The Road to Mandalay

Road to Mandalay, The (1926)

incomplete, 35min. version

Singapore Joe (Lon Chaney) is a crazed man with a strange appearance as one of his eyes were scratched out years earlier. Years earlier he also gave up a daughter after his wife died while giving birth and this daughter grew up to hate her father but she doesn't know who he is. When the daughter goes to marry a scumbag dad steps in and is willing the kill the man so that his daughter's future will be safe. Here's another teaming of Chaney with director Tod Browning, which is certainly the least interesting of their films I've seen but it's hard to judge the movie since this French version is the only print out there. Lost for years, a collector discovered a 9.5mm French print but it's missing at least one plus reels but the basic story outline is still here. Chaney gives a good performance and his scratched out eye makes for a nice special effect but the film appears to lack Browning's slick direction.

Regrettably, this dupey, incomplete, French-subtitled print is apparently all that survives of yet another intriguing Tod Browning/Lon Chaney collaboration! Plot and setting are typical of their films (which tends to make the whole somewhat predictable if never less than fascinating): Chaney is the disfigured leader of a criminal gang whose daughter has grown in a saintly environment away from his bad influence (not too dissimilar from KONGO [1932], in fact - or, should I say, WEST OF ZANZIBAR [1928]).

Due to the missing footage, there are understandable gaps in the narrative (particularly the reformation undergone by Owen Moore's character and also the fact that Chaney's daughter could marry his criminal associate without him being aware of it, given that brother Henry B. Walthall - who is also, conveniently, a priest - periodically reports to Chaney with news of her!) but the film remains watchable with, among its highlights, the recurring battle for control of the gang between Chaney and a Chinaman who's handy with knives played by Sojin. Chaney, as usual, gives a flawless performance and his eye make-up (which I had been intrigued by ever since first seeing it by way of a massive still from the film in an old tome - published in 1956, no less! - of my father's) is highly effective.

Unfortunately, the last few minutes of the film were further impaired by the constant freezing of the disc but, for what it's worth, I'm very pleased to have had this opportunity to sample such a rare item...

Actually, this is an interesting Tod Browning/Lon Chaney film, their 3rd of 8 that they made at MGM from 1925-1929. It is one of the most affecting too.

I saw a 46 minute print, incomplete, but seemingly the only footage available from this film. Not sure how many reels it fully is, but what is here does constitute a complete picture, even though it obviously is missing character and story development. The print too was not too great, but watchable.

That being said it's still involving and rather sad as most Chaney/Browning films are. This one involves Chaney playing Singapore Joe, a veteran underworld hoodlum, whose left eye was scratched out (it would have been nice to have seen a clearer image of the make-up Chaney applied to "white-out" his left eye.) He has a long-lost daughter who was raised by his brother, played by Henry B. Walthall. She does not know him, despite his involvement in her life and he admires her from afar. She despises her father, though and has not forgiven his abandonment of her at a young age. Trouble ensues when one of Chaney's ex-hoodlum friends falls in love with her and she with him. Chaney rejects the union and plans to step in to "save" his daughter.

From what we see, this is a moving film for its' time. Chaney, as usual, evokes sympathy from the audience and even empathy as we see he wants to correct his life and love and support a daughter he has loved from a distance. The cast is good and Browning's direction is at par with his usual work. He actually comes off as more impressive in the silent period to me. There are some camera moves and dissolves within scenes that rather than signal the passage of time as most dissolves do, signify a closeness in relationship. This is seen when Chaney re-unites with his brother, Henry Walthall. There is a long shot of the two embracing and dissolving into a medium shot.

Overall, this is recommended and is more sympathetic and subtle than nearly every other film in which Chaney and Browning collaborated.