Eyes of Youth

This film is chiefly known today for Rudolph Valentino's cameo role that caught the eye of legendary screenwriter June Mathis. Still, it is a fairly interesting work aside from this: extremely earnest yet somehow charming in the absurd way that only an early silent movie can be. The central character, Gina Ashling (Clara Kimball Young) has reached a serious crossroads in her life—should she follow the path of duty and sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of helping her recently impoverished family, the path of ambition and become a famous opera star or the path of wealth and marry a wealthy scoundrel? She is virtually paralyzed by these possible choices, but a convenient Hindu fortune teller (don't ask) comes along and kindly allows her to gaze into his crystal ball and see what will become of her in five years times in all three scenarios. In all cases the choice ends in impoverishment and/or disgrace (the worst perhaps being the one in which she ends up a prematurely aged school teacher trying to control a bratty class), so Gina decides to follow a fourth path—that of true, if impoverished, love and accepts a proposal from her engineer beau. The overwrought solemnity seems campy today, but Young makes it work relatively well, perhaps because even though she is meant to be a young woman she looks more as though she is on the cusp of middle age, making the need to make the right choice all the more urgent somehow—time and youth are no longer really on her side. The writers are also to be commended for not having Young decide to sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of everyone else's as often happened in silent films--as a title card cannily points out, other people are all too apt to be ungrateful for the sacrifices of others anyway.

And then there's Rudolph Valentino, inimitably billed as "Clarence Morgan, a cabaret parasite." Small as his part is, it is easy to see why a few years earlier he was everyone's favourite dancing partner at New York's Maxim restaurant and a few years later he became the twentieth century's first great sex symbol. With his gleaming, slicked back dark hair and bright white dress shirt, sinuous movements and suave treatment of Young (he is helping the rich heartless husband frame her for adultery), he is callous, seductive and easily steals the picture during his ten or so minutes of screen time.

All in all, worth a look if you get your hands on a copy of this hard to find film.

Clara Kimball Young (as Gina Ashling) is at a crossroads in her life - she has a promising operatic voice, and is invited to pursue a career in Paris; her family, however, wants her to remain at home and help support the family. She is also being courted by a wealthy man; however, she does not love him, and would only be marrying for financial security. ENTER a disciple from the East - the spiritual-type Hindu (played by Vincent Serrano, he is introduced in the film's opening); he arrives to show Ms. Kimball Young his Crystal Ball - in which she sees her future.

This is an impressively mounted silent film production, with a great cast, and an ambitious story structure. The mysterious Hindu man's crystal ball provides heroine Kimball Young (and movie viewers) the opportunity to "see" three different future scenarios: In "The Path of Duty" she stays with the family and becomes a schoolteacher. In "The Path of Ambition" she pursues her operatic singing career. In "The Path of Wealth" she marries for money and security. You may believe a Hindu can show Kimball Young the future in a crystal ball - but, some of the unfolding events, and choices, strain credulity. Schoolteachers and career-women are wretched creatures!

Kimball Young's performance is the film's highlight. She is not consistently great; but, her best scenes are enough to explain her status as one of the decade's top actresses. For example, in a "Duty" scene, she checks her aged appearance in a mirror effectively. Her best work occurs in the film's final "Wealth" segment - incredibly, she transforms herself into a gaunt, drug-addicted street-walker. The scenes with the desolate Kimball Young walking rain-drenched streets are convincing, and artful.

Director Albert Parker and Kimball Young are assisted by a fine supporting cast - the Ashling family includes brother Gareth Hughes, sister Pauline Starke, and father Sam Southern. Kimball Young's suitors include Milton Sills, Edmund Lowe, and Ralph Lewis - all performing well. The most notable supporting player, in hindsight, is Rudolph Valentino as smarmy "Cabaret Parasite" Clarence Morgan; he further elevates the film's fine "Path of Wealth" segment. Valentino watchers should note he appears about 50 minutes into the production.

******* Eyes of Youth (10/26/19) Albert Parker ~ Clara Kimball Young, Edmund Lowe, Rudolph Valentino

"Eyes of Youth" is an enjoyable but heavy-handed silent film starring Clara Kimball Young. In its time, it probably played a lot better than it does today for a variety of reasons. Still, it's well worth seeing.

The film begins with a silly message that seems to say that folks from 'the East' are somehow purer of heart and spirit than westerners and therefore have odd insights and powers. An example of this is what follows when one of these 'easterners' wanders into the path of some rich folks. When he begs for food, several of them rebuff his requests but Gina is tender-hearted and helps the man. In exchange for her kindness, he uses his magic powers to show her her possible futures to that she can make her best life choices. He shows her the results of four different choices and the story seems to illustrate that sometime the best choice is NOT the most seemingly selfless one.

For 1919, the story is quite good. The acting is more subtle than you'd often see and the only serious problem is the heavy-handed story about the folks of the east. Also, the story is a bit old fashioned when seen today. However, I've seen a lot of films of this era and "Eyes of Youth" is better than average and quite interesting when seen today.

This review is specific to the Alpha Home Entertainment edition, which unfortunately makes no effort whatsoever to match the musical accompaniment to the action of the movie.

The movie shows off Clara Kimball Young as a fine actress, although a bit long in the tooth to play a 'young' person (she was about 29) and also foreshadows Valentino in a supporting role, an actor ready to spring to stardom. Good acting and a nice print visually. Only the music...

Throughout we hear two Tchaikovsky piano concertos (II and III) which are quite dramatic but not even remotely connected with the action on the screen. This is the reason I have to give the film edition 8/10 instead of a higher rating. I wish Alpha had sprung for a few more bucks and enlisted a pianist or organist to make a good background, it would have enhanced the movie many fold.