Across to Singapore

Odd silent romantic drama starring Ramon Novarro and Joan Crawford. Joel (Ramon) and Priscilla (Joan) have been in love since they were children. But before Ramon can tell her how he feels, his older (and I do mean OLDER) brother Mark (Ernest Torrence) declares his intention to marry Priscilla. Mark's set the whole thing up between his and Priscilla's fathers so Priscilla has no say in the matter and Joel, for whatever reason, won't speak up about it. From there, the whole thing gets weird as Mark and Joel ship off to sea and a series of things happen that I won't spoil, as they are the movie's primary sources of entertainment. Anyway, it's a melodramatic movie that I'm sure will appeal to Novarro fans. I'm not really one of those but I found the movie interesting, if not entirely entertaining. For Joan fans this isn't a strong role for her but completists will want to check it out.

The story is well known and has been made often. Two brothers in love with the same woman. Of course, the one she is betrothed to is NOT the one she loves.

The only remaining copy of this film was saved and restored right before it disintegrated; so the viewing can be a bit blotchy, especially towards the end.

Joan Crawford is still learning her craft and does a lot of the silent-star grimacing that so often accompanies the over-acting damsel-in-distress routine of the 20's. She is definitely miscast in the role of a milquetoast girl who won't speak her mind to the right people. But it is interesting to watch her as she puts her best foot forwards, as always.

Ramon Novarro is the real STAR of this movie. There are abundant close-ups and he really does have a timeless magic. His boyishness and earnest attitude seems very real and is completely endearing. His character is well-cast and his is the only believable role aside from the villain ship-mate played by Jim Mason.

Ernest Torrence has the best role for an actor with opportunities galore to chew the scenery ... and he DOES with gusto. Much too old for the part he is playing, his saving grace is that he IS a likeable curmudgeon and the viewer may choose to overlook his miscasting.

If you love Novarro, don't miss this. If you love Crawford, check her out as she attends MGM's acting class 101. If you love sea dramas, this is just ok. As a silent film, it's watchable and mildly entertaining, but no great classic.

A rare chance to watch Joan Crawford just before her breakthrough in silent pictures the same year, when she starred in `Our Dancing Daughters' as the epitome of the '20s flapper. In this movie she plays the lady-in-between (and the cause of sibling rivalry) seamen brothers Ramon Novarro (Joel Shore) and Ernest Torrence (Captain Mark Shore).

Crawford does a fine job playing the ingénue, and boy! does she look different from the trademark image she adopted from the 1930s onwards: in this picture her features look much softer, she has `smaller' lips, etc. (sort of the '20s look).

But, I must have to note that this is Novarro's film all the way, playing devil-may-care Joel Shore, the youngest of four seaman brothers, who becomes a full-fledged, grown-up man, the hard way.

Novarro's flair for comedy, playing and foolin' around, making practical jokes and having lots of fun, is at full display in the first half of the picture (these scenes are heartfelt and very believable), before he has to confront life and his much admired eldest brother (Torrence), because of their love for the same woman. A very entertaining film, you almost forget it's silent.

The same story had been filmed before by Metro pictures in 1923, using the original story's title "All the Brothers were Valiant", starring Malcolm McGregor, Lon Chaney and Billie Dove. Then again, it was remade by MGM in 1953 as "All the brothers were valiant" with Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger and Ann Blyth.

This is a good silent film, with high MGM production values, good acting, story and direction – to me the 84 minutes running time flew by.

Ramon Navarro and Joan Crawford are young lovers Joel and Priscilla who are unexpectedly and unintentionally thwarted by his chunky big brother Cap'n Mark played by Ernest Torrence suddenly being publicly announced as being betrothed to her. From the playful opening scenes at the shipwreck, jolly dinner party and rites of passage (for Joel) bar-room brawl it gets serious, coinciding with a pivotal voyage to Singapore on the Nathan Ross. The other two brothers are summarily dismissed from the plot by Noah getting washed overboard in a storm and Matthew lost with the Sea Robin. The only bit I didn't like was Mark crazy with drink in Singapore – presumably not still moping about Priscilla because Joel had smoothed it over on board the ship, but the implication it was caused by guilt over his six month relationship with Anna May Wong who was meant to be seen as a lesser mortal by the highly moral white audience. Favourite bits: the juvenile scenes by Joel at the dinner party; the storm scenes; the very realistic climactic fight scene; the main players' conflicting emotions as the plot unravels. The print saved is generally good but can be a bit dodgy - only just pre-combustion in places, but bearable if you get into the story.

Well worth watching for all sorts of reasons – if nothing else for Novarro and Crawford and MGM being young and full of life and promise.

Across To Singapore is the second of three films that MGM did from the novel All The Brothers Were Valiant. As I did not think all that much of the sound version that Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger did in the 50s, so to I feel this one was up to snuff. I still cannot understand why a sea captain takes his bride on a voyage, the inevitable has to happen people being human.

The protagonist brothers Shore in this version are Ramon Novarro as the youngest and good looking one and the oldest is Ernest Torrence. There are two middle brothers here and they favor more Torrence than Novarro.

The girl the brothers are rivals over is played by Joan Crawford and for flinty New England Yankee types these two brothers get all hot and bothered over Crawford. All the basic plot elements from the novel are there with the rivalry and mutiny at sea. Still this one deviates quite a bit from the story in the first and third versions. The first silent film had Lon Chaney and Billie Dove starring and it's considered lost.

The overall story concept I'm still not crazy about, but the players do fine.