The Midshipman

A silent movie of which the Nimitz Library at the Naval Academy has a copy on DVD, and which I have not found anywhere else. My desire to see it came from an eagerness to see all the movies made at the Academy, where I graduated in 1972. This one isn't very good; none of them are very good except maybe _Shipmates Forever_. This one does have the famous silent star Ramon Navarro, whose character's naval father was killed in action (the filmmakers faked a memorial tablet and stuck it on a monument in the middle of the Yard), and he is reluctantly filling his destiny by signing up to USNA. He catches on that he can do a good job if he tries. Complications ensue when a plebe's sister becomes the object of his affections, but she is engaged to a civilian cad who is eager to sabotage Navarro's midshipman career to eliminate competition. You can guess how it ends. It was, of course, fun to see the Academy of almost a hundred years ago, and the cast who dressed the same way we used to, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. There was no football in this movie; that was a surprise.

Typical MGM star vehicle of the period allowing, in this case, the great Ramon Novarro to play moments of high drama and comedy while being gorgeously photographed. He even gets a shirtless fight scene to show off his fine physique. The plot is slight, involving the tribulations of a new trainee at the US Naval Academy, and is well filmed on location in Annapolis. It also features an early uncredited appearance by Joan Crawford, as a girlfriend of a midshipman surprised by an inquisitive dog while making out with her beau. But the film is all about Novarro, at the height of his beauty, demonstrating why he was such a great star. The film deserves a full restoration and rediscovery.

The copy I saw of "The Midshipman" was on YouTube and it's not the best example out there most likely. The print has trouble with skipping frames several times as well as a piece of fuzz on the far left portion of the screen and a portion of the left is missing. It clearly could use some conservation. It also has no music, whereas many silents were later retrofitted with music. None of this makes it unwatchable.

1920s heartthrob, Ramon Novarro, stars as Dick*...a new cadet at the US Naval Academy. He seems like an alright guy and he manages to do well his first year at the school.

Later, during a dance, he's on duty and a woman enters a restricted area and is caught by Dick with his friend Ted. Ted is in trouble, though the whole situation was a set-up...and neither Dick nor Ted are at fault. Oddly, despite Ted being caught, Dick plans to say he invited the girl there and will quit the academy...something that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever...especially since he'll be graduating soon. Oh, and there's also a kidnapping! What's next?

This is a well made film for the silent era though I must admit that the big controversy in the film seems WAY overblown and was very tough to believe. It also has a tiny portion where they make use of the negative stereotype of black men and ghosts. Despite these strikes aginst it, the film is decent and worth watching but certainly is not a must-see movie.

*IMDB calls him Dick as well as James in the summary. Novarro's character was called Dick in the movie...though his legal name apparently was James Richard Randall.