Old Ironsides

Like Orson Welles with Citizen Kane, James Cruze spent the rest of his directorial career trying to top the success of the epic western The Covered Wagon. The sea serves as the prairie landscape for this film, Old Ironsides the story of the first days of that valiant ship of the line in our new US Navy for Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes penned his immortal poem.

In this film the Constitution is a new ship and it's off to fight in the war against the Barbary pirates of Tripoli. In what I think is a rather unnecessary prologue we're shown scenes of the debates in the 5th Congress as to whether we should have a navy at all.

When the meat of the story gets served it's a slice of action and romance. Young Charles Farrell goes off to sea in search of adventure and gets recruited in a grog shop by boatswain Wallace Beery. Also recruited that way is George Bancroft who is a gunner on the new Constitution. Bancroft ain't happy on the way he was drafted and he and Beery have a running feud going.

As for Farrell, he's got eyes for passenger Esther Ralston, but she's out of his league. But they all get into the same fix when the Barbary pirates capture them and the ship. After that it's the US Navy and the as yet to be named Old Ironsides to the rescue. Most important for Ralston as the pirates have a choice place in the sultan's harem for her.

The Constitution was as yet to be named Old Ironsides. That would occur later on in the era before the War of 1812 when she battled the British ship of the line Guerriere. The battle scenes are well staged, the recently departed from Paramount Cecil B. DeMille couldn't have done better than Cruze.

The film holds up very well and if it isn't history it's good entertainment.

Having enjoyed MASTER & COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD with Russell Crowe and its incredible depiction of life aboard an early 19th century frigate, I decided to re-view this 1926 film of shipboard life. I was surprised to note that several scenes in OLD IRONSIDES are quite similar to scenes in MASTER & COMMANDER. Surely director Peter Weir must have screened this movie before making his. The battle sequences are very similar with sand being spread on deck to absorb blood, the crew hitting the deck to avoid a volley, young boys dying during the fighting, and fierce close up hand to hand combat. Both movies are set during the same time period but this story is very different with the USS Constitution versus the Barbary Pirates being the setting here.

Charles Farrell who was a big romantic lead in the 20's especially when paired with Janet Gaynor, shows here why he was so popular. He is vulnerable but heroic, reserved but not stoic and he possesses an effortless charm that makes him appealing. Although playing the standard damsel in distress role, Esther Ralston makes an engaging heroine who is not a total wimp when the going gets tough. Character actors Wallace Beery and George Bancroft have a field day as feuding sailors while George Godfrey is featured in a more significant role than black actors of the time were usually given. Add to that some brief nudity and a discreetly sexy performance from Ralston (she was once known as The American Venus) and you have a real winner on your hands.

This epic film was well directed by movie pioneer James Cruze (THE COVERED WAGON, THE GREAT GABBO) who is all but forgotten today due to virtually all of his films being lost. Finally Paramount with the help of Kino Lorber has released this on DVD/Blu-Ray along with several of the others in their VHS silent film series of over 30 years ago including THE COVERED WAGON and a new release of Rudolf Valentino's THE SHEIK. Now if we can just get a restored version of Erich von Stroheim's THE WEDDING MARCH, then we will have them all. Special features included with this release are background commentary, a booklet, and Rodney Sauer's piano reduction of the original 1926 orchestral score...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

With plenty of action, an interesting story, and a cast headed by Wallace Beery and George Bancroft, this works well as an adventure movie. It adds good shipboard atmosphere, and it also includes the re-enactment of some of the history that is used as background to the story. Although the historical setting is stylized to some degree, it seems to give a pretty good feel for what it was like in the days when ships from the young USA did battle with the coastal pirates of the Mediterranean.

Beery and Bancroft work quite well together, and they are entertaining, too. Beery's boisterous style can work particularly well in silent movies, since the personality of a character is more prominent than the dialogue. Charles Farrell, as the young man who sails with Beery and Bancroft, is usually rather bland, but then again his innocent, reserved character serves as a contrast to the other two. Esther Ralston is an appealing heroine, and a few of the other characters also get some good moments.

The story is interesting, with most of it following characters on "Old Ironsides" and other ships as they sail, maneuver, and battle. The shipboard atmosphere is convincing, showing the crews both in tense times and in lighter moments. It's enjoyable to see the recreation of the old sailing ships and the ways they worked. Between the details of the ships, and the interesting crew members, there are times when you almost feel as if you're aboard with them.

"Old Ironsides" is one of the many silent movies that deserve to be better known and remembered. It's worthwhile both for the story and for its recreation of the age of the great sailing ships.

There is some grand cinematography in this telling of the early US Navy's attempts to combat the Corsair pirates from North Africa who demanded tribute from all who would sail the seas upon pain of terrible retribution from their well equipped and terrifying fleet should any default. The cast - Wallace Beery, lively as ever, and George Bancroft as his gunner mate, work well together, as do the appearances from the hunky, lovestruck Charles Farrell (rather inappropriately named "The Commodore") and the rather butter-wouldn't melt Esther Ralston ("Esther" - perhaps she had trouble remembering her own name?). To be honest, this isn't a great film, from a narrative perspective, for much of the first half - it really does take a while to get underway. When it does, however, we get some cracking maritime battle scenarios with loads of action, gun battles and technically impressive cinematography that captures some of the genuine jeopardy faced by those sailors from all nations who had to deal with this Tripolitan scourge. From an historical perspective, the fairly embryonic US Navy wasn't quite so successful as this would suggest, but success they had - and the old USS Constitution certainly played her part in arresting these terrors of the Mediterranean and beyond. It's a good watch, this - especially if you like your stories encrusted with salt and a cat 'o nine tails, but maybe the first half hour could have been condensed just a bit better by James Cruze (no puns intended).

Old Ironsides a good film but you have to wait for the real action to start,which does not come in to play until you near the end of the film.But do watch and wait for there is a fantastic ship explosion which is well worth waiting for.Wallace Beery plays a right devious hard nut character and he looks the part.Esther Ralston looks great and once again toward the end of the film she lets her hair down and looks even better.The start of the film is a bit slow then when it moves on to life on the ship there are some funny parts and you get a glimpse of what life on board may have been like.Just one downside to the film for me,the Wurlitzer organ,after ten minutes it drove me mad,what did I do?, I simply turned off the volume sat back and enjoyed the rest of the film.I must say take the time to watch Treasure Island (1934)which also stars Wallace Beery, he plays a fantastic Long John Silver.