Flesh and Blood

Lon Chaney's character is fugitive who hooks up with a Chinese guy he once helped. He is in perpetual sadness. He has been convicted of a crime he did not commit and seeks revenge on the big time business man who betrayed him to the law. Also, after fifteen years, his wife is gone and there is a beautiful daughter who has no recollection of him (she thinks he is dead). Well, any good plot line is going to put them together again, except Chaney realizes knowledge of his presence will ruin her life. Also, she has fallen in love with the daughter of his mortal enemy. Things are complicated and he sees the daughter but does not reveal himself. If you remember Sidney Carton in "Tale of Two Cities," you get a little taste of what is to take place here. Chaney is the master of human pain, both in his acting and in his characters.

It is well-know for centuries that the aristocracy have little moods and bouts of indecisiveness; characteristics that are even more pronounced if those aristocrats are Germans (like this Count who besides being German is also Teutonic). Anyway, these contradictions assaulted this German Count while watching "Flesh And Blood," a film directed by Herr Irving Cummings in the silent year of 1922, starring the great Amerikan actor Herr Lon Chaney.

The film depicts the story of a poor lawyer ( first contradiction or a German pun? ), David Wester ( Lon Chaney ) wrongfully incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit, his conviction being the fault of a businessman, Fletcher Burton ( Ralph Lewis ) Wester escapes from jail to seek revenge on Burton.

However, aristocrat David Wester's vengeance is very soft and mild ( the convict will back down from his purpose for the sake of his daughter who is engaged to his enemy's son ) and because finally the stolen money will be used to build one of those Catholic ( not Lutherans ) missions and what's more, Wester's daughter does good works there!!… isn't that enough punishment?...

Another German contradiction for this German count is that even though Wester spent 15 years in jail unjustly, he finally will not be able to clear his name and will passively return to prison; This means the bad ones wins over the honest people; of course that's what may happen in real life, even in the aristocratic life… Herr Lon Chaney plays one of those villains with a noble heart, a good and sensitive man, certainly but not very ingenious, because when he was hidden in Chinatown in order to go unnoticed he disguises himself as a cripple, a kind of contortionist in crutches instead of wearing one of those typical Chinese garments. The last German contradiction: the detective Doyle ( DeWitt Jennings ) only seems able to spot Chaney's accomplice, Herr Li Fang ( Noah Beery ).

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count feels contrary.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

A Chaney film that anticipates the later MGM The Blackbird. It is minus the role of a beautiful leading lady like Betty Blythe from Nomads of the North. Edith Roberts is a pretty actress but doesn't have the chance to show much of it. Director Irving Cummings was an actor turned director. The only other silent film of his I've seen is "Sex"(1920) where he appeared as an actor with Louise Glaum. Flesh & Blood proves that Chaney stories like this were already becoming formulaic even before his move to MGM. Basically he returns from prison in search of his long lost daughter. A theme reworked several times later at MGM in films like "Road to Mandalay", "Mr. Wu", "West of Zanzibar" and "Where East is East". I have a feeling the lost Chaney films from the early 20s "Voices From the City" & "For Those We Love" are similar in theme.

Imprisoned for 15 years, limber Lon Chaney (as David Webster) breaks out of jail. He wants revenge on the man who framed him, now successful businessman Ralph Lewis (as Fletcher Burton). Later, Mr. Chaney hopes to find a long-lost daughter. In order to avoid being recaptured by detective DeWitt Jennings (as Doyle), Chaney takes refuge with smarmy Chinatown pal Noah Berry (as Li Fang).

Cheney disguises himself as a cripple, by twisting his legs and assuming crutches; he expects, perhaps too optimistically, nobody will recognize a straight-legged Lon Chaney. The plot thickens when Chaney discovers angelic daughter Edith Roberts (as Marjorie Vaughn) is in love with Jack Mulhall (as Ted Burton), the son of his despised enemy. A relatively less successful recycling of previous hits.

**** Flesh and Blood (8/27/22) Irving Cummings ~ Lon Chaney, Edith Roberts, Ralph Lewis, Jack Mulhall

Disgraced lawyer David Webster (Lon Chaney) has been serving a lengthy prison term for a crime he didn't commit. With the assistance of Chinatown crime boss Li Fang (Noah Beery Sr.) whom he once defended as a client, Webster escapes in hopes of seeing his wife and daughter, as well as clearing his name. He's devastated to learn that his wife has died, and his now-grown daughter (Edith Roberts) doesn't even remember what he looks like and lives under a new name. This inspires Webster to go after Fletcher Burton (Ralph Lewis), the man who set him up, but things get complicated when Webster learns that his daughter is in love with Fletcher's son Ted (Jack Mulhall).

To help disguise his appearance, Webster pretends to be a cripple, with one leg twisted around the other, forcing him to use crutches. And apparently that's enough to fool the detectives and beat cops who are all looking for him. Yeah, right. This, and the ridiculous ending, severely hamper the film's enjoyment. It's also weird when a silent movie uses music as an integral part of the story, as it is here when father and daughter recall a fondly remembered song of years gone by. Finally, although the movie runs a mere 75 minutes, the entire thing could have been told in half that time, and things seem unnecessarily drawn out to pad the time.