Mockery (1927)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Benjamin Christensen

Writers:

Benjamin Christensen (story)
Stig Esbern (story)

Release Date:

13 August 1927 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

There is hunger in Siberia during the Russian Civil War. Dim-witted peasant Sergei is searching corpses for food...

Plot Keywords:

Cossack | Siberia | Washing Someone's Feet | Russian Revolution

Cast

Lon Chaney	...	Sergei
Barbara Bedford	...	Countess Tatiana Alexandrova
Ricardo Cortez	...	Captain Dimitri
Mack Swain	...	Vladimir Gaidaroff
Emily Fitzroy	...	Mrs. Gaidaroff
Charles Puffy	...	Ivan - the Gatekeeper
Kai Schmidt	...	Butler
Johnny Mack Brown	...	Russian Officer

Also Known As:

Terror (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:75 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)

"Novokursk After Midnight" this ain't!

As a lifelong fan of Chaney Sr., this film was on a very short list of existing Chaney films I had yet to see. I watched it last night for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. Although I admit this is far from Chaney's best work, I suspect many of the negative reviews, both then and now, come from unmet expectations. "Mockery" does not have grotesque make-up like "Hunchback of Notre Dame". It lacks bizarre story elements like "The Unknown". Chaney only plays one character instead of two, as he did in "A Blind Bargain". And if you wanted to see sets and scenery on a grand scale, as in "Phantom of the Opera", forget about it.

So what does this film have? Well, this melodrama, set in Russia around the time of the revolution, revolves around the theme you see in most of Chaney's films: unrequited love. Chaney's character is a peasant named Sergei, who reminded me of "Lenny", the character portrayed by Lon Chaney Jr. in "Of Mice and Men". Sergei is a good hearted simpleton, unable to understand matters of love. Sergei's love for the Countess, like Quasimodo's longing for Esmarelda, is destined for failure, but he's the only one who cannot see this.

As the story unfolds, we get glimpses into the good and bad (or Jekyll and Hyde, if you will) found in all of us. Sergei's pure love turns to lust. Tatiana's indifference evolves into compassion.

If you're expecting a 1927 era melodrama, you'll get a good one. If you're expecting something bizarre, like "Novokursk After Midnight", you'll have trouble keeping awake.