Indian Tomb

One of the most expensive movies of the 20s, the film was panned by critics of the time and was a box office disappointment. It was unfortunate enough to be both ahead of its time and stuck in the past. The melodramatic plot involving chases, escapes, revenge and all that good stuff seemed positively old fashioned. The sets and special effects were excellent but they simply were not enough to pull in an audience. (What? Good special effects in a silent movie? You'd better believe it. Nothing like today, of course, but no "oh, that's so phoney" moments) Another problem was that American viewers saw the cutdown version. This was meant to be a two-part story but the studios released an extremely abbreviated (and apparently incoherent) version. It's frankly amazing that the entire movie survived intact. But fortunately it did and it is presented in complete form, possibly this is the first time Americans have had a chance to see the whole thing.

What makes this movie distinctly different from most movies of the era is the unusually intelligent heroine (she makes a few mistakes but then so do the guys). Mia May, wife of the director Joe May, plays Irene, the fiancee of the Herbert. American critics of the time made some rather unkind remarks about her age and weight but really, is it so wrong to have a heroine in her late 30s who is not a stick-figure? She is never presented as being 18 and neither is Herbert. I thought the presentation of a more mature couple in this movie to be sweet as well as more realistic.

Of course, not enough can be said about Conrad Veidt's hypnotic portrayal of Ayan. Those who only know Veidt from his roles in Casablanca and the 1940 Thief of Bagdad are in for a treat: a chance to see the talented actor chew scenery as never before as the somewhat deranged Ayan. Bernhard Goetzke, who plays the holy man awoken by Ayan, is both elegant and intelligent. Lya De Putti as the Princess's servant is another independant female character.

I was not as impressed with either Paul Richter or Erna Morena who play MacAllen and Savitri, respectively. Though in all fairness, neither were given as much to do as the other actors.

The film may start a bit slowly but it is always intriguing and after the first half hour it is downright addictive. Unfortunately, I could not watch it all in one sitting (at over three hours, not many people could) It has been nicely restored with a great variety of color tinted scenes. Anyone who does not know how much tints can make a difference in a silent film should check this movie out for that reason alone. The soundtrack is synth but the music is period-accurate.

This movie has gotten better with age and still packs quite a punch to an open-minded audience. As is usual with silents, the viewer needs a bit of time to get "acclimated" but don't let that stand in the way of your enjoying a glorious epic that deserves to finally get some recognition after 80 years.