La chevauchée de la mort

This remarkable silent film currently exists in a truncated print of poor quality available for download and viewing on YouTube. It is hardly known today, and probably its principal fame rests with the fact that it stars George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor--who went on to considerable movie celebrity from the latter 1920s through the mid-1930s. O'Brien and Gaynor appeared together one more time in the F. W. Murnau classic Sunrise in 1927. The Johnstown Flood movie also contains very brief extra appearances by future stars Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard. Its secondary importance rests on the film's impressive special effects work--outstanding for the time--in depicting the famous 1889 dam collapse that occurred near Pittsburgh, PA. The flood scenes compare quite favorably with those in the famous early disaster film Deluge (1933)--made some seven years later.

The actual Johnstown Flood was a monumental catastrophe---horribly and unnecessarily killing over 2200 people. The real story of this incident---with all its twists and irony definitely deserves a proper screen treatment today. Many liberties were taken with the pertinent facts in making the 1926 film version. A historically accurate retelling of the actual Johnstown Flood would be far more interesting and compelling to contemporary audiences than the rather dated melodrama that appears here.

Nevertheless, this film is important for what it does show--two (then) young up and coming stars making strong appearances in a significant early Hollywood effort--and exciting special effects that foreshadowed the even greater accomplishments in this area that were soon to amaze us in just a few years.

This is the last of Gable silent films. He split up with his wife and mentor, Josephine Dillon, because the extra work had dried up. It appeared as though Hollywood had no room for him. He went back to the theatre for five years and returned to Los Angeles to try out for his next film in 1931.

I don't know whether The Johnstown Flood was the summer blockbuster of 1926, as Titanic was in 1997, but it's certainly the same basic plot

Fictionalized telling of the day a couple thousand people died from drowing. But before we get to the action, we gotta have the handsome male star moon over some beautiful dame. In the background we have the Evil Kapitalists ignoring safety warnings in a mad dash for profit under tight deadlines while a lone conscientious voice warns of danger ahead. Meanwhile, the poorz enjoy their brutish entertainments to keep their minds off their miserable lives.

Mercifully, unlike the several hours it takes James Cameron's film to get to the exciting part, it takes this movie just under an hour. The production crew put in a lot of effort creating the miniatures required to recreate the flood. If you can put yourself in the mind of a 1926 movie-goer it's actually quite fun to watch. They even included the inferno portion of the flood (don't believe me, google it). And it's over and done with in about 10 minutes. Again, unlike the 7-1/2 hours it took the Titanic to sink in the film.

As with a lot of silent films, I soon hit the mute button. The soundtrack distracts, rather than adds to the experience.

I found out about this movie from Corridor crew, discussing it's VFX, and i was hooked. But i didn't expect the movie to be that good. I havent been impressed by a movie (old or new) probably since i saw Wings a year ago.

The saddest part is - it's real tragedy Maybe thats why they put so much efford in making the movie. It felt like passion movie instead of money-grab as so many.

The VFX are definitely one of the best ive seen in pre40s movie. Made with a lot of passion to get them right. Most of the VFX shots look amazing even in 2024 on 4K screen, only few are " not so good" .

Cinematography is good, and even impressive near the end when the pacing fastens so much.

Acting to my pleasant surprise was great. Usually old movies are kinda lacking in acting, as it's product of their time but rarely believable. Yet here... Quite good drama acting, without too much of that typical for the time jiggery energetic limb moving. Facial acting was solid, esp the father's one.

Music.. oh man, whoever made the music deserved the payment.

The remaster they made in 2023 (which i watched) is great. Makes you wish they do more movies like that.

Overall, highly recommended movie.

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD of 1926 joins the ever growing list of once lost Fox silent films (we're talking pre-20th Century Fox) that have not only recently been found, but have been restored so that they can be enjoyed once more. Most people are unaware of the fact that virtually all of Fox's silent film output was destroyed in a massive warehouse fire in 1937. Since serious silent film restoration began around the turn of the century, fewer than two dozen of their movies have been recovered. Most of them are by big name directors like John Ford, Frank Borzage, and F. W. Murnau. Chances are that if Janet Gaynor hadn't been in FLOOD then you wouldn't be seeing this Blu-Ray today

The backdrop for the movie is the famous Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood of May 31, 1889 in which 2,208 died making it the worst American flooding disaster of the 19th century. However the flood itself only takes place in the last 15 minutes of the film with a 2 minute epilogue showing the hero and heroine after the town has been rebuilt. Up until then the movie is your basic silent film melodrama. Young Anna Burger (Janet Gaynor in her first major role at the age of 19) is in love with local engineer Tom O'Day (George O'Brien who starred in THE IRON HORSE and SUNRISE and who bears a striking resemblance to Nicholas Cage) but he only has eyes for the daughter (Florence Gilbert) of the local timber baron.

Although cast in a supporting role where she does not get the guy, Janet Gaynor gives the film's best performance and is as endearing today as she was back in 1926. George O' Brien once again uses his winning smile and friendly demeanor to capably play the leading man. Most of the other performers acquit themselves admirably with the exception of leading lady Florence Gilbert who is just sort of there but then the script gives her very little to do. Max Davidson as a Jewish storekeeper and George Harris as his son are colorful characters but are ethnic stereotypes by today's standards and may offend some people. The brief blackface stage number will probably do the same but remember the setting here is 1889 not 2023.

For years THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD survived in a worn out one hour print which didn't do it justice. A complete print did exist at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY and it is that print which is the basis of this restoration. It looks absolutely marvelous with just a couple of brief examples of nitrate decomposition left in to show people what restorers have to deal with. The film is tinted and toned and comes with an ideal accompanying score by Rodney Sauer and his Mont Alto Orchestra. The special features are impressive and include audio interviews, a clip of Janet Gaynor at the 1977 Oscars, and a 3D photo gallery of the actual flood (3D glasses included). Not a great movie but an entertaining one and well worth the restoration...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.