Notte d'Arabia

TCM came through by acquiring this wonderful, silent, comedy/drama for television. Until recently it had been locked away in an achieve somewhere. It premiered on TV for the 1st time since its theatrical release in 1927. Two Americans fighting in World War I (William Boyd and Louis Wolheim) are hiding in a defensive position with German soldiers advancing. They however are fighting with each other and working the nerve of one-an-other. They of course are caught, but after an inventive escape they are taken on a whirlwind adventure in Arabia, with all the humor you might find in an Abbott and Costello movie. Very funny and sometimes even touching. A great silent picture and winner of an Academy Award for "Best Comedy Direction". Directed by Lewis Milestone.

Turner Classic Movies is showing 'Two Arabian Nights' on December 15, 2004, as part of their salute to Howard Hughes, subject of the new movie "The Aviator." TCM's web site states that their 'salute coincides with this month's theatrical release of The Aviator, Martin Scorsese's film biography of Hughes. Part One includes three silent films from Hughes' early career as a producer that have not been seen since their initial release, along with two key Hughes movies from the early sound era. The silent films are part of an extensive collection of memorabilia donated by the Hughes estate and the Howard Hughes Corporation to the Film Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and digitally restored through TCM funding by special arrangement with Flicker Alley. Each has a new score by composer Robert Israel.'

"Two Arabian Knights" has the distinction of winning one of the first two Oscars given for Best Direction. In the Academy's first year, 1927-28, the Best Director award was split between dramatic and comedy categories, and "Two Arabian Knights" won the latter. Indeed, it's only the first of two films in Oscar history -- the second being "The Divine Lady" the following year -- to win a Best Director Oscar without being nominated for Best Picture, but since that first year was the only one in which two directing awards were given, it isn't an apples to apples comparison with other years. Lewis Milestone, who certainly deserved to win an Oscar for something and would become the first person to win two directing Oscars when the Academy awarded him the prize two years later for "All Quiet on the Western Front," beat Ted Wilde ("Speedy") to win the one for this film, and I have to say the Academy got it wrong. "Two Arabian Knights" is enjoyable, at times very funny, and features a very fetching Mary Astor (this was the first silent performance I'd ever seen her in), but it doesn't hold a candle to Harold Lloyd's hysterical comedy.

If all had gone originally according to plan, we would be saying that both "Two Arabian Knights" and "Speedy" were bested in this category by Charles Chaplin's "The Circus." But the Academy decided to yank Chaplin's film from competitive consideration and instead give it a special award.

Grade: B+

TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS has been restored by Flicker Alley and TCM after being unavailable for decades. The film is the only recipient of the "Best Direction of a Comedy Film" Academy Award that was only given out in 1927-1928. William Boyd and Louis Wolheim are two feuding G.I.s that are both captured by the Germans in World War I. The film is more of an adventure/comedy rather than a straight comedy. They have a suspenseful escape from their prison camp, only to be recaptured and sent to Turkey. They end up being stuck on a train, and a ship, as well as well as being marked for death by an Arab suitor. A very young and beautiful Mary Astor is a veiled woman who boards the ship and is a target of romantic advances by both men. Look fast to spot a very young Boris Karloff as the ship purser. Louis Wolheim has a face only a mother could love, but he is perfect in his part as the gruff sergeant.

I'm not sure how this film could have beaten out Chaplin's THE CIRCUS, Keaton's STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. and Harold Lloyd's SPEEDY for the "comedy direction" Oscar. Still, it is a fun, sophisticated, and exciting film that is well written. I particularly liked the scene where they escape from a jam with a little help from God (or Allah). If you like silent films, you won't be disappointed.

William Boyd and Louis Wolheim are the "Two Arabian Knights" referred to in the title, humorously. The pair start out as U.S. POWs trying to escape from the Germans during World War I. Eventually, they find themselves on board a ship bound for Arabia. While tripping out to the Middle East, they rescue an Arab woman, Mary Astor, who turns out to be a Princess; and, of course, becomes a romantic interest for the "Two Arabian Knights". No points for guessing who wins the veiled Ms. Astor!

The film is very well photographed and directed; Lewis Milestone has wonderful sets, and stages scenes beautifully. Of the performances, Mr. Wolheim stands out - he creates a character so understandable you can almost hear him speak, trough the film is silent. The story isn't as strong as it could be - there are some events and sequences which had me wondering how and why the characters' locale changed. The last looks, exchanged between one of the stars and an extra, is an example of something I didn't understand. Perhaps these were comic bits which had a particular appeal for the time.

The film is damaged in several places; but there is enough preserved, in even these scenes, to allow your mind to fill in the visual blanks. Boris Karloff appears as the "Purser"; watch for his big scene on ship, when Wolheim goes into a room with him for some money (what actually happens is a mystery). Early in the film, there is a long scene with a lot of naked men shown from the waist up (or, thereabouts); they are POWs being herded to the showers. Director Milestone uses parades of soldiers moving to great effect; this "shower" scene is different in that several of the men don't look as Caucasian as you might expect.

******* Two Arabian Knights (9/23/27) Lewis Milestone ~ William Boyd, Louis Wolheim, Mary Astor