Lorna Doone

Lorna is a wealthy young girl who meets and loves a shepherd boy, John. After meeting him she is captured by the evil Lord Doone. Doone is softened by fatherly love for Lorna but raises her in his den of thieves. She grows into lovely womanhood, sweet and untouched by the violence around her. One day, John returns. They recognize each other and fall in love all over again. Doone's counselor wants his son to marry Lorna. He is a violent man, hated by Lorna. She spurns his proposal. He tries to force her but she is rescued by John. Doone dies during the rescue but rights his wrong and sees that Lorna returns to Society. John lets her go but follows her. Will she be the same, sweet girl or a spoiled society lady? The future holds betrayal, revenge and perhaps even murder. This movie had me on the edge of my seat. I loved it! Madge Bellamy portrays such sweetness and beauty. I didn't care too much for the score as it's pretty modern in some spots. I'd highly recommend it: 9/10.

Watching Maurice Tourneur's "Lorna Doone " is very much like visiting an art gallery; it is so filled with gorgeous images, expertly photographed by Henry Sharp. Interestingly, Mr. Tourneur uses the camera to tell a simpler, less stylized story than previously. This time, it's the simple, but everlasting love of soul-mated Madge Bellamy (as Lorna Doone) and John Bowers (as John Ridd).

The intimate-looking location scenes are a highlight: for example, note how Tourneur stages the lovers' introduction, as children, with young Mae Giraci drawn to young Charles Hatton as he is pumping water to wash his hair. (Tourneur directs children and water beautifully, as a rule.) Later, watch for the "farewell" scene after Ms. Bellamy's "true identity" is revealed. Mr. Bowers' body language, even when in the background, is revealing. Also, the "bridge" they have crossed, moves over to the left of the screen, with the carriage door opening, and a hand reaching out to take Bellamy away...

On the downside, the story takes turns, and introduces characters that are difficult to understand. In the early scenes, it appears "Lorna" is abducted by the evil "Doone" family (by the way, both she and "John" appear old enough to know what's going on). Later, that event becomes more complicated. A check with the original novel's plot, and a second viewing, doesn't exactly help.

******** Lorna Doone (1922) Maurice Tourneur ~ John Bowers, Madge Bellamy, Donald MacDonald

Several scenes in Maurice Tourneur-directed October 1922's "Lorna Doone" has lead actor John Bowers almost drowning in a raging river and eliminating his opponent in a bog full of water. Some have suggested the water images in the 1922 film was fixated on the actor's subconscious in his struggles to secure acting roles in the new age of sound movies.

His old friend, Henry Hathaway, was directing 1936's 'Souls of the Sea' in and around Santa Catalina Island. The star of "Lorna Doone," who hadn't any significant role in any film since 1931, hopped on a rented 16-foot slope and sailed to the island to ask for a part in the picture. Unfortunately, the role had been filled. Despondent and at the end of his rope, Bowers, it was reported, simply walked into the ocean and was never seen alive again. Some have attributed Bowers' struggle with his movie career and the method of his death as an inspiration for 1937's 'A Star Is Born's' Norman Maine.

Today's viewer can witness the talent of actor Bowers as the hero in the 1922 version of Richard Blackmore's 1869 novel "Lorna Doone." This was the third incarnation of the 17th-century English tale of a family, the bad-boys Doone's, where one member kills Bower character's father. As a boy he stumbles upon youthful Lorna Doone, played by Madge Bellamy, and later rescues her. Throughout it all, Bowers is seen navigating through raging rivers and being swept over waterfalls. And water plays a crucial role towards the end, a scene where some attribute the actor to chose the method to end his life.

Tourneur had been noted as one of the best aesthetically inclined director in his time. Every frame of "Lorna Doone," it's said, can be hung up on a wall as a picture of art. Studios claimed he sacrificed the beauty of the scene for the pace of his films, concentrating on the look of his movies instead of its action. As one reviewer wrote, "the most beautiful movies are often also the slowest."

There have been five other 'Lorna Doone' movies adapted from the Blackmore novel after Tourneur's picture. But those familiar with the more modern versions claim there is none more pleasing to the eye than the 1922 picture.

In 17th-century England, the outlaw Doone clan kidnaps a young girl, who grows up among them. The farm boy who met her just before the kidnapping eventually rescues her, and they fall in love.

I wasn't familiar with this story, having neither read the novel nor seen the various movie and TV adaptations. The bare bones of this boy-meets-girl tale are, of course, familiar to anyone; but (in this version, at least) it is fleshed out in a particularly engaging way. The graceful photography of Henry Sharp, under Maurice Tourneur's direction, is the movie's main asset. Both leads (Madge Bellamy in the title role and John Bowers as the hero) are strong. Frank Keenan, as the elderly leader of the outlaw clan and Lorna's protector, gives a fascinatingly florid performance (an improvement over his equally striking, but ridiculously slow-motion, acting in "The Coward" from 1915). Charles Hatton, who plays the hero as a boy, has a strong screen presence: it's disappointing to see from his IMDb filmography that he only made a few films and then disappeared.

The 2001 presentations of this film has a lovely background music by Mari Iijima; but unfortunately, Iijima didn't exactly score the film so much as write a few pieces for it, which are repeated without variation throughout the movie. The repetitiveness is a defect.

I watched this movie for the first time recently. I love it and watched it again and again. For the record, I find the score very appropriate. The score is performed by a strings orchestra. The strings seem to fit the period of the movie very well, like the score could have been written in the 1600s. If that is annoying some people, oh well.

I found the production values very impressive for a movie filmed in the early 20s.

John Bowers is a treasure. What a fine actor he was. He was a natural actor who could easily project his emotions without over-emoting. Unfortunately, not too many of his films have survived. Madge Bellamy did a credible portrayal of a sweet and innocent young girl. In my reading up on her, she really did a very good "acting" job.

There was a glaring continuity error at the end of the movie. John left the church to go after Carver in his wedding suit, arrived at Doone Gate in his work clothes, and caught up to him now wearing his wedding suit again.