Amazon.com video review:
J.M. Barrie's play about the boy who refused to grow up has
become a stage classic and a revival standard, but in the movies Disney's
animated musical version remains the most famous incarnation. Nearly
forgotten is the original 1924 live-action version, a lavish silent fantasy that
captures the fairy tale magic of flying children, wicked pirates, and a
wondrous storybook land where kids never grow up. Tomboyish Betty Bronson,
with an innocent smile and a mischievous spontaneity, is the eternally
adolescent boy while towering Ernest Torrence (the burly comic actor best
known as Buster Keaton's gruff father in Steamboat Bill Jr.) plays
a
gleefully flamboyant Captain Hook. This faithful adaptation flies from the
Darling nursery to the thick tangle of the Lost Boys' forest, where
elaborate, cartoonishly exaggerated animal costumes wander the trails and a
floating ball of fairy light reveals herself as a lovely, petite girl in a
gossamer gown and glowing hair. A curious thread of American patriotism
peaks in the pirate ship climax when the Lost Boys replace the Jolly Roger
with the stars and stripes and fly the ship into the stars. Long thought
lost, a beautiful 35mm print was recovered years ago and serves as the
basis
for this restoration. Anna May Wong costars as Princess Tiger Lily, and a fine
new score by Philip C. Carli accompanies the film.
The DVD also features a 30-minute interview with costar Esther Ralston, an
essay by film historian Frederick C. Szebin, and a treasure-trove of
archival stills and promotion materials in a photo gallery. --Sean
Axmaker
