Lights of Old Broadway delivers good drama and comedy. This brisk film of about seventy minutes focuses on a Romeo and Juliet-inducing romance between a poor Irish girl and a rich New York boy. Bizarrely, your average overview and the beginning of the film emphasize a more trivial part of the movie. Two sisters, Anne and Fely, both played by Marion Davies, are separated at birth and adopted by different families. One goes to a rich family and the other to a poor one. Someone reading that might imagine that the plot would be about them, though in actuality Anne is a minor character. Fely is the protagonist. This is exemplified in each of the characters’ introductions to the film. Anne gets a brief scene of fourteen seconds showing her briefly talk about nothing of relevance and look very posh. Fely gets a much lengthier introduction where we learn about her carefree nature and strong will. Davies gets the opportunity to flex her comedic chops in a funny and endearing opening scene.
Marion Davies’s performance is well realized. Her animated portrayal gives soaring highs to Fely, which contrast with the lows, like when Fely has to accept something that’ll hurt her. The male lead, Dirk de Rhonde, played by Conrad Nagel, also is effortlessly portrayed with warmth and exuberance. At a low point of his, we see a stabbing look of despair on his face. A whole character is visible through that alone. Fely and Dirk’s parents are funny and touching, though there’s less nuance and more “You need to be funny/mean/comforting/etc in this scene”.
The character of Anne could’ve very easily been cut from the film. There was one point where she did something plot relevant, but that could’ve been given to another character. Her presence is strange during most of the film as characters seem to not notice she looks exactly like Fely. This film and Little Old New York both feature characters who don’t know Marion Davies when they see her!
Many silent films suffer from too many intertitles. Parts of the story are explained instead of shown. The beginning describes that Anne and Fely are orphans who are then adopted. One is adopted by a rich family and the other a poor family. This could’ve very easily been shown. A family that looks well kept and elegant comes around and wants one and a more scrappy family comes in for the other. It’s shown later in the film that the two families know of and dislike each other. This would be a great opportunity to have the families interact and dislike the other. This would quickly show us what they are about.
SPOILERS
There are moments which exist only to make our white, beautiful protagonist seem worldly and engaging. Fely is observed dancing by a theater producer (one can imagine him a William Randolph Hearst) and she’s asked to join the theater. Next thing you know she’s reasonably big, we see a number of her’s, then the theater aspect of her character is mostly absent. It doesn’t have much relevance. Dirk doesn’t like that she’s an actress, but that could be replaced with anything. There should be a reason we’re dealing with this specifically. Did the screenwriter, Carey Wilson, even care about this plot point? After she’s discovered, we skip over her learning about acting to her being successful.
Another strange tangent is when Fely meets Thomas Edison (played by a young and handsome actor). He discusses and shows his inventions, looks like a friendly and brilliant person, then is just out of the picture. Did Carey Wilson have some particular interest in Edison, so he put this scene in the movie? Edison of course adds nothing to the actual story.
Anne’s contribution to the story comes when she tells her brother that he will “ruin his life” if he stays with Fely. Fely overhears and tells Dirk she doesn’t love him so he’ll return to his wealthy life. Anne later sees him depressed and tells him Fely lied.
When gas lights are turned off at the same time as a tense scene occurs, the film is basically black momentarily. Electric lights are turned on and now the film is in color! This was genuinely unexpected and a real delight. The effect looks very cool, especially with red and flesh colors. There’s a vibrance to it, despite the color not being too strong.
The tension continues to spill out when the fathers start brawling in an amusing sequence. At the end of it, the fathers befriend each other. Them deciding to be friends is forced but done reasonably effectively for what it is. This is a way of showing them get their aggression out. It would’ve been really unfortunate if there was a scene where one day they saw each other, then an intertitle popped up saying, “They thought about it and they actually don’t hate the other anymore.” A more developed bond would’ve been better, such as if they progressively liked each other instead of it happening in one scene.
OVERVIEW
While the film has absurdities, the absurdities are very fun and charming. A head scratch is complemented with a chuckle. In addition, the romance and drama have some weight and tension due to us getting a chance to like the characters. We get a grasp on who they are and you end up rooting for them. ‘Tis the power of the infinite light of Marion Davies.
The Filme Diary 