Captain Salvation

"Captain Salvation" could have been a segment of "Intolerance." In 1840, faced with blind discrimination, unfounded gossip and strict religious judgment, Anson Campbell, a seminary student, retreats to the sea. There, through a series of unfortunate events, he is reborn to his faith, 'baptized' by the fallen woman who has enlightened him.

Most performances are standard, but Pauline Starke's work is excellent. George Fawcett's character, Zeke, provides some of the story transitions by being around when the transitions occur. It is a critical function in silent movies too often provided by title cards alone(in talkies, by a narrator or other dialog). Generally, this picture is very smoothly directed by John Robertson.

Cinematography by William Daniels helps this picture shine. The new orchestral score by Philip Carli (TCM induced, I think)is great.

As was noted by Cine Tiger, this excellent silent film was offered by Turner Classic Movies on their Sunday Night Silent feature.

"Captain Salvation" was beautifully photographed, and although it does show the difference in the movie-making of that day to this day, it was a captivating journey. Marcelline Day was simply excellent in this film. My original vote for this drama was a 6 but after reflection, I raised the vote to a 7 because some of the scenes were so very haunting.

The newly added soundtrack for "Captain Salvation" was most enjoyable.

Plaudits all around to the restoration team, to the music composer, and to the Turner Classic Movies channel and its executives. This was a great film to restore and it was definitely an enchanting story to view on a quiet Sunday night. This movie also gives the lie to those modern cynics who say that spiritual or religious themes in movies are passe' or "old hat." Not so. Granted, this was truly a '20s movie and the 1920's had an element of resurgent Christian fundamentalism in that era, a resurgence which contrasted so very sharply with the age of "flappers, flivvers, and fol-de-rol".

With many other classics of the '20s awaiting restoration, we can only hope for the best and for the immediate rescue of these cultural documents from our true American history !! Let's hope TCM shows this one again and again.

In the Spring of 1840, tall, fair and handsome Lars Hanson (as Anson Campbell) returns from seminary studies, to his little New England town. A prayerful and seafaring man, Mr. Hanson is welcomed by the folks at home, especially virginal sweetheart Marceline Day (as Mary Phillips). The pair plan to become minister and wife, but drift apart when Hanson defends Boston prostitute Pauline Starke (as Bess Morgan) against the town's wrath. He is advised, "Get that trull out of here!" But, Hanson shocks puritanical villagers by taking in the shipwrecked woman, and nursing the "Waterfront Jezebel" back to health.

Ironically, Hanson's "Christian charity" threatens his ministry and engagement. Returning her ring, Ms. Day exclaims, the "scarlet woman is stealing your soul!" In a grand scene, Ms. Starke tells Day she should have stood by her man. Ostracized, Hanson and Starke join a ship supposedly headed for Rio. That the Captain of the "Panther" is frequently nasty Ernest Torrence should tell you smooth sailing is not in the offing. Helping Hanson find his faith is one of Starke's best roles, and she performs it beautifully. Director John Robertson, photographer William Daniels, and the crew make "Captain Salvation" exciting.

******* Captain Salvation (5/14/27) John S. Robertson ~ Lars Hanson, Pauline Starke, Marceline Day, Ernest Torrence

Captain Salvation (1927)

*** (out of 4)

This Cosmopolitan picture contains a lot of melodrama but it also features some rather graphic material that certainly wouldn't have passed the Hayes Code only a short decade later. The story is pretty simple as a future preacher (Lars Hanson) is about to be married in his small town when there's a boat crash and a "unholy" woman (Pauline Starke) washes ashore. Near death, the preacher takes her in, which causes many of the gossiping Christians in town to spread the word that there's something sexual going on between them. Disgusted by the gossip, the preacher and woman board a ship not knowing that the Captain (Ernest Torrence) isn't being honest with them in regards to where it's headed. The plot of a town's gossip isn't anything too original seeing as how even D.W. Griffith was dealing with it a decade earlier but what makes this film really stand out are some great images, nice performances and some rather dirty stuff that wouldn't be in movies many more years. It's funny but if you want to see a more realistic movie then you have to go back to the silents because they appear to be the only films where the hero doesn't have to win in the end and they can also contain darker material. This film deals with rape, prostitution, murder and suicide; all of this in the short 87-minute running time. The movie comes off rather refreshing because we get to see all of this stuff and we also get a rather wild account of the Starke character being raped by her step-dad and then her saying how happy she was when the child died. These pre-code elements certainly separates this film from other melodramas out there and it's one of the reasons this film is worth viewing. Another are for the performances with Starke easily standing out and delivering a very memorable character and performance. She was wonderful early on as the vamp and we believe her transformation into the girl who wants to do good. Hanson, best remembered for playing the preacher in the Lillian Gish version of THE SCARLET LETTER, goes a bit over the top here but he still manages to be quite powerful. Pauline Starke, Torrence and George Fawcett all add nice supporting performances. What doesn't work in the film is the second half when we board the ship. There are some rather wild events that happen and I really didn't believe any of them as they all felt rather forced. I also wasn't as moved by the ending as I'm sure everyone making the film would have liked but with that said, this is still a pretty impressive film for fans of silents.

As excited as I was a couple of months ago to see this film on TCM's schedule--if for no other reason than that it isn't available anywhere and I love it when rare films get pulled out of the vaults--I was also prepared for it to be a snooze-inducer, since some of the contemporary reviews were lukewarm at best. I am so glad this didn't turn out to be the case! Although the TCM score by Mr. Carli was simply perfect (and a great score can make even a mediocre silent seem better than it is), this is a film so beautifully composed and structured that I think it would hold its own even without music. I really wasn't expecting much from director John Robinson, since his name hasn't come down as one of the seminal directors of the silent era, but he proved me wrong, too. From breathtaking ocean views to subtly-lit interiors and sets, this is a visually rich film (photography by the great William Daniels); the titles are also well done by John Colton (credited on-screen as the author of "Rain"--obviously the right man to recruit for a story of religious hypocrisy and a "scarlet" woman). Yes, Lars Hanson does overact the crucial dramatic scenes, but Pauline Starke does especially fine work, along with Marceline Day and Ernest Torrence as yet another sea-faring type. Overall, this is an enjoyable film--not quite as preachy as I expected, with some lighter moments as well.