Upstream

Upstream (1927)

** (out of 4)

Whenever a lost film is discovered, it's always a reason to celebrate even if that film turns out not be a loser. That's pretty much the case with this forgotten John Ford film that turned up in a New Zealand archive in 2010. The film tells the story of Eric Brasingham (Earle Foxe), a poor actor who has an ego like the biggest stars in the world. He gets a lucky break and ends up becoming a hit on the London stage, which does nothing expect make his head much bigger. UPSTREAM, the title, refers to one character saying an actor must travel "upstream" if he wants to be a success. I really don't know too much about the history of this film other than it once being lost but I have to think that director Ford took this project not because he cared for the material but because the studio forced him. I say this because there's really nothing here that will remind fans of the director that he actually had anything to do with the picture. There's really none of his style, flare or energy to be found anywhere and it's rather amazing at how flat the comedy is. The film tries to be clever as well as tell a morality story but it fails on pretty much all levels. One of the biggest problems with the screenplay is that the main character is such a jerk that you don't care for him. You want to see him fail right from the start and when he becomes a success, you don't feel good for him but instead turn against him even more. The only time the screenplay comes to life are during some early scenes where we see a boarding house full of actors. One great scene has a couple song and dance men rehearsing, which causes the roof to partially cave in and getting stuff all over some people eating. UPSTREAM runs a very short 60- minutes, which is a good thing because anything longer and the film would have been a real chore to get through.

This is the supposedly lost film that John Ford directed that was found in the collection of former cinematographer Jack Murtagh in New Zealand when he died.

It's a wonderful comedy/drama about a group of people who live in an actor-boarding house, most who are out of work, looking for employment in their respective facets of the entertainment business. It stars Earle Foxe, one of filmdom's very early superstars who nobody today has ever heard of (!). It also has Nancy Nash, a lady who made a whole seven movies, Grant Withers appears a couple of years before he had very brief leading man status at Warner Brothers. Also featuring Francis Ford, John Ford's brother, who, at the time, was probably more famous than John because of his prior directing and acting.

No, it's not a John Ford Western, but the lovely humor that turns up is recognizable as Ford's handiwork, and it's fun to watch. Earle Foxe is really good with his non-stop arrogance and hauteur. He has a way of giving a certain look of incredible arrogance that is so funny! Even Grant Withers, an actor who can easily go over-the-top if not directed well, is restrained and quite watchable.

Jane Winton, playing a character who is listed as 'Soubrette', which usually means a female stock character in opera and theatre, derived nevertheless from the Provençal word for 'conceited', is a character in the film who is exactly that! For those who just love to gawk and find up-and-coming actors and actresses in the wings who go uncredited - look closely at the scenes in the London theatre in the audience: one of the audience is Anita Garvin! The restoration was very well done.

At this point, those hardy souls who are actually interested in this Herr Graf's silent rants know pretty well what their author is like, especially in terms of his eccentricities (characteristic of course of aristocrats in general; oddities are always much appreciated in the upper classes).

After having watching Herr John Ford's "Upstream" (1927) the term eccentric has taken on a more powerful meaning in terms of the film career of the Amerikan director, especially in his talkie phase. Gott sei Dank! Herr Ford's silent career had their share of them too before he finally found his way and place in film history.

Fortunately and by a great whim of destiny, "Upstream" was miraculously found in the opposite ends of the Earth, namely New Zealand, in 2009, ( this reminds this Herr Graf to order the servants to clean up the cellar wherein there are a lot of old and dusty nitrates stored in there since the last century… ) giving in this way the chance for the new generations to watch this lost film. This Herr Graf also wants to give special thanks to the French public television station "France 3" for broadcasting the film during this summertime.

"Upstream" could be considered as one of the least "Fordian" films of its director; you should know that before Herr John Ford went to the American West, he was in London's West end. There you cannot find a trace of film testosterone, that is to say, the wild and epic far west, Irishmen punching each other or Herr John Wayne. On the contrary, "Upstream" is basically humorous vaudeville ( yes, even Herr Ford had a similar sense of humour during old silent days ), a satire about artists' hardships, their dreams, tricks, pursuit of fame and especially their struggle to make a living.

Set in a special boarding house, the landlady who owns the pace has to deal with a bunch of peculiar artists: a knife-thrower, a sister act, a medicine show man, a couple of tap dancers, a flapper, an old but experienced actor and finally Herr Eric Brashingham, the last, and least, of a famous theatrical family. He is truly a terrible actor but one day he will have the chance of his life to become a famous film star in London. This turns him into both a diva and a true imbecile.

As this Her Graf mentioned before, the film is a funny and even bittersweet comedy, a satirical look at the theatre world and the peculiar gallery of artists that are part of it, with particular emphasis on Herr Earle Foxe as Brashingham, the Shakespearian actor par excellence, a funny character type who is the exact opposite of the Fordian hero, the exception which proves the rule.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must recite Shakespeare in German.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com

Another film filled to the top with amusing side characters, Upstream is a modest and slight entertainment that does well enough to fill its sixty minutes and little else. It's another instance of an early John Ford film that really could have done good use with twenty to thirty more minutes to help flesh out some key details.

The majority of the action takes place in a boarding house for performers, and the film's first large bulk is simply introducing them all. There are dancers, retired actors, and the landlady (Lydia Titus) who is always asking for advanced payment from those without contracts. The center of the action falls upon a trio of a knife thrower, Jack (Grant Withers), his female assistant Gertie (Nancy Nash), and the last son of a great line of actors who is no great actor himself Eric Brasingham (Earle Foxe). The appeal of this early section is the light comedy of the variety under the landlady's roof as the different personalities clash in light and amusing ways, like the pair of dancers who practice in their room immediately above the dining room.

Everything changes when a famous theatrical agent appears, everyone in the house eager for their moment of fame having arrived (except for Brasingham who remains seated at the table eating). He's there for Brasingham specifically, though. He's been charged with finding a name to help open a new production of Hamlet in London, and it doesn't matter if Brasingham isn't actually a good actor at all. This is the moment that one of the elder boarders takes upon himself to act as mentor to the inept Brasingham, offering him up lessons in a single night before he departs. At the same time, Brasingham breaks the heart of young Gertie, seemingly implying that he was going to take her with him to England but instead just asking for money. Gertie sulks back to Jack, unhappy to continue in the knife throwing business.

Brasingham takes the quick lessons he had and becomes a great actor, impressing on the London stage and even getting a nod from the royal box upon his inaugural performance. Like most things in this little film, this feels drastically underdeveloped, a hapless actor suddenly becoming a sensation. But okay, we can deal with it.

The action moves forward by a few months and the boarders all seemingly return to their rooms in the boarding house at once after a season. Picking up with the light comedy once again, the boarders insist most earnestly that they had send large envelopes full of cash for their rent in the mail, but it must have gotten lost. This is also the time when Gertie decides to get over Brasingham and admit her hidden love for Jack (again, underdeveloped, but okay). As they get married, we see Brasingham in New York for a performance, convinced by his theatrical agent to make a stop at his old boarding house for a promotional moment.

This kind of amalgamation of events is part and parcel with John Ford's filmography at this point, but it's interesting to see it laid out in such a small scale and without any significant action elements. Brasingham comes in right as the wedding photos are taken after the ceremony, convinced the flowers, decorations, and pictures are for him. The common motif of haughty folk lording over the little people manifests, and Brasingham gets his comeuppance in crowd pleasing style.

None of this is challenging, but more importantly, none of it is as fleshed out as it should be. With the sheer number of minor characters that get their time to shine, that leaves shockingly little time for the central love triangle to play out. However, it's amusingly told with its side characters and Ford's adeptness with the camera helps provide some solid amusement in the film's final reel.

It's a small effort from Ford towards the end of the silent era (really his last fully silent film before he started using soundtracks of any kind). It's entertaining enough for a small distraction, but little else.

I've just come from the American Museum of the Moving Image where the New York re-premiere of this 1927 John Ford film took place with great pomp and circumstance. Donald Sosin led a fine orchestra of four and a singer to cover this short (64 minutes at an announced 21 fps) feature with one of his typically well researched and executed scores.

Unfortunately, despite the high hopes of the small but eager audience, we saw an ordinary programmer without much evidence of individual style or art. Earle Fox is consistently annoying as the talentless scion of a distinguished acting family who gets the big break on his name and never shows a moment of gratitude or humility. Grant Withers and Nancy Nash are competent as the young couple. The real star turns are in support -- which is typical of Ford, I suppose; Ted McNamara and Sammy Cohen as 'Callahan and Callahan', dancing and snappy patter; but mostly Emile Chautard who gets to chew the scenery as the down-on-his-luck thespian who coaches Fox; and even more so, Raymond Hitchcock, who shows us, at the beginning of the second act, why he was such a big star on Broadway for years.

However, despite these grace notes, there isn't much of anything in the story or realization to point to any particular director, and it never rises much above the ordinary. I'm very glad to have seen it, as it's another John Ford movie to cross off my list, but once you've done the same, it's not going to be one you return to.