Across to Singapore (1928)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

William Nigh

Writers:

Ben Ames Williams (book)
Ted Shane (adaptation)

Release Date:

7 April 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A boy and a girl---alone against a ship full of mutineers. High adventure on the high seas, with the great star of romance leading the way.

Plot:

Joel and Priscilla have been in love since they were children. Mark announces his engagement to her without obtaining her permission...

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Brother | Singapore | Engagement | Sea

Cast

Ramon Novarro	...	Joel Shore
Joan Crawford	...	Priscilla Crowninshield
Ernest Torrence	...	Captain Mark Shore
Frank Currier	...	Jeremiah Shore
Dan Wolheim	...	Noah Shore
Duke Martin	...	Matthew Shore
Edward Connelly	...	Joshua Croninshield
Jim Mason	...	Ship's Mate Finch (as James Mason)

Runtime:

85 min (21.3 fps)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Movie Connections:

Version of All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953)

Entertaining silent adventure yarn

A rare chance to watch Joan Crawford just before her breakthrough in silent pictures the same year, when she starred in `Our Dancing Daughters' as the epitome of the '20s flapper. In this movie she plays the lady-in-between (and the cause of sibling rivalry) seamen brothers Ramon Novarro (Joel Shore) and Ernest Torrence (Captain Mark Shore).

Crawford does a fine job playing the ingénue, and boy! does she look different from the trademark image she adopted from the 1930s onwards: in this picture her features look much softer, she has `smaller' lips, etc. (sort of the '20s look).

But, I must have to note that this is Novarro's film all the way, playing devil-may-care Joel Shore, the youngest of four seaman brothers, who becomes a full-fledged, grown-up man, the hard way.

Novarro's flair for comedy, playing and foolin' around, making practical jokes and having lots of fun, is at full display in the first half of the picture (these scenes are heartfelt and very believable), before he has to confront life and his much admired eldest brother (Torrence), because of their love for the same woman. A very entertaining film, you almost forget it's silent.

The same story had been filmed before by Metro pictures in 1923, using the original story's title "All the Brothers were Valiant", starring Malcolm McGregor, Lon Chaney and Billie Dove. Then again, it was remade by MGM in 1953 as "All the brothers were valiant" with Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger and Ann Blyth.