The Eagle (1925)

A wanted Russian lieutenant becomes a masked vigilante seeking vengeance upon the man who stole his family's land, only to fall for his charming daughter.

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Alexander Pushkin (novel), George Marion Jr. (titles)

Stars:

Rudolph Valentino, Vilma Bánky, Louise Dresser

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rudolph Valentino	...	Vladimir Dubrovsky
Vilma Bánky	...	Mascha Troekouroff (as Vilma Banky)
Louise Dresser	...	The Czarina
Albert Conti	...	Kuschka
James A. Marcus	...	Kyrilla Troekouroff (as James Marcus)
George Nichols	...	Judge
Carrie Clark Ward	...	Aunt Aurelia

Storyline

Vladimir Dubrouvsky, a lieutenant in the Russian army, catches the eye of Czarina Catherine II. He spurns her advances and flees, and she puts out a warrant for his arrest, dead or alive. Vladimir learns that his father's lands have been taken by the evil Kyrilla Troekouroff, and his father dies. He dons a black mask, and becomes the outlaw The Black Eagle. He enters the Troekouroff household disguised as a French instructor for Kyrilla's daughter Mascha. He is after vengeance, but instead falls in love with Mascha.

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Plot Keywords:

lieutenant | mask | revenge | tracking shot | dungeon | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 1925 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Adler

Box Office

Gross USA:

$323,150, 31 December 1926

Company Credits

Production Co:

Art Finance Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min 71 min (Ontario) 77 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally titled "The Black Eagle", but was changed when it was discovered that Douglas Fairbanks was producing the similarly-titled The Black Pirate (1926).

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Goofs

The story is set during the reign of Catherine the Great, who died in 1796, but the clothing styles are much closer to those worn in the early 19th century. And at one point Vladimir lights a candle with a friction match, which weren't invented until 1826.

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Quotes

Vladimir Dubrovsky: I swear vengeance against Kyrilla and all his kin!

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Alternate Versions

Killiam Shows, Inc. copyrighted a restored, tinted and scored version in 1971, currently available on video with running time of 72 minutes. The restoration was done by Karl Malkames and the theater organ score was by Lee Irwin.

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Connections

Referenced in Les dossiers de l'écran: Autopsie d'une légende. Pourquoi des millions de femmes l'ont-elles pleuré (1970)

User Reviews

Revenge and Love

When the horses of a coach with two ladies speed after a shot, the Czarina Catherine II (Louise Dresser) sees the young Lieutenant Vladimir Dubrovsky (Rudolph Valentino) rescuing the ladies. She invites Dubrovsky to have dinner with her, but he is sexually harassed by the czarina and flees from the palace. He receives a letter from his father telling that he had been evicted from his lands by the corrupt Kyrilla Troekouroff (James Marcus). Meanwhile the czarina issues an arrest warrant authorizing the arrest of Dubrovsky dead or alive. Dubrovsky heads to his home town, but his father dies and he promises revenge against Kyrilla. He wears a mask and is called "The Black Eagle", and leads a group of unsatisfied men to fight against Kyrilla, stealing from the riches to deliver to the poor. However, when he meets Kyrilla's daughter Miss Mascha Troekouroff (Vilma Banky), Dubrovsky falls in love with her. Dubrovsky needs to rethink and choose between "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" and his love for Mascha.

"The Eagle" is a melodramatic and romantic silent movie with a hero that is a combination of Zorro and Robin Hood. The plot is entertaining and well constructed but it is funny to see, for example, Dubrovsky forgetting his friends and his promise to kill the man that stole the lands of his father that died after just because he is in love with Kyrilla's daughter. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Águia" ("The Eagle")