Captain Salvation

Lars Hanson is a seminary student in this silent feature, who is engaged and a model citizen in a small fishing village on the coast of Massachusetts in olden times, but his defense of a lady of ill repute who's "lost" lands him in hot water and the people who have been shunning her have started to alienate him as well. Through a series of events, both of them get out of town by means of a ship, which is presumably a fishing or cargo ship in search for goods, and thereby leaves his girl in the wake of the upset and still pining for him. But, on the ship, they soon find out that the crew and captain are not what they seem. After a scuffle and a dramatic moment between the young lady and the captain, the emotional ending begins. What began as a rather straight-forward and involving little film becomes a very moving and sensitive experience. I'm so glad I taped and watched this forgotten film. Lars Hanson, star of The Scarlet Letter with Lillian Gish, and who was quite the sex symbol of his day, is very effective as a man of the cloth and underplays his role. What might have been corny or over-the-top by someone like Richard Dix is very heartfelt and sincere by Lars. "Captain Salvation" can be found on TCM (in fact it was just on, but I watched my own copy of it) and is a silent film that sadly has been overshadowed by major films like Metropolis, Sunrise, Greed, and a lot of director D.W. Griffith's. Discover it today.

As excited as I was a couple of months ago to see this film on TCM's schedule--if for no other reason than that it isn't available anywhere and I love it when rare films get pulled out of the vaults--I was also prepared for it to be a snooze-inducer, since some of the contemporary reviews were lukewarm at best. I am so glad this didn't turn out to be the case! Although the TCM score by Mr. Carli was simply perfect (and a great score can make even a mediocre silent seem better than it is), this is a film so beautifully composed and structured that I think it would hold its own even without music. I really wasn't expecting much from director John Robinson, since his name hasn't come down as one of the seminal directors of the silent era, but he proved me wrong, too. From breathtaking ocean views to subtly-lit interiors and sets, this is a visually rich film (photography by the great William Daniels); the titles are also well done by John Colton (credited on-screen as the author of "Rain"--obviously the right man to recruit for a story of religious hypocrisy and a "scarlet" woman). Yes, Lars Hanson does overact the crucial dramatic scenes, but Pauline Starke does especially fine work, along with Marceline Day and Ernest Torrence as yet another sea-faring type. Overall, this is an enjoyable film--not quite as preachy as I expected, with some lighter moments as well.

This first-rate production from MGM, effectively evoking the Victorian atmosphere and attitudes of 1840s New England, is a fine film about the redemptive power of religion that isn't at all preachy or stereotypical.

Highlighted by sensitive performances from Lars Hansen as a divinity student, Marceline Day as his fiancée, and especially Pauline Starke as the prostitute who comes between them, this film is not a melodrama as some have described it, but treats seriously complex issues of rape and the Christian's moral duty to sinners, and shows to what desperate measures people may resort in order to achieve redemption. Without giving away too much, I will add that the way former prostitute Bess Morgan preserves her new-found virtue defies Christian orthodoxy yet defines her as a hero just the same, and demonstrates just how subtle these early non-talking films could be.

I was fortunate to be sent a copy of this movie after my plea. It was worth it as it was a far better movie than I had expected, it not being one of the most well known of silents. Everything about this movie was class and to top it all off, the soundtrack by Philip Carli was just perfect and the print was crystal clear. The direction by John Robertson was first class, again considering that he was not one of the more well known directors of the time and the photography was the usual high standard that we expect from William Daniels. The cast were all excellent, Lars Hanson was superb as the tormented title character Anson Campbell, he has been accused of over acting, but, Anson Campbell is a man who is losing his faith and heading for a mental breakdown to boot and Hanson portrays that with chilling clarity at times, though admittedly he was a little over wrought in some later sequences. Pauline Starke was absolutely amazing as Bess Morgan, she made you care so much about her and you truly believed in her character as a woman who has endured so much sadness and has hit rock bottom as a whore, but, is willing to seek redemption and change her life. Marceline Day was excellent as Mary Phillips, so much in love with Anson, but, still putting her faith ahead of her heart. This was a film that questioned the personal interpretation Christian charity in a manner that I found surprising for a film of that time All the cast was superb and the settings of a small New England harbour town was excellent, the shipwreck scene was very well done. All in all an excellent movie and if TCM show then I recommend it 100%. Special thanks to Paul, without whom I'd have never seen this treat. Hey TCM UK, when are you going to show more silent classics like you do on the other side of the pond?

I just finished watching "Captain Salvation" on Turner Classic Movie's "Silent Sunday". I was greatly impressed by the quality of the print, with great picture clarity, facial expressions, town scenes (we had just watched the "High Noon" DVD that evening, and it was comparable in picture quality). The new soundtrack showed copyright 2005. All of the dialog boards were, of course, new.

The storyline was something else, but still delightful to get a feel for the dramatic overacting required of silent stars in the 1920's. The ending storyboard explained "and that is how the first Gospel Ship came into being". What a great experience, to feel transported back in time.

Thank-you TCM for the efforts and monies to rescue these films, and then for sharing them with us.