La chevauchée de la mort

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD is a good silent film with some spectacular flood scenes. The plot has George O'Brien as a young engineer working for a lumber company owned by snarky Anders Randolf. He has a big new lumber contract to fulfill and is going full steam to do so. Although he's warned that the dam (which he owns) is structurally unsound, his lead engineer (Paul Nicholson) tells him it has been repaired. That's a lie, but Randolf is willing to believe it because the dam regulates the river which ensures the logs go downstream. Into this fray come Florence Gilbert, O'Brien's fiancee Gloria (and Randolf's niece). There's also Janet Gaynor as the young Anna, daughter of a logging foreman (Paul Panzer). She loves O'Brien, but he only has eyes for Gloria. Others in the cast include Max Davidson as the local department store owner. His role is meant to be comic relief, but the Jewish stereotype gets to be a bit much. There's also Kay Deslys in a dance number during a local show. Among the bit players are Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, and Gary Cooper! Rumor has it that Florence Lawrence is also recognizable.

Special effects aside, the real star here is Miss Gaynor. I had thought she had a small role early in her career, but she's actually the female co-lead and she's excellent. While Gilbert plays it straight as the lovely niece who eventually lands O'Brien, Gaynor's role allows her to do some comedy as the teenager and she gets the big scene when she saves the day (sort of) by galloping through the town on a horse, warning people the dam is about to blow.

Directed by Irving Cummings and photographed by George Schneiderman, this was one of the big hits of 1926 and helped make Gaynor a major star at the Fox Studio.

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.

It's Johnstown, a lumbering town where the mighty dam holds back the water and makes it available for transporting the felled trees for Paul Nicholson's mighty enterprise. But engineer George O'Brien warns him that the dam is going to fall with the next heavy rainfall. Nicholson scoffs, so O'Brien quits and with a group of like-minded citizens, takes over the dam.

That might be enough in a B movie, but director Irving Cummings and writers Edfrod Bingham and Robert Lord put a bunch of subplots in. O'Brien is mighty fond of Janet Gaynor -- in her first major role -- and she is desperately in love with him. Meanwhile, Nicholson's niece, Florence Gilbert, and O'Brien are falling in love. Add in Paul Panzer as Miss Gaynor's father, Max Davidson as a shopkeeper, and Gary Cooper, Kay Deslys, Clark Gable, Florence Lawrence, and Carole Lombard as uncredited extras, as well as great set design and an amazingly photographed flood to stop every plotline, and you've got among the goldurnestest spectacles of the silent era. Once again, Irving Cummings demonstrates that he can handle any sort of picture with the best of them.

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD (Fox, 1926), an Irving Cummings Production, directed by Irving Cummings, became the silent screen adaptation to the 1889 disaster known as the Johnstown Flood. Starring George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor, who were most famously paired in SUNRISE (Fox 1927), appear as major attractions to a story of their personal lives along with others involved before its climatic reproduction of the title disaster.

Opening with a view of the town of Johnstown, the story introduces Tom O'Day (George O'Brien), an engineer of Hamilton Lumber Company, who is loved by Anna (Janet Gaynor), daughter of Joe Burger (Paul Panzer), a logging foreman, but Tom's sole interest is on Gloria (Florence Gilbert), niece of the company's owner, John Hamilton (Anders Randolph). Regardless of Tom's warning about the Conemangh Dam's overflow due to the heavy rain that will cause flooding and destruction to Johnstown, he is ignored, with Hamilton putting all his trust on Ward Peyton (Paul Nicholson) instead. O'Day eventually quits his job. On the very day of his wedding to Gloria, Anna's horse ride through town warning of a disaster waiting to happen puts everyone in fear of their lives. Supporting cast includes Max Davidson (Isador Mandel of the Johnston Clothing Emporium); George Harris (Sidney Mandel, his son); Walter Perry (Patrick O'Day) and George Reed.

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD is one of those handful of silent movies that has been forgotten through the passage of time due to its unavailability for viewing. Viewing finally became a reality when it premiered January 8, 2024, on Turner Classic Movies cable channel, restored with new and satisfactory orchestration. Quite short for 66 minutes, regardless of reported inaccuracies and fictional characters, the highlight being the Johnstown flood realistically staged to make up for its shortcomings. Janet Gaynor, early in her career, is attractive enough to obtain enough attention from its viewers. Though it's been said that future stars of Carole Lombard, Clark Gable and Gary Cooper appear as extras, it's easier to spot Lombard as one of the bridesmaids, but a bit harder trying to find either Gable or Cooper.

In the wake of disaster movies of the 1930s, namely the 1906 earthquake from SAN FRANCISCO (MGM, 1936), the big wind for THE HURRICANE (United Artists, 1937) and the Chicago fire in IN OLD CHICAGO (20th Century-Fox, 1937), it's amazing someone over at 20th Century-Fox didn't think about remaking THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD, even as a second feature starring either Warner Baxter or Preston Foster, with Simone Simon and Lynn Bari in the O'Brien, Gaynor and Gilbert roles. The studio did do THE RAINS CAME (1939) about heavy rain disaster flick, which is as close to THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD the studio ever did regarding floods.

Due to availability, THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD can be studied as a motion picture and researched for its historical disaster to learn more about the historic event that took many lives and obtaining information about those who had survived to tell of their experience first-hand. (***)

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.