The above photo is from 1931's The Unholy Garden. The Unholy Garden is not a particularly good film, though it is at least moderately entertaining throughout. This is one of several films in which Colman's character finds himself on the wrong side of the law. It is somewhat surprising how many of his characterizations went against his image.

It is a bit of a stretch to think of Ronald Colman on the run from the law, hiding out in a seedy hotel in the desert, angling to steal stolen millions from a blind, old, wheelchair-bound man, isn't it?

It makes me sad to see Ronnie's LJ community go so long without an update, so I present this picture of Mr. Colman from his second talkie, Condemned (1929).



Condemned is a fairly entertaining movie, if not a particularly good one. Colman plays a convict hired as a houseboy by the nasty warden (a thoroughly unappealing Dudley Digges). After all, somebody needs to help Ann Harding with the chores. Really ridiculous stuff, but definitely worth a view for any Colman fan.

Just a heads-up that The Masquerader (1933) is going to be on TCM in the US at 4:30 am on Friday 11/14 - so do set your recorders if you're interested!* Colman is generally underutilized by TCM, and this is a rare opportunity to catch some of his lesser seen work.

I have never seen this one before, and I do look forward to it. The Masquerader is the last film Ronnie made with Goldwyn, though it was evident that they'd be parting ways as of Colman's previous film, Cynara (1932). Like its predecessor, The Masquerader did not do terribly well at the box office. Neither film had the type of role the public liked Ronnie to play; perhaps he was not at his best playing adulterers and drug addicts.

Apparently it's not one of his better films, but is notable for a couple of reasons. First, when leading lady Elissa Landi was stricken ill, Ronnie's future wife Benita Hume tested for her role. Landi recovered, and the Colman/Hume romance was still a few years in the future. Secondly, it is the second of three films in which Ronnie plays dual roles. The first was The Magic Flame (1927), a sadly lost silent, and the last was The Prisoner of Zenda, unquestionably the best known of the three.



( Some more photos and a video under the cutCollapse )

*Or, you could always stay up until 6:00 am watching Ronald Colman movies. Not that I know anyone who would do that. *cough*

Some kind soul has uploaded a Colman silent film I have never seen, Kiki, to youtube. The film is missing a couple of reels early on (a more complete 35mm print exists), but it is still worth watching. It is a comedy, quite funny at times. While Ronnie is great here, it is really Norma Talmadge as the title character who is the focus of most of the attention. She is quite wonderful.

The person who posted the film states in the description that it will only be up for a week or so, so if you have any interest in seeing it, I would do so sooner rather than later.

Enjoy!

Kiki: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Two Lovers, the last of five films Ronnie made with costar Vilma Bánky, is sadly presumed to be lost. Luckily we still have the stills that we can all gawk at, such as this one that someone is currently selling on eBay.



Wasn't he beautiful?

( A few more from Two Lovers under the cut.Collapse )

I've always love this painting of Ronald Colman from Jewett Bubar.

Here are some screencaps from Capra's Lost Horizon. I re-watched this film recently, and I liked it much more the second time around.



( Here's my hope that we all find our Shangri-La...Collapse )

Also, someone recently added a video of that lovely kiss between Ronnie and Jane Wyatt to youtube.

While many of Colman's defining sound films are readily available on DVD, the same cannot be said of his silents. It is a common misconception that most of Colman's silents are lost. While this is true of his early work in Britain, a majority of his Hollywood silents still exist. However, many of them are only screened at film festivals specializing in silents.

Only two of Colman's silent films have seen DVD release, Ernst Lubitsch's Lady Windermere's Fan (1925), released as part of the More Treasures from American Film Archives 1894-1931 box set, and The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926). Released as part of a Gary Cooper odds-and-ends style box set, it seems as though some Cooper fans had no interest in the silent film, and have placed their unwatched copies for sale. This is great news for anyone interested in seeing the film, as copies can easily be had for a few dollars.

I can see why it would be of limited interest to Cooper fans. While Barbara Worth is considered a breakthrough role for Cooper, it is clear that he was not the star. The film is one of the two films Colman made with frequent costar Vilma Banky that still survives, and is definitely worth watching. The cinematography is beautiful, and the print excellent. And while the film is only nominally a Western, its as close as Colman ever came to the genre.

It is definitely worth seeing for anyone interested in Colman, or silents in general.



( More Handsome!Ronnie beneath the cut.Collapse )