"Up from the
Vault: Rare Thrillers of the 1920's and 1930's"
by John T. Soister (McFarland & Company, Inc.,
2004, 234 pages)
I've always believed that the reader can tell if someone's
a professional writer out to make a buck or if their tome is a
labor of love. The reader will quickly realize which category
John Soister fits into, and it's obvious where his interests lie.
Just take a look at his three previous books: Conrad Veidt
on Screen, Of Gods and Monsters, and Claude
Rains (best remembered for his portrayal as The Phantom
of the Opera in the first sound remake). Up from the Vault:
Rare Thrillers of the 1920's and 1930's continues to provide
us some more insight into this cinematic area that he loves so
much. His very interesting introduction starts off on personal
note giving credit to Famous Monsters magazine for
initiating his interest over 40 years ago. This is one of those
introductions that should not be passed over in a rush to get
the main chapters. Soister discusses his research, the frustration
(that we all know) of films that have disappeared, possibly forever,
and some justification for the theme of the book and the films
he chose to address. For many, it may seem rather pointless to
discuss or even write a book that talks about films you'll never
see, but Soister notes, "Some genre buffs have become a tad
wearied by lifelong analysis of the classics and are more open
to new experiences, even if said experiences may remain secondhand
at present or may disappoint when circumstances change."
Certainly, Up from the Vault is a very specialized
book that isn't for everyone. For one thing, it was a difficult
decision whether to include it in our "Recommended Reading,"
because, out of the 21 films discussed, only seven are silent
films. However, if your interest is in "thrillers,"
viewable or unviewable today, and spans the silent and sound eras,
this book could be for you. Soister provides lots of interesting
trivia and background on each of these films. After the usual
listing of cast , crew, production company, length, release date,
etc., each film is given a lengthy synopsis, which is welcome
for those that are considered to be "lost" films. We
not only learn about the making of the films, but if they were
based on books (as many were) Soister has done a good job of tracing
the path the story took from publication as a book to finding
its way on the screen. The same holds true for those that were
birthed as a stage play. For some, such as "The Unknown Purple,"
copious information isn't provided because the film apparently
doesn't exist, and, according to Soister, promotional material
has been difficult to find. Also for some, reading about a film
such as this, which may stand as the original invisible man feature,
is at once intriguing and frustrating. It only whets our appetites
for something we'll never be able to taste. Then there a film
such as "The Sorrows of Satan," which has been available
on the home video market. And, although it isn't a great film,
it is intriguing to many because it is a later directorial effort
of D.W. Griffith. Another is "While London Sleeps" that,
believe it or not, is a Rin Tin Tin film. This, too, is a lost
film, but nevertheless interesting since it apparently was a departure
from the famous canine's usual type of film. "The Monkey
Talks" is another title that no one other than die-hard fans
of the genre would recognize. Soister says with a little "mental
stretching," one could see this as a Tod Browning-Lon Chaney
collaboration although it was directed by Raoul Walsh for Fox
and starred Don Alvarado and Olive Borden. A print does exist
at Eastman House. "The Chinese Parrot," a Universal
picture directed by Paul Leni, is the last true silent covered
in the book, although "Stark Mad," a 1929 Warner Brothers
production was released in both sound and silent versions. There
are 14 other films from the sound era - 1929-1937 - covered in
the book. Credit should go to Soister that he's not rehashing
what others have already done but venturing into some really heretofore
uncharted territory. As already mentioned, he's done a commendable
job, but you gotta really like the early stuff that is sometimes
weird, sometimes spooky, sometimes mysterious and definitely obscure.
Purchase
this book from
Just click
on the link above and type in the author's name
