Cossacos!

This film held up extraordinarily well, and the picture is better than a majority of films made in the following decade. I would expect nothing less from an MGM film, of course.

I really loved the costumes in this film. The acting was good, of course, especially with a very attractive John Gilbert as the lead. There are some moments where the story gets overly-complicated, but the writing process had to undergo several changes (at one point even the director was switched), but despite that, I think this was a great movie. It survived a myriad of drama off-screen to become an excellent adventure romance on screen anyway.

They made a lot of movies together, and this one is no "Big Parade", but it's worth seeing. The scenery is gorgeous, the wardrobes are great, the humour is as fresh today as it was when they all put on those big fur hats and saddled up.

It's the story of one Cossack leader's son who will not go to war. Lukashka, (Gilbert)loves simply to live - he finds delight in the small things that surround him. He is taunted by his father,and humiliated by the other young men in the village, who (naturally) view war as a rite of passage, and simply the Thing That A Man Does, or he is no man. His childhood sweetheart, Mariana (Adoree)loves him, but being a simple girl, would like it better if he were like the rest.

Taunted beyond bearing, Lukashka wins his scar when men from the neighboring town steal horses under cover of night. Thereafter, the men laud him, the woman make over him, and Mariana, who had her chance, is ignored, but so pointedly that we know he still loves her madly. There is an amusing scene where she runs after him on horseback, echoing the fabulous troop truck scene in "Parade" when she falls in the dust, clutching his shoe.

In the course of the misunderstanding, she is betrothed to an aristocrat; Lukashka comes to find her, but it is too late: she has given her word. A beautiful love scene, making titles unnecessary, ensues, but nothing can change. It is too late. She has given her word, though we can see her heart is breaking.

Terrible things happen before they can be together again. The torture scene is brutal, too realistic for me when I saw it. It seemed his hands WERE burning! It is the vogue to be facile now about silent film, to see the stories as hackneyed because now, after 70 years, we think we have invented sophistication. Pay attention to this story. There is a subtlety that many stories made today miss completely.

This is a good story - it's entertainment, and that was always the point. It's also a chance to see John Gilbert play opposite his most sympathetic leading lady, Renee Adoree, a lovely, wide-hipped girl with magic, at least when she played against him.

It is hard for the viewer to find any sympathy for the main characters in the first half of the picture as the enemy hasn't been clearly defined. If the terrorist ISIS style tactics of the "Turks" had been clearly shown at the start of the film then the cast of "Cossacks" would have had the sympathy of the audience from the start.

Once the audience knows what kind of brutal savages the Cossacks are dealing with the film becomes much better. In the first half of the film Nils Asther appears to be the more attractive choice for Renée Adorée as he is more handsome, cultured and civilized in comparison to John Gilbert (especially as Gilbert treats her poorly, at one point even striking her). Once Nils Asther is out of the way, however, and the barbaric actions of the Turks is made known to the audience, it is easy to empathize with the characters.

The film would have been much better if the horrific barbaric nature of the Turks had been clear from the start. Otherwise it appears that the Cossacks and Turks are just bands of crazy violent people who attack each-other for no good reason.

Needless to say the modern score is terrible and anachronistic. I watched the film on mute and play a period Synchronized Musical Score (from the 1929 film "The Single Standard") and it fit nicely with the mood of the film.

In 19th century Russia, attractive John Gilbert (as Lukashka) is teased and called a "woman man" because he does not live the warrior lifestyle of other Cossacks. Even pretty maiden Renee Adoree (as Maryana) doesn't like Mr. Gilbert, who girlishly picks flowers and chews sunflower seeds. To make matters worse, Gilbert's father is macho chieftain Ernest Torrence (as Ivan). Everyone thinks he's a coward, but Gilbert (or, rather, his stuntman) is nevertheless a daredevil horseback rider. Eventually, as you probably suspect, Gilbert becomes a fierce warrior. "The smell of blood," he discovers, "is not so bad." Ms. Adoree takes notice. As a rival for her interests, princely and amorous Nils Asther (as Olenin) adds almost too much handsomeness to the cast...

This production reportedly went through continuous revisions as the studio, director and star were dissatisfied. The story never really impresses, but MGM spent a lot of money on "The Cossacks" and the film is beautiful and well-preserved. Great production values don't always make a mediocre story better, but they do here. Practically every scene can be enjoyed for one reason or another; everything and everyone looks absolutely fantastic. Art/set direction by Cedric Gibbons and Alexander Toluboff is outstanding. David Cox' costumes look great. Majestically photographed by Percy Hilburn, the film qualifies as an epic, with the MGM production team doing their "silent era" best to make it thrilling...

Oddly, this film's original soundtrack appears to be missing. When it aired June 1, 2014 on Turner Classic Movies (TCM), host Ben Mankiewicz stated the film had an original "orchestral" soundtrack, but showed "The Cossacks" with a new score by Robert Israel. Presumably, the standard "synchronized sound effects" score was made for the original release. A 1928 production of this quality would be unlikely to have no sound effects soundtrack. At times, sound is lost while film is preserved. It would have been nice to have the original soundtrack restored, if possible. TCM did not reveal whether or not Mr. Israel's score followed the orchestral score likely conducted live in New York by William Axt. In any case, Israel's score is fine and so is the film.

******* The Cossacks (6/23/28) George W. Hill, Clarence Brown ~ John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, Ernest Torrence, Nils Asther

Cossack culture is being rebuilt as we speak.

I don't understand these words by a prior reviewer here:

"(The plot) will no doubt ruffle the feathers of a few feminists, as the Cossack men and women are amazingly primitive!! The women stay home and work like dogs while the men do what any macho man would do (...).

Why does it seem that women who think women are humans (aka 'feminists,' apparently) should have feathers, and that those would 'ruffle' because another woman likes to stay home and work like a dog to make a nice place for herself and her kids to live? Seems very feminist to me.

Furthermore, Cossack chivalry is a way of life for Cossack societies. They invented the idea of asking a young lady for her hand, which young ladies found more pleasant than being stolen by some primitive tribe. So, Even to say the notion that women can love to have a home, and some babies, and a man who can ride a horse and brings money and food...and roses...to say that is primitive is an indication that the reviewer's values are quite different from those I hold :)

Anyway, glad this flick has some more fans!