3 Silent Classics By Josef Von Sternberg On Criterion DVD!

Out this week on DVD is: 3 Silent Classics By Josef Von Sternberg. (Mostly remembered for his feverish movie collaborations with actress Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel, Morocco, Blonde Venus, The Devil Is A Woman), here's your chance to see director Josef Von Sternberg's assured beginnings in three remarkable silent movies all with his unmistakable stamp. Underworld (1927) is a gritty crime drama about gangsters involving loyalty, love and honor. George Bancroft plays Bull Weed, the crime kingpin wildly jealous over his girl Feathers (Evelyn Brent). Clive Brook plays a lawyer who hit the skids as a drunk and is rehabilitated by Bull who finds he has feelings for Feathers too. This was a giant hit when it opened -- one theater in New York kept its doors open 24 hours to accommodate continuous screenings. The Docks Of New York (1928) stars George Bancroft again as a gruff boat stoker on leave who falls for a suicidal dance hall girl (Betty Compson) in this fog-shrouded, wildly atmospheric, tale. The Last Command stars Emil Jannings (who won a best actor Oscar for his performance) as a real exiled Russian general who ends up playing a version of himself in a Hollywood movie. These movies have been lustrously restored in high-definition and are accompanied with fascinating extras about their origins. A film lover's feast.