The Wicked Darling

A solid melodrama in itself, "The Wicked Darling" is most noteworthy now for the supporting performance of Lon Chaney, in the kind of villainous role that he performed as well as any actor of his time (or just about any other time, for that matter). The movie has recently been restored from one badly damaged print and a few scraps of information, and the restorers have done an impressive job indeed piecing together almost all of the original feature.

Priscilla Dean has the lead role, as a good-natured pickpocket caught up in a bad crowd, among them being Chaney's vicious character. A chain of events leads Mary (Dean's character) to develop a friendship with an upper class gentleman (played by Wellington Playter) who has recently lost both his fortune and his fiancée. The two of them go on to face a series of crises, tests, and menaces, many of them instigated by Chaney's character.

It's a story like many others of its era, but Tod Browning's direction keeps it from being ordinary, adding some good touches and details, and getting good performances from most of the cast. Chaney, though, is the one that stands out. He has no disguises or detailed make-up this time, but he makes full use of every opportunity to portray a cold-hearted crook who forms a formidable obstacle to the happiness of the heroine and the man she loves. As a result, it's quite a bit more interesting and memorable than most movies of its kind.

I'm not supposing it's true across the board, but it's striking that many of the films Tod Browning made were characterized by a vivid visual presentation that was all but fantastical in and of itself, even if the same weren't true of the content. This fits neatly into that sensibility, with rather vibrant sets, costume design, and even hair and makeup to greet us even within the first minutes. Factor in the unmistakable visage of Lon Chaney and the immediate charm of Priscilla Dean, and unless everything else about the picture went terribly wrong then it's all but guaranteed to be enjoyable. Thankfully, as the length advances it's clear that this is indeed well made, and worthy of remembrance. It may not be an absolute must-see, but for fans of the silent era above all, 'The wicked darling' is worth checking out.

Dean gets the starring role and stands out most but the whole cast, also including Wellington A. Playter and Spottiswoode Aitken, give fine performances of swell personality and nuance. I might argue that they even best what one might say of some other early silent features, where the exaggerated body language and facial expressions of theater were predominant; the acting here somewhat seems like a bridge between the two styles. Meanwhile, it's worth repeating that those behind the scenes really did turn in some excellent work; while silent movies certainly relied on strong visuals generally, some are more noteworthy for their imagery than others, and I rather believe that 'The wicked darling' is one of the standouts. If I've any especial critiques it might be that the editing is decidedly curt and choppy at points, with cuts from shot to shot or moment to moment exceeding the brusqueness one may sometimes forgive owing to either limited technology or print degradation. Even this doesn't severely detract from the viewing experience, however, and the quality well outshines this weakness.

True, the story is fairly common material for the era, the saga of a girl of low circumstances and rickety morals who makes good while her even more unsavory fellows don't. Yet who says every film has to be perfectly original (you're asking for trouble) or a beacon of singular brilliance (so few are)? Even if we're familiar with the brunt of the tale, it's written well, with characters both sympathetic or unlikable, and appreciable scene writing. Browning was no slouch, demonstrating solid capability as a director well before those titles that would be his most enduring claims to fame. And it should be said, too, that while the surviving print definitely suffered from deterioration before it was digitized, at large the fundamental image here is gratifyingly sharp, unquestionably surpassing what no few of its contemporaries were able to achieve; whether one wishes to credit cinematographer Alfred Gosden for this aspect or otherwise, it's notable and commendable.

Once again, there's nothing about 'The wicked lady' that's so piercingly fabulous as to uniformly demand viewership. It's well made in every regard - writing, direction, acting, all the contributions of the crew - with the curtness of sequencing being well outshone by the feature's value otherwise. It's also familiar, and from afar, unlikely to stand tall next to its kin. Nonetheless, simply for the fact of how strong every component part is, and the whole as a result, I dare say that maybe this is more readily recommendable, a title that should be upheld as an example of what early cinema could accomplish when everyone was firing on all cylinders. It may not be totally flawless or essential, yet if one has the opportunity to watch 'The wicked lady,' I believe it's fully deserving of one's time, and a great credit to not just all those specifically involved but the skill and ingenuity of early filmmakers broadly.

At its heart a cheap melodrama of the time. Lon Chaney as the thief forcing the poor heroine Priscilla Dean into crime is very Lon Chaney.

The reconstructed print was made from material in fair to poor condition and is missing perhaps 15 percent of the original.

1919 was a pivotal year for Lon Chaney. His appearance in THE MIRACLE MAN (now lost) was the turning point in his career. It was also the year that he made the two films showcased on this release from Flicker Alley (originally released by Image Entertainment). These movies feature two of the silent era's greatest directors in Maurice Tourneur and Tod Browning. Chaney's longtime collaboration with Browning would really bear fruit in the late 1920's but THE WICKED DARLING marked the first time that they worked together. Browning's vivid directorial touch is readily apparent in the realistic lowlife settings and the colorful characters who populate them. The film was originally made as a vehicle for Priscilla Dean, Universal's big female star at the time. She was perky, resourceful, and surprisingly modern in her movements and expressions. Virtually all of her films are lost which is why she's forgotten today. This film was long thought lost until a single print turned up in Holland. Although missing some frames and scarred by mildew in places, the surviving 35mm footage looks remarkably good.

The second feature, VICTORY, looks close to how it must have looked when it was first released with a crisp, clear picture and color tints although I wonder if some footage is missing as the film seems rather abrupt in places. Based on a lesser Joseph Conrad novel, the film was directed by Maurice Tourneur who was one of the great visual stylists of the silent era. His use of light and shadow in the scene with Chaney and Wallace Beery anticipates film noir by 20 years (his son Jacques Tourneur would make several notable film noirs in the 1940's). He began his career as a painter in France and created several painting like effects in his movies. Check out his 1920 version of LAST OF THE MOHICANS and you'll see what I mean. Lon gives two very different performances in these movies that really showcase his genius. While both are criminals they are as different in characterization as the make-ups Chaney created for them. DARLING's "Stoop" Connors is a humorless street bully while VICTORY's Ricardo is a deadly killer with a sense of humor. Actress Seena Owen was in D. W. Griffith's INTOLERANCE three years before VICTORY and would be in Erich von Stroheim's QUEEN KELLY in 1928.... For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

Having seen "Outside the Law", the second Browning-Chaney-Dean feature, I can say "The Wicked Darling" feels almost like a prelude to that film. When you watch this film it looks like some of the sets were used in "Outside the Law". Browning seems to want to finish in "Outside the Law" what he started in this film. There's even a gruesome fight scene (two in fact) with Chaney & the hero here(Wellington Playter) as there would be between Chaney & Wheeler Oakman in "Outside the Law". Priscilla Dean is one of the best actresses of the silent era & I look forward to checking out her other silent films like Browning's "The Virgin of Stamboul" (unfortunately minus Chaney). The version of this film comes from the remaining 35mm print in the Nederlands Filmmuseum and it has tremendous beginning stages of nitrate decomposition. Fortunately this film was rescued in the knick of time. Dean's character at the opening of the film comes off as a thief in cahoots with Chaney but its insinuated that she also moonlights as a prostitute with Chaney her pimp. Browning seemingly sets up the viewers imagination on Dean's activity while early in the film showing Gertrude Astor as a 'kept woman' for Wellington Playter. Astor leaves Playter after he goes broke. With good chunks of the film lost and this being an abridged foreign release anyway, more imagination is still left to the viewer. But Browning's customary last act of redemption for the crooked Priscilla Dean is identical in Outside the Law.