Below the Surface

This expertly rendered potboiler stars Hobart Bosworth as a great diver who is approached by some con artists. They want him to front for a fake company recovering gold from wrecks. He refuses and they put pressure on him by vamping his son.

Everyone plays their parts well and this silent movie from 1920 is beautifully acted -- particularly well underplayed by Bosworth and con man George Webb -- and well shot. The outdoor scenes are shot on location, including the diving platforms and that adds a great deal to movies like this: a touch of realism that later, slicker Hollywood movies would lose.

Watch out for Gladys George, who spent the late thirties playing oversexed mature women (best in THE MALTESE FALCON) as a young, innocent ingénue.