choices. It’s not quite as intense as The Isle of Lost Ships, which had more going on visually.

The ending is very 1920s. Everything gets wrapped up in a neat little bow that probably wouldn't happen in real life.

James reveals he can see, Phillip gets sent away, and Miriam just... comes back to him? It feels like they skipped a few therapy sessions there.

I did like the way the movie used shadows in the house. It made James feel more like a ghost in his own home.

One shot of a door closing was particularly moody. It stayed on the closed door for like ten seconds too long.

Overall, it's a decent watch if you're in the mood for something dusty. It isn't a life-changing film, but it's a good example of how much drama you can squeeze out of a simple lie.

It’s definitely better than some of the other stuff from that year. Just don't expect it to make total sense why anyone stays together at the end.

Also, the hats in this movie are fantastic. Every single woman is wearing a hat that looks like it could double as a structural support beam. 👒

If you're looking for something more adventurous, you might prefer The Eskimo. But if you want people in suits being dramatic in living rooms, stick with this one.

It's a weird little time capsule. I'm glad I watched it, but I don't think I'll be revisiting it anytime soon.