Der Adler

I saw "The Eagle" a few years ago with a sound effects track and very appropriate Tchaikovsky orchestrial music. This beautiful addition set the stage for Czarina's imperial Russia. Mr. Valentino's duel role as Lieutenant of the imperial guard and eventually as THE BLACK EAGLE out for revenge on behalf of his father's family depossession by a crooked neighbor and judge, plans just do. The crooked land owner has a beautiful daughter who defects his ultimate goal. Happy Ending. Clarence Brown, director, helped make "The Eagle" a good movie.

Charles Farenga

When the horses of a coach with two ladies speed after a shot, the Czarina Catherine II (Louise Dresser) sees the young Lieutenant Vladimir Dubrovsky (Rudolph Valentino) rescuing the ladies. She invites Dubrovsky to have dinner with her, but he is sexually harassed by the czarina and flees from the palace. He receives a letter from his father telling that he had been evicted from his lands by the corrupt Kyrilla Troekouroff (James Marcus). Meanwhile the czarina issues an arrest warrant authorizing the arrest of Dubrovsky dead or alive. Dubrovsky heads to his home town, but his father dies and he promises revenge against Kyrilla. He wears a mask and is called "The Black Eagle", and leads a group of unsatisfied men to fight against Kyrilla, stealing from the riches to deliver to the poor. However, when he meets Kyrilla's daughter Miss Mascha Troekouroff (Vilma Banky), Dubrovsky falls in love with her. Dubrovsky needs to rethink and choose between "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" and his love for Mascha.

"The Eagle" is a melodramatic and romantic silent movie with a hero that is a combination of Zorro and Robin Hood. The plot is entertaining and well constructed but it is funny to see, for example, Dubrovsky forgetting his friends and his promise to kill the man that stole the lands of his father that died after just because he is in love with Kyrilla's daughter. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Águia" ("The Eagle")

Note: On 23 May 2024, I saw this film again.

I saw "The Eagle" made in 1925 a few years back on video from Nostalgia cable. It had a sound effects addition and a beautiful Tchaikovsky orchestral score by Michael Hoffman. Mr. Valentino played the first of his duel role career as a fearless lieutenant in the imperial Czarina home guard. When Valentino learns of his father's swindle by a crooked neighbor and lawyer, he rushes home to find his father dying and estate forfeitured. He seeks revenge as THE BLACK Eagle, sort of Robin Hood. The crooked neighbor has a lovely daughter who comes between Valentino carrying out his intentions. Will THE BLACK EAGLE EXTRACT his due? The ending straightens out any ill intentions.

Charles Farenga

THE EAGLE (United Artists, 1925), directed by Clarence Brown, is a worthy adventure story starring the legendary Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) in one of his better silent films set in imperial Russia under the reign of Catherine II.

Valentino plays Vladimir Dubrovsky, a handsome young lieutenant in her majesty's imperial guard, who becomes a hero of the hour when he rescues a runaway carriage with the beautiful Mascha Troekouroff (Vilma Banky) and her maiden Aunt Aurelia (Carrie Clark Ward) as the occupants, and returning the wandering horse to its titled owner, Catherine II, the Czarina (Louise Dresser). Impressed by the young Cossack, the Czarina invites Dubrovsky over to dine with her. Realizing that she wants to add him to her one of many lovers, he rejects her advances. Later when Dubrovsky comes to visit his father (Spottiswoode Aiken), he arrives only to find that he has been robbed of his estate by Kyrilla (James Marcus), a vicious landowner, and left to die in a peasant's hut. Wanting to avenge his father's death, Dubrovsky abandons his military duties by assuming a bandit's disguise, forming a group of followers in his cause, and becoming know as "The Black Eagle." While becoming the Russian "Robin Hood," there is a 5,000 rubles reward for the capture of Vladimir Dubrovsky for desertion by the Czarina. In order to gain entrance to Kyrilla's home, Dubrovsky assumes the identity of Monsieur LeBlanc, a French tutor, and bides his time to revenge himself on the man responsible for his father's death. However, things start to change when he meets the beautiful Mascha once again (first as the lieutenant who rescues her from the runaway carriage, and second posing as The Black Eagle who robs her and her aunt of their worthy possessions), who happens to be Kyrilla's daughter.

THE EAGLE is old-fashioned screen entertainment that borrows from the combination of recent successes to THE MARK OF ZORRO (1920) and ROBIN HOOD (1922) both starring Douglas Fairbanks, but minus the swashbuckling. As with Fairbanks, THE EAGLE is fast-paced, simply tongue and cheek, including some witty title readings such as "Revenge is sweet, but sometimes a girl is sweeter," or a memorable line in which The Eagle goes by, "The Eagle does not war against women." Along with some authentic dress designs, compliments of Adrian, this production also includes expensive set designs by William Cameron Menzies that help make THE EAGLE capture the flavor of old imperial Russia. Clarence Brown direction is first rate, featuring fine camera style tracking over the long dinner table during a social function dinner scene at the home of Kyrilla.

Also featured in the cast are Albert Conti as Captain Kuschka; George Nichols as The Judge; and Michael Pleschkoff as the Captain of the Cossack Guard. As for Louise Dresser, with little screen time, first during the early portion of the story and again during the film's final ten minutes, she makes an very impressive Catherine II in her scene stealing performance. Because Valentino and the Hungarian-born Vilma Banky worked so well together in THE EAGLE, they were reunited again in THE SON OF THE SHEIK (1926). A new love team might have emerged with these two big hits of the day, but sadly, after the release of their second pairing, Valentino stunned the world when he died at the age of 31. Over the next few years, THE EAGLE and THE SON OF THE SHEIK would play as a double bill whenever revived in theaters.

THE EAGLE became one of twelve selected films presented during the summer months on public television's weekly series of "The Silent Years" (1975) as hosted by Lillian Gish, with a theater organ score by Lee Erwin from the Paul Killiam collection, the same print used when aired on cable television's Turner Classic Movies. The popularity of THE EAGLE assured its availability during the early years of video cassettes. In a very hard to locate video, distributed as early as 1980 (manufacturer unknown), the copy featured a fine 1920s style Movietone score consisting of classical Russian symphonies that were used for latter theatrical reissues, along with original opening movie titles. In later years, various other prints became available, such as Video Yesteryear with an accu-speed copy longer than the standard 74 minutes; the Blackhawk (later Republic Pictures) video with the use of the print used in "The Silent Years," as well as a video labeled "Legendary Silents" with the Thames orchestral score conducted by Carl Davis. It is also available on DVD. Whichever and however THE EAGLE is presented, its availability does rest assure on a new generation of audiences and rediscovery of the legend of Valentino. (***)

...mix of masked-hero action and romantic comedy from director Clarence Brown and based on a novel by Pushkin. Young Lt. Vladimir Doubrovsky (Rudolph Valentino) of the Russian Army is forced to go on the run after spurning the romantic advances of the Czarina (Louise Dresser). Once back in his home village, Doubrovsky learns that local baron Kyrilla (James Marcus) has been cheating the people out of their land, money and possessions, including Doubrovsky's own father, who died of despair at his losses. Doubrovsky vows revenge, and so adopts the guise of the Black Eagle, a Zorro-like masked bandit-hero who, along with his band of cohorts, makes life miserable for Kyrilla. However, when Kyrilla's beautiful daughter Mascha (Vilma Banky) comes home from abroad, Doubrovsky is smitten, and so he impersonates her new personal tutor to infiltrate Kyrilla's estate and to woo Mascha. Also featuring Albert Conti, George Nichols, Carrie Clark Ward, Gary Cooper as a masked extra, and Gustav von Seyffertitz.

Valentino is good here, although I wish there had been more action scenes with him as the Black Eagle. Dresser is fun as the lascivious Czarina. William Cameron Menzies provided the gorgeous production design, and director Brown dazzles with a "how'd they do that?" tracking shot over a sumptuous banquet table. My only real complaint would be that the movie can't seem to decide what it wants to be, and therefore sells both efforts a bit short. This was only my second Valentino film (after 1922's Blood and Sand), and it would prove to be his next-to-last film. It was a big hit for him after a run of disappointments, and signaled a big comeback which would be cut short after one more film and his death at age 31 in 1926.