Maldad encubierta

Perhaps, one of the lesser known collaborations between Lon Chaney Sr. and director Tod Browning--"The BlackBird" has all the conventional trappings of a Chaney/Browning film; or any Chaney Sr. film now that I think about it. One of those trappings being the "love triangle" as it seems that Chaney spends a fair amount of time pining for a woman who ends up falling in love with another man.

This film also has Lon playing a double role--no elaborate makeups to disguise himself with--just the master craftsman contorting his body to play the part of the crippled "Bishop", and his nefarious brother "The Blackbird." Apparently, the Blackbird needed a cover to help hide his criminal activities and thus the part of the Bishop comes into play.

"The Blackbird" starts off a bit slow, as we the audience are introduced to all the principal characters, but picks up steam towards the end. Overall, I can see why this movie is not one of the more well-known Chaney/Browning collaborations--not that I'm saying it's bad, far from it. It's a good movie & if you're a fan of Chaney Sr. then you will definitely add this one to your collection. Now, if someone could only find a surviving print of "London After Midnight."

7 stars

Caught this one at the Film Forum in NYC recently. I have not seen a great deal of Lon Chaney's work outside of 'Phantom' and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' but I thought he was excellent in his dual role in 'The Blackbird'. In fact, he carried the picture and the rest of the cast in this fairly routine melodrama set in the Limehouse district of 1920's London.

Had not seen Owen Moore before but I felt he was very competent. A veteran of silents, he died prematurely in the late '30's. Renee Adoree was a perky ball of fluff and added her good looks to the proceedings.

I did think the premise of the story was a stretch, especially as he presumably hoodwinked his ex-wife as well as all others with his dual-existence duplicity. The sets and the extras seemed extremely authentic and added immeasurably to the production.

This was worth the price of admission, especially Chaney's virtuoso performance. I hope to see others in the future to determine if this was an exception or the norm.

Blackbird, The (1926)

*** (out of 4)

Lon Chaney plays duel roles in this crime melodrama from MGM. The Blackbird, a mastermind criminal and The Bishop, his crippled brother who is loved by everyone in the town. They're both the same person and the plan is to keep it that way but soon another criminal (Owen Moore) enters the picture as well as the love for a woman (Renee Adoree). I've know seen every Chaney feature that is currently not lost and I must say my appreciation of him as an actor has never been so high. I've always looked at him as one of the greatest actors in film history but after seeing this film I might go even further to call him the greatest actor in the silent era. It's really amazing at how brilliant this guy was and his acting abilities are on full display here. The viewer is the only one who knows that Chaney, playing both Blackbird and Bishop, are the same person yet like the characters in the film we forget because at how wonderful Chaney is. You could call this a Jekyll and Hyde type role as we're seeing good and evil and I'd probably say this is the greatest performance at that type of characters. How evil Chaney can come off and then how nice and holy is just amazing to watch and he really sells these characters perfectly. It's also rather amazing watching him play a cripple and deform his own body. Both Moore and Adoree add nice support but it's clear who this picture belongs to. Browning also should get a lot of credit because the screenplay here isn't too original nor is the love story that breaks out and controls most of the running time. While it's not original Browning does bring a lot of style to it and makes the movie flow like a stream. I've never been too fond of his sound features but I think his silents make him one of the most visual directors out there.

London's Limehouse District, "with its lust, greed, and love," lightly blankets its citizens in a sea of fog. There, ambidextrous Lon Chaney (as Dan Tate) successfully spends his nights thieving as "The Blackbird"; and, otherwise, masquerading as his own benevolent, but deformed, brother "The Bishop". Mr. Chaney likes to visit the local pub, where he falls for charming French entertainer Renée Adorée (as Fifi Lorraine). But, Ms. Adorée also attracts suave Owen Moore (as Bertram P. Glayde). Mr. Moore is a rival crook, who goes by the name "West End Bertie". So, conniving Chaney uses his respectable "Bishop" disguise to come between the increasingly more successful Adorée-Moore romance.

This is a formulaic Browning/Chaney film, featuring one of the versatile actor's lesser "disguises". For his transformation, Cheney twists an arm and a leg out of shape. It's more difficult than it looks to walk around in the disjointed position. Of course, Chaney's performance is outstanding. In particular, watch his reaction shots, which are incredibly accurate in mirroring whatever he is looking at, or reacting to. Co-stars Moore and Adorée also shine. Adorée had just been seen in "The Big Parade", and Moore has one of his meatier 1920s roles. Also enjoyable is Doris Lloyd (as "Limehouse" Polly), the ex-wife who loves Chaney.

******* The Blackbird (1926) Tod Browning ~ Lon Chaney, Owen Moore, Renée Adorée

Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde in a bad quarter of London : Lon Chaney plays a double role in the film and in the story, a robber (the Raven) and a man who carries about poor people (the Bishop). The way of acting is remarkable because it's a silent movie. The great thing is that the Bishop is half-paralyzed so Lon Chaney has to play the contorsionist when he moves from Raven into Bishop. The strange atmosphere is very well described with threatening faces and slumhouses.