Beyond the Rocks
by Sam Wood
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DVD details
Actor: Alec B. Francis, Edythe Chapman, Gloria Swanson, Robert Bolder, Rudolph ValentinoDirector: Sam Wood
Brand: OSCILLOSCOPE PICTURES
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-07-11
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Oscilloscope/Milestone
Product features:
- BEYOND THE ROCKS (DVD MOVIE)
DVD Reviews of Beyond the Rocks
DVD Review: Sensational!
Summary: 5 Stars
Valentino and Swanson are tremendous in "Beyond the Rocks", but the real gem on this disk is "The Delicious Little Devil" with Mae Murray and Rudolph Valentino. One of the most delightful films I have ever had the pleasure of watching. This is her film, and its her personality and charm that makes it so enjoyable. Its sad to think that after being one of Hollywood's highest-paid stars she died completely forgotten in 1965.
A highly recommended and enjoyable disk....
DVD Review: Swanson and Valentino - silent cinema magic
Summary: 5 Stars
In her autobiography* Gloria Swanson asked : "Does anybody know of a print anywhere of Beyond the Rocks, the film Rudy Valentino made with me in 1921?" Lost for decades, this wonderful example of the art of popular silent film culture was discovered in the collection of an eccentric movie-buff in Holland after his death. Beautifully restored by the Nederlands Filmmuseum, apart from some brief scenes where the print was too deteriorated to salvage, the film is a joy from beginning to end. The performances of the two stars and the supporting players are outstanding, Elinor Glyn's racy (for the era) storyline is hugely entertaining and the extras on the DvD are truly remarkable. I watched this movie twice in the first week it arrived. Unreservedly recommended.
*Swanson on Swanson, Copyright 1980 by Gloria's Way Inc.
DVD Review: Glad this film was found and restored so new generations can have it
Summary: 5 Stars
Valentino is really a legend, I think I haven't seen
another actor with that carisma that he had. He was
very handsome!
DVD Review: Never received it
Summary: 1 Stars
Supplier advised the video was not available, and Amazon refunded the charge. So I never received it, and found it hard to believe that a seller could list an item without having it for shipment. Bad deal.DVD Review: mesmerising
Summary: 5 Stars
The re-discovery of 'Beyond the Rocks' after 80 years is described as 'A Cause for Celebration!' by Martin Scorsese on the DVD packaging. And I couldn't agree more. When I read in the newspapers that this movie had been found after so many years I couldn't wait to see it. I've watched it several times now on DVD and it has lived up to everything I hoped or imagined it would be. Most reviewers here on Amazon.com seem to agree that the re-discovery and restoration of the film is terrific, the DVD package with extras a real treat, but some seem to feel disappointment with the film itself. Alas, for some it would seem that nothing less than absolute perfection would ever be enough. I think they have approached this movie with too-high expectations. This is a beautifully performed and well made film, but anyone expecting an all-out classic is going to be disappointed. The loss of this movie has been much lamented over the decades because it starred Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson. A lost movie starring either of these wonderful silent stars would be cause for celebration, but a movie starring them both together! The fact that their star allure still echoes down through the decades made the re-discovery of the film newsworthy in the media. And their presence alone is the reason for the film's fascination. Both Valentino and Swanson give beautiful, subtle performances in what is basically a ridiculous melodrama written by Elinor Glyn. Anyone who has read Elinor Glyn's overheated 1910's novel 'Three Weeks' or who is familiar with Glyn's history in Hollywood in the '20s, will know what to expect from plot. However, like I said, the attraction here is Valentino and Swanson. And how lucky we are to have the opportuninty at all to watch these two performers together. Swanson shines - what beautiful eyes this woman had - her fashions reflect the best and worst of 1922 styles. She appears ravishing in slinky evening dress and the epitome of high camp in a Parisian cafe scene. Valentino's beauty is no less alluring in contemporary clothing (for Valentino fans this is a special treat and attraction - we are so used to watching him dressed as sheik, or toreador). There are moments in this movie where I get goosebumps - where the chemistry between these two stars is so palpable. This is a film about yearning - sexual tension - and its all there on the screen in Valentino's and Swanson's performances. The new score for the movie is very pleasing - the score often makes or breaks a silent film experience. I don't like anything too contemporary, but at the same time old fashioned organ scores are equally horrible for most modern viewers. This is a lovely score that has been written for the movie with care and thought. After 'Beyond the Rocks', both Valentino and Swanson would go on to make better movies and give better performances. But what a magical treat this movie proves for silent film fans.
Description of Beyond the Rocks
BEYOND THE ROCKS stars film legends Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino at the height of their careers and sexual appeal. This outstanding silent romance was long considered one of the great "lost" films from the Hollywood golden age. Its amazing rediscovery by the Nederlands Filmmuseum made headlines around the world.Sam Wood (GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, PRIDE OF THE YANKEES) directs this delirious Elinor Glyn melodrama/roller-coaster ride through the English countryside, the Swiss Alps, Paris, London and the Sahara Desert! Brilliantly restored with a wonderful new orchestral score, BEYOND THE ROCKS is ready for its close-up.
The rediscovery and restoration of any film long believed lost is good news. Beyond the Rocks inspired still more excitement at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival because it was the only movie ever to costar two of the silent era's highest-wattage luminaries: Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino.
Cultural clich? holds that Swanson's acting was as garish as her makeup, and the legend of Valentino is awash in camp. Yet in this picture--however preposterously plotted by Elinor (It) Glyn--both deliver very natural performances of behavioral subtlety and discretion. Swanson, as the loving daughter of a retired officer (Alec B. Francis), is willing to do anything to ensure that Papa's twilight years be comfortable. That includes marrying a much older, vulgar businessman (Robert Bolder) as wealthy as he is unappealing. It's inconvenient that she's just fallen for a dashing nobleman (Valentino) who's saved her from (1) drowning and (2) falling off an Alp. Both these beautiful people struggle to behave honorably, right up through a final reel in which the unsympathetic husband takes them--and the audience--by surprise.
Now, we mustn't make overmuch of a good thing: Beyond the Rocks, ably but unexcitingly directed by Sam Wood, isn't a lost Murnau or the uncut Greed. But it's a very respectable movie, free of the excesses (except Swanson's increasingly florid costumes!) carelessly attributed to silent films in general; and as a long-delayed footnote to two legendary careers, its historical importance is considerable. The Nederlands Filmmuseum restoration is gloriously sharp (apart from a few spasms of almost impenetrable nitrate deterioration), and the new score by Henny Vrienten sounds more like Mark Isham than the organ-and-calliope accompaniment too many silents have suffered from. --Richard T. Jameson
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