By Bethany Hutchens

Gargoyle staff reporter


Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2007, The OG, arts

AT NOON FRIDAY, the University High School Film Study class filed into the Virginia Theatre. Just before the lights dimmed, class members spotted Roger Ebert in a large black armchair in the back of the theater.

The group sat down and settled back as the orchestra swelled.

That's not a typo, the Ebertfest showing of “Sadie Thompson” was accompanied by the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra.

Seeing a silent film in the Virginia Theatre, with its beautiful woodwork and old-fashioned balcony, was like going back in time to the heyday of silent films, minus the bobs and flapper dresses.

Setting aside, “Sadie Thompson” is a great film, even by today's standards. I'm not a fan of silent movies, mostly because of the hokey acting, but “Sadie Thompson” was different from most silent films I've seen.

First of all, “Sadie Thompson” was made in 1928, right before the end of the silent era (the first talkie, “The Jazz Singer,” debuted a year earlier), so the quality of the camera work and the actual print are better than most silent films.

Also, the acting is superb. Gloria Swanson (better known these days for her 1950 role as Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder's “Sunset Boulevard”) plays the title character, the ex-scarlet woman who travels to Pago Pago in search of a new life.

Swanson's personality bubbles from the screen during the first half of the movie, when she is her strong, carefree self.

However, when the reformer Alfred Davidson (Lionel Barrymore, Drew's great uncle) threatens to send her back to San Francisco unless she converts to his puritan brand of religion, she becomes almost a different woman.

The change is immediate and frightening, and is a testament to Swanson's talent. In the space of one scene change, she goes from a vivacious, though world-weary, woman to a confused, demure, and frightened girl.

Barrymore also does a wonderful job as the hellfire reformer who struggles with his own lust for Sadie. He makes his character downright creepy, using his entire face to convey emotions. He is filmed eating a lot, as if he is devouring Sadie's soul.

The film also has a lot of deliberate humor; at some points the entire audience was laughing. Many silent films I've seen use flowery Christian-themed language in the dialogue cards, but “Sadie Thompson” doesn't, which is surprising given the religious themes of the movie.

The score, composed by Joseph Turrin, provided the dialogue that the film lacked, and helped move the story along.

The only part of “Sadie Thompson” that was disappointing was the lack of an ending. The original ending was lost due to erosion. The film was restored using still photographs and restored dialogue cards, but the effect wasn't the same.

Despite the damaged ending, “Sadie Thompson” is a must-see film. Fans and nonfans of silent films alike are sure to enjoy this classic. (It's available in DVD here and here.)
In bringing it to the big screen once again, Ebert more than fulfilled the mission of his Overlooked Film Festival.

RELATED

— Gargoyle coverage: Gargoyle guide to the week in entertainment, Ebertfest edition

— External link: Roger Ebert's Ninth Annual Overlooked Film Festival

— External link: Ebertfest overview of “Sadie Thompson”