The Sorrows of Satan

Sorrows of Satan, The (1926)

*** (out of 4)

The final of three films made by D.W. Griffith at Paramount. A poor writer (Ricardo Cortez) living in poverty desperately wants to marry his girlfriend (Carol Dempster) but the lack of money won't allow it. One day, after cursing God, a man (Adolphe Menjou) appears out of nowhere offering the writer tons of money but there will be a price to pay. This is another retelling of Faust but it manages to be entertaining throughout due in large part to some very good performances. The only downside is that Griffith, who was legendary for refusing to go ahead with technology, edits and shoots this in a way that it seems like a film from 1915 and not one from 1926. Technically the film is pretty flat but Griffith makes for a very fast paced 90-minutes and delivers and effective and chilling ending. The opening sequence of Satan being kicked out of Heaven is also nicely done.

This movie is available from Grapevine Video. Only two of the three films that Griffith did for Paramount exist, the only being "Sally of the Sawdust", that co-starred W.C. Fields. This one has Adolpe Menjou making an interesting entrance and exit as a well-dressed Prince of Darkness. Top billed, he actually has less footage than Ricardo Cortez or Carol Dempster, the actress Griffith really tried to make a star; she starred in almost all 1920's Griffith films up to this point and would vanish from the film scene much more effectively than Garbo would or could after this. Lillian Gish she wasn't. Actually, her pretty but not very beautiful looks help with the story of Cortez being dazzled with the fetes that Menjou takes him to. He actually even marries somebody else, played by Lya De Puti. The plot with this is somewhat ridiculous. However, Griffith's cross-cutting of the fetes and Dempster's loneliness is very effective. I really liked the showing of newspaper slowly covering the meal that Cortez was supposed to show up to and of she pretending he was there. (Echos of Chaplin's similar scene in "The Gold Rush".) I had much more fun watching "America" and "Isn't Life Wonderful", two other and the better known Griffith-Dempster films. But enjoyed Dempster more in this one.

In the film's prelude, Lucifer is thrown out of Heaven, after rebelling against God's creation of "man in His divine image." Lucifer is forced to change his name to Satan, and is cursed to forever "tempt the sons of men to sin against the God who made you both!" Redemption is offered: "Only when all men turn from thee, canst thou resume thy glorious place at God's right hand… for every soul that resists thee, thou shalt have one hour at the gates of Paradise!"

The prelude is significant; it sets Satan up as a cursed, sympathetic villain. He is awarded an hour close to Paradise for every soul who resists his compelling (and compelled, by God!) invitation to sin. This sets up one of the film's greatest sequences, the resisting of temptation, by Carol Dempster (as Mavis Claire), upon meeting Adolphe Menjou (as Prince Lucio de Rimanez) at a party. But, first, director D.W. Griffith introduces the more luckless and susceptible protagonist, Ricardo Cortez (as Geoffrey Tempest).

Mr. Cortez is a poverty-stricken writer, living in the "humble quarter of a great old city". His boarding house is inhabited by another struggling writer, the self-described not "too beautiful" Ms. Dempster; she lives across the hall. Cortez is initially interested in Dempster for sex, but she is falling in love. The first part of the film deals with the convergence of their interests. The culmination is very well relayed by Dempster and Cortez - you can witness passion entering Dempster's thoughts as Cortez becomes love-struck. All seems to be going well for the couple.

But, on the eve of wedding, Cortez is fired from his job writing book reviews. His boss explains, "We find you condemn books that every one likes, and praise books that no one likes." Cortez curses God, triggering the thundering, Faustian appearance of Mr. Menjou, as Satan. Cortez receives the spellbinding news that a previously unknown uncle has made him "one of the richest men in the world." Menjou thwarts Cortez' efforts to share his luxurious news with Dempster; instead, providing him with sexy cigarette-sucking vamps, like Lya De Putti (as Olga Godovsky).

Meanwhile, Dempster sinks into depression. In her despair, she turns to God (Lord Christ). So, Dempster is able to resist Menjou's invitation to wickedness - the great Griffith sequence alluded to above occurs; and, it is lighted, directed, and performed extraordinarily well, by Griffith and company. The film's sets, backgrounds, lighting, and photography are exceptional throughout. Admittedly, Griffith spends too much time on making the opening stark, staid, and ordinary. And, the film's pace is slow, with too few edited breaks.

Still, "The Sorrows of Satan" is an excellent film. And, it's more faithful to writer Marie Corelli's original works than Carl Theodor Dreyer's more freely adapted "Blade af Satans bog" (1921). Interestingly, both Griffith and Dryer bring forth Corelli's popularized view of Satan as a sympathetic entity, cursed by God. More interestingly, Griffith produces a relatively ordinary picture, while Dryer's film patterns itself after Griffith's opulent "Intolerance" (1916), which had little to do with Corelli. Finally, unrelated to the film, but nonetheless noteworthy, this was the last product of the Griffith/Dempster partnership.

******** The Sorrows of Satan (10/12/26) D.W. Griffith ~ Ricardo Cortez, Carol Dempster, Adolphe Menjou

I was expecting this to be longer (it ran for just 90 minutes) since most sources cite it as being close to the 2 hour-mark...although one never really knows with Silent films given the variety of projection speeds involved!

Anyway, it's a rare 'horror' film for Griffith and one that, reportedly, he did against his will...in fact, it was originally intended for Cecil B. DeMille! As it happens, it's pictorially sumptuous but, typically of Griffith, rather static; for having been a pioneer of cinema, his occasional reluctance to move the camera is both strange and regrettable (some of the close-ups of his leading lady here seem interminable). The Faustian plot is reasonably compelling if predictable and the acting plaudits effortlessly go to Adolphe Menjou who brings his customary sartorial elegance to the titular character; on the other hand, Carol Dempster is nowhere near as expressive as Lillian Gish had been in Griffith's earlier films.

Even so, the director seemed far more at home during her melodramatic scenes than in depicting the sophistication of the high-life hero Ricardo Cortez breaks into, and even less so with its essential supernatural elements! While individual scenes deliver the goods (the fantastic opening sequence set in Heaven showing the banishment of Lucifer and his minions, Menjou's initial materialization in Cortez's apartment and the finale when he reverts back to his true form to menace Cortez - wisely shown only as a huge bat-like shadow), the film really needed a European sensibility to do it full justice rather than the hand of a Victorian romantic who was past his prime anyway! Still, it's very much a worthwhile if essentially patchy enterprise and I would certainly love to catch up with the director's other 'horror' work eventually - THE AVENGING CONSCIENCE (1914) and ONE EXCITING NIGHT (1922).

After an introduction showing a war between angels and the transformation of Lucifer and his cohorts into demons (!!!), we move to contemporary times and meet would-be writer Geoffrey Tempest (Ricardo Cortez), who lives in a shabby boardinghouse across the hall from another struggling writer, Mavis (Carol Dempster). After Geoffrey makes a comment about selling his soul for money, Prince Lucio (Adolphe Menjou) appears at his door with news that Geoffrey has inherited a vast fortune. Lucio tempts the young man with the expensive life, including sultry temptress Olga (Lya De Putti), but will the love of wholesome Mavis be enough to save Geoffrey's eternal soul?

While the proceedings run slowly at times, Griffith throws in enough memorable imagery to make this worthwhile. I particularly liked a scene where the demonic shadow of Lucio looms over Geoffrey. Menjou is dapper, slim and perfect in his role. Dempster, the last of Griffith's "favorite ladies" after the Gish sisters and Mae Marsh, retired from the screen after this film. She wasn't much liked by critics at the time, but I thought she was good here.