Starring Emil Jannings, William Powell and Evelyn Brent
Produced by Paramount Pictures
In an anonymous Hollywood office in 1928, a director prepping his next production pours over head shots in order to cast extras in his next movie. He's making a Russian war epic and bemoaning the fact that the current crop of Tinseltown actors look so inauthentic.
Then his eyes fall onto a picture of an old man. There's a glimmer of anticipation and even familiarity. He tells his staff to cast the man as the general in the film.
The old man receives the call and heads to the studio and waits with hundreds of others outside the gates. As the lot opens, the potential extras push and yell at each other, trying to ensure their acting spot. The "general" navigates through this with a grace and dignity that none of the others can match.
When he finally dons the uniform, the general reaches into his case and produces his own medal to complete the outfit. The actor next to him asks where the man got the medal and the response is from the czar himself.
We flash back to 1917 and see the man without the world-weariness as General Dolgorucki of his cousin's army. He is trying to win the war, but he also has to make political maneuvers. When the czar visits the encampment, he pulls a division from the front lines to parade in front of the ruler. Never mind the fact that the men are desperately needed at the front, he has a czar to appease.
The general also must deal with a couple of actors who are really spies for the enemy. One of the spies, Leo, is the director from the opening scenes. Dolgorucki whips him and locks him away. As for Leo's partner Natalie? Well, the General takes a liking to the beautiful yet fiery woman and keeps her around as his consort.
Natalie still harbors a hatred for the government, but her time with the general leads her to respect the man's love for Russia. When her chance comes to kill her former enemy, Natalie cannot bring herself to do it. The seeds of a romance are sown.
Unfortunately, the relationship never gets time to bloom. The train carrying the general and his men is hijacked by rebels and Natalie gleefully joins her former allies. The army officers are executed on the spot, but the general is spared so he can be hanged publicly. They send their captive to shovel coal into the train's furnace.
However, Natalie's alliance with the revolutionaries was only a ruse. She frees the general and he jumps from the train. He can only watch in horror as the locomotive careens off of a bridge, killing the woman he loved.
Which brings us back to the present and the general's nascent acting career. Will Leo exact his revenge? And can the general lead his army of actors to one last victory?
Casual movie fans have doubtless heard of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton before. More serious cinephiles will recognize Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Lon Chaney.
How on earth Emil Jannings does not merit similar consideration is beyond me.
I had never heard of him before this marathon and shame on me. If there is an Emil Jannings Fan Club, sign me up. I will gladly pay those dues.
In The Last Command, Jannings is required to pay two roles: a proud and physically imposing general and a frail, put-upon, would-be actor. He is fantastic in both roles and almost unrecognizable when you compare the two. He's impressive throughout, but when the finale requires him to transform from the destitute old man to the fierce battlefield commander, he pulls it off without the benefit of a special effect.
The rest of the actors here are good. I'd note William Powell's performance as Leo in particular. He's fine, but there's is little that hints at the leading man status he'd achieve in the next decade.
Beyond the acting, the script here is the real strength. The film sets up the central mystery of what happened to this once proud man and pays it off in spectacular fashion. It's a captivating story that gives all of the players a lot to work with.
The Last Command is about as great a drama as you'll see in the silent era. Jannings took home the first Best Actor Oscar and it could not have been more well-deserved.
***** out of *****
Photo from mubi.com
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