Customer Reviews

The Garden of Eden (Deluxe Edition)

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While he made many earlier films, GARDEN OF EDEN is the earliest of director Lewis Milestone's works to survive. I have been waiting for a properly restored version of this movie ever since I saw an abridged version of it on VHS as part of Paul Killiam's SILENTS PLEASE series. Milestone, whose career spanned 40 years from the silent era to the original OCEAN'S ELEVEN and Brando's MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, was a top notch visual stylist whose best movies remain as interesting today as when they first appeared. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, THE FRONT PAGE, and RAIN are all part of a remarkable run of films that began with GARDEN OF EDEN. The film was made as a star vehicle for Corrinne Griffith who was then at the height of her fame. She is perfect as the naive young romantic who believes that talent is all she needs to succeed as a singer only to find out that most people are interested in something else. Louise Dresser (Catherine The Great in Valentino's THE EAGLE) is Rosa the wardrobe mistress who may not be everything she seems, an unlikely fairy godmother to Griffith's modern day Cinderella. Charles Ray, another popular star from the silent era, makes a charming Prince Charming while Lowell Sherman (the villian in WAY DOWN EAST) is his usual lecherous self. Within this basic story Milestone weaves a magic spell through the use of mood enhancing lighting, polished editing, and his trademark sophisticated camerawork. The sets are fantastic too. GARDEN OF EDEN is not a great film but it is a highly entertaining one even more so in this splendid transfer to DVD from Flicker Alley. Robert Israel's accompaniment is first rate as usual and the DVD has a number of special features including two short subjects (one of them in Technicolor!). Yet another treat for the silent film enthusiast. It just gets better and better.

From the first frame, I loved GARDEN OF EDEN (Flicker Alley). This fabulous silent comedy plays like vintage jazz from the Roaring 20s, always engaging, witty and full of surprises.

Sheltered but with a diploma in opera, Toni LeBrun (Corrine Griffith) leaves the Vienna bakery of her aunt and uncle ("I could never be satisfied making pretzels all my life") and gets a job in a dubious cabaret in Budapest. Naively hoping to practice her craft, she's unaware that she has in fact been hired as a chorus dancer at the Palais de Paris by the deliciously mannish and menacing Madame Bauer (Maude George). Toni escapes to Monte Carlo's fancy Hotel Eden where sophisticated slapstick ensues as Toni gets embroiled in wanted and unwanted suitors and tires to keep from being exposed beofere the right guy asks for her hand. This is the most complete version of Garden of Eden with a fine new score by silent film specialist Robert Isreal.

The Garden of Eden was produced entirely on the United Artist lot in late 1927, which at the time was located along Santa Monica Blvd in what is now West Hollywood. Besides extensive texts, lobby cards, production stills and period press books, extras include two short films from the era: Hollywood The Unusual, a previously unknown travelogue that looks at LA's fantastic vernacular architecture; and The Toy Shoppe, a rare two-color technicolor short photographed by renowned cinematographer Ray Rennahan. Highly recommended.

this is a high class production of a really fine unseen silent film. The film is surprisingly fun and contemporary. I recommend it to all film lovers.