Fora da Lei

Todd Browning is definitely a big name in the early days of Hollywood, and this crime drama (I am somewhat hesitant to label it as film noir, seeing as that genre had not really been coined yet) is definitely one of the standouts in his career, and of course in the early days of Hollywood. And given how many silent films I have given a watch throughout the years, it is by no means a faint statement.

The cinematography, ever important in this style of filmmaking, is great, and so is the acting, providing a visual and facial sense that was always important, an art lost in time somewhat if you will.

The script is of course incredible, and it is truly one of Browning's best films.

Very much recommended for any lover of film!

Silky Moll (Priscilla Dean) is a renowned thief and the daughter of gang boss Silent Madden (Ralph Lewis). They're friends with Chinatown businessman and personal counselor Chang Lo (E. Alyn Warren), who has convinced them both to go legit and leave their life of crime. Rival gangster Black Mike Sylva (Lon Chaney) needs Silky Moll's skills for a jewel heist, so he concocts a frame-up on her dad that drives the angry young woman back into the life. However, fellow criminal Dapper Bill Ballard (Wheeler Oakman) gives Silky the lowdown, and the two of them steal the jewels for themselves. They go into hiding until things cool down, during which time they both reflect on the life they've lived and what their future holds. Chaney also plays Ah Wing, the Chinese servant of Chang Lo. Also featuring Anna May Wong.

There's a lot to applaud here, and also some to lament. On the positive side, both Dean and Oakman are terrific. They were a real couple at the time, and they have genuine chemistry. Dean, in particular, gives one of the most nuanced, multi-layered performances by an actress that I have seen from this period in film. One thing that helps is Browning's use of close-ups, allowing the performers to emote more naturally. Chaney is of course terrific, but this brings up the issues I have with the movie.

The only version that survives is a re-release from several years after the original premiere, and a good chunk of footage had been edited out, namely the majority of the sub-plot featuring the Chinese characters Chang Lo and Ah Wing, and it's a real shame, too, since, although still being played by Caucasian actors in "yellow-face", the Chinese are treated with respect, and Confucian philosophy and its strength are keys to the plot. What remains of the film is very enjoyable, though, and the climax is a surprisingly violent, fast-edited powerhouse. Recommended.

Many people know Lon Chaney by his classics where he plays macabre characters whose faces and bodies are abnormally distorted. Little do they know a large majority of his roles were playing gangster-type baddies. In his second Tod Browning-directed movie, Dec. 1920's "Outside The Law," Chaney is a mobster who looks to frame a rival, Silent Madden, for murder. Madden's daughter, actress Priscilla Dean, is equally a tough cookie. When Chaney's plan becomes successful, Dean looks for revenge.

"Outside The Law" is cinema's first psychologically-driven gangster film where a main character undergoes a transformation and seeks redemption for her previous crimes. One of Chaney's associates, actor Wheeler Oakman, has fallen for Dean and tells her his boss is setting her up to take the blame for a jewelry heist. She foils Chaney's plans and her and Oakman hide out in a cramped apartment whiling away the time while they have the rocks. It's here, seeing a shadow of a crucifix on the floor, Dean realizes the error of her ways and decides to come clean. Of course, coming clean means fingering Chaney, setting off one one of the most chaotic shootout conclusions in cinema. This ending was so complex it took Browning and crew two weeks to film.

Dean was one of the most active actresses in silent movies. Her movie career began in 1911 and she appeared in dozens of films. She was one of those actresses who didn't make the successful transition to sound, ending her film career in a handful of low-budget productions after 1930. She was married to her counterpart in "Outside The Law," Wheeler Oakman at the time she made the film, but the two divorced in 1926.

Chaney in "Outside The Law" was not only the main gangster but also was made-up as a Chinese assistant, Ah Wing, to an influential Confucian scholar. This was the "Man of a Thousand Faces" actor's first time playing an Asian character. "Outside" came on the heels of Chaney's breakout movie released a few months earlier in August 1920 "The Penalty." Chaney plays a bitter legless man seeking revenge against a doctor for operating on him on a needless amputation during his youth.

Recently released Blu-Ray Kino Lorber "Outside the Law" (1920) starring Priscilla Dean, Wheeler Oakman, Lon Chaney, Sr. (in two rôles), E. Alyn Warren, Ralph Lewis, John George, Stanley Goethels, and others (including an uncredited Anna May Wong and two of her sisters), is standard fodder for early twentieth century stories about criminal activity in Chinatown, San Francisco, but this is played out in an exceptionally exciting manner. The fight at the end is one of the best fight scenes I've ever seen in any film. The 1926 re-release totally gets rid of this scene! This "restored" version of the 35mm original print is superb, though it possibly has a couple of minor little scenes missing or partly missing. Not sure about that, but it seemed so while I watched. I've watched this film three times before, first on VHS (twice), then once on DVD. Never has it looked as good to me as this version, which is very sharp and so clear until near the end where there is some serious nitrate deterioration. Of course the deterioration is disturbing, but none of the plot seems to be excised as a result, and we can follow it just fine. One thing which struck me very clearly this time was how much Priscilla Dean in this film reminded me of early Barbara Stanwyck. She even looked like her in some scenes. She really did a super job of portraying her part here. Wheeler Oakman was very good himself, as were all the others, but...Lon Chaney not only stole every scene he was in, he simply proved why many consider him the finest actor of all time on film. He's superb to the hilt. As "Black Mike", the evil gangster of the area, he's just as mean as mean can be. His face could be a monster of hatred when he so chose to make it one. But he also plays a foil in the guise of a Chinois servant named Ah Wing. Beautifully acted! This is highly recommended for any Chaney fan. Recommended otherwise, too; though, I will admit I found it disturbing three or four times when the intertitles wiggled and blurred, then wiggled back into place. Shouldn't have happened. Still, the picture itself never did, and it was exceptional in Blu-Ray.

I can't believe that this is the same movie that came out on DVD 20 years ago. So much has happened since then regarding the preservation and restoration of silent movies that this Blu-Ray looks like a completely different film. It's the same movie but the picture image is so much sharper and the previous defects (scratches, splices) have been cleaned up considerably. The last reel had suffered such severe nitrate decomposition as to be unwatchable. That's not the case now. The edges are still quite obvious but there is enough image in the center of the frame that you can clearly see what is going on. This is very important as the ending contains one of the most physical knockdown drag-out fights ever captured on film. An alternate ending from a later 16mm print which eliminates all that mayhem is included as a bonus extra.

The main reason OUTSIDE THE LAW is around today is that it marks an early collaboration between director Tod Browning and Lon Chaney but the movie was made as a starring vehicle for Priscilla Dean who was Universal's biggest star in 1921. She was a carryover from the late teens when how a woman acted was more important than how she looked. Priscilla would be considered too heavy by later standards (especially today's) but she was attractive, intelligent, and resourceful. No man was needed to save her as she could more than take care of herself. That was the principal theme in most of her movies as her characters were strong and independent although she usually fell in love at the end and wound up with the leading man.

The story is set in San Francisco's Chinatown and concerns a gangster and his feisty daughter (Dean) who are being reformed by a sympathetic Chinese philosopher who follows the teachings of Confucius. They cross paths with "Black Mike" Sylva (Chaney), a thoroughly despicable hoodlum who frames Dean's father forcing her to go "outside the law" in order to clear his name. They are aided by a young safecracker (Wheeler Oakman, Dean's real life husband) and the philosopher's Chinese servant (also Chaney) as they battle "Black Mike" and his gang leading to the climatic free-for-all. In addition to the performers, the movie is noteworthy today as a prototype for film noir with its dark lighting, interesting camera set-ups and tight editing.

The problem for a modern audience is that, even though they are sympathetic, the main Chinese characters are played by white actors which was standard practice for the day. The philosopher doesn't look Asian at all and Chaney's make-up, though remarkable, is strictly caricature with slant eyes and buck teeth. Personally it doesn't bother me as I always try to view old movies within the context and the time period of when they were made but there are many people today who would find it offensive. If you can get past that then what you have is a crackerjack crime film with a strong heroine, a vile villain, and a powerhouse ending. This is one of two Priscilla Dean Blu-Rays that have just been made available (the other is DRIFTING / WHITE TIGER) from Kino. Thanks to them and to Universal for making this unjustly forgotten star available once again...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.