Nuit de folie

Lightly entertaining silent film about "reckless" youth circa 1928. "1928 - and how!", introduces the film as we see a montage of Charleston dancing flappers, flowing cocktails, men boxing, and youth gone wild - we soon meet "Smoke" Thatcher, a young man who is failing three subjects in school due to his lackadaisical attitude and absolutely won't be caught dead without his flask. Smoke's biggest problem is to convince his hard-nosed dad to let him take the car so he can pick up his girl Patsy (Sue Carol) before she runs off with his rival, Pet Masters. Well, convincing dad fails - so our "bright boy" (I didn't make this name up - one of the characters calls him this later in the film) proceeds to "borrow" the neighbor's car, but finds he is too late - fickle Patsy has already gone out dancing with the rival! Next thing you know Smoke gets into a cat and mouse car slamming game against this rival - and proceeds to smash up the neighbor's car. Now what will become of him?!

Well, this film is very light fare - enjoyable and fun, it won't win any prizes, but did keep me entertained for it's hour length. Sue Carol makes an adorable flapper and plays her role to the hilt - cute as a button and full of high-spirited fun, I quite enjoyed her in this. The rest of the cast is fine too - the story is pretty tame, but there is a nicely photographed speeding car finale, giving a first person viewpoint of the car racing through the city streets. The version of this I saw featured a decent-looking print and nicely done organ score featuring such classic tunes as "Ain't We Got Fun", and the "Varsity Drag".

1928-AND HOW!What a way to open a picture! Then a montage of Charleston dancers and speakeasies with a glimpse of the war which preceded this frivolous age. A sequence with over crowded cars racing until one if them is sent off the road by a blowout caused by an empty booze bottle thrown from the other, the stealing of a farm truck, then a visit to a speakeasy which ends with the humiliation of a cop set the scene for this youth orientated movie. Are the kids godless or graceless, lawless or reckless? the titles ask. Well,if you ask me, the are just the same as young people always have been since time began--just havin'fun. This said, I think it a bit much that Smoke, the hero, after stealing his neighbour's car, wrecking it, then getting involved in a bank robbery in which his dad is shot, not only gets off scott-free, but is also given an 8000 dollar reward! And to cap it all,his dad calls him the salt of the earth!! Nice to see George Stone (Otero in "Little Caesar") as the gangster leaders oppo. With its snappy 20's slang and some stunning driving sequences, this is a great snapshot of life in 1928. I especially liked the point where the father twits the boy with his lack of respect for authority, only to have the maid announce the arrival of the dad's bootlegger! I would like to know what type of car the gangster drove. A very watchable picture, the 1928 equivalent of all those films where the kids prove that they aren't just useless flibbertigibbets.

An unlikely pooling of the talents of horror film luminaries director Rupert Julian ('The Phantom of the Opera'), designer Anton Grot ('Mystery of the Wax Museum') and cameraman John Mescall ('Bride of Frankenstein). After a remarkable opening sequence starting in outer space before gradually homing in on Earth (like the prologue nearly twenty years later to 'A Matter of Life and Death'), we are then assailed with an unapologetic display of raucous drunken hedonism interspersed with moralising subtitles about modern youth. The behaviour of these kids makes the youngsters in 'Rebel Without a Cause' look like a Sunday school class, even down to a more destructive version of the later film's 'chicken run' using a car 'borrowed' from a neighbour's.

All this antisocial behaviour goes entirely unpunished in a fashion that would never had got past the Hays Office even a couple of years later. The photography of the frequent scenes depicting cars being driven like maniacs is sensational.

I bought this video not knowing much about the contents, as I did most of my silent films. It is trial and error. Some are rubbish and a waste of time. 'Walking Back' though was different. It started as any other silent movie. Not much plot and the over-the-top acting which makes you feel uncomfortable. Namely the son showing his affection for his mother, way too much kissing. But then the action starts. I won't go into any detail but the highlight of the movie is the car fight. Two brand new, gleaming, sparkling, shiny 1920s cars are wrecked in a vicious 10 minute fight, a kind of Demolition Derby with just two cars (try doing 10 minutes with two Fords!!!). The stars are really getting thrown about like they wouldn't dare do nowadays and even the cameraman falls from his perch!. All comes good in the end though and I'm really glad to have this film in my collection. It's not widely available so you will have to search for it but it will be worth the effort!.