Evangeline

Rating:
Summary: A real romantic treat
Review: 'Evangeline' is to be greatly recommended in its own right, not just for being among the very last handful of silent films. It was rare, even in earlier silent days, to dare speak in such lushly melodramatic terms as director Carewe does here, and after this viewer's initial puzzlement, even periodic embarassment, I was completely won over by the sheer wilfulness of passion, the faith the characters have in undying love. The location scenes are, to put it mildly, spectacular, and the grandiose scenes showing off a cast of at least several hundreds impress even in this computer-generated age. The technical quality of Image Entertainment's edition is unsurpassed in visual brilliance, and I applaud the decision to mix between the original symphonic score and a modern piano transcription where the original music was missing.
What can I say? You need to be a romantic to appreciate this film, but if you are, you are in for an unforgettable treat.

Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Adaptation of Longfellow's Poem
Review: Evangeline is a very good adaptation of Longfellow's famous poem. It follows the story of the poem closely and includes brief extracts from the text as titles. Where the film departs from the poem it generally improves the story, makes it more dramatic and clear. This story of the Acadian exile from Nova Scotia is very moving, even more so in the film, for it provides the historical context and reasoning behind the decision of the British to remove the French speaking Acadians from their homes. It is 1755 and France and Britain are about to fight the 'Seven Years War'. The Acadians wish to remain neutral, but are told they must either fight for the British or leave. Longfellow does not really spell this out, assuming that the history would be familiar to his readers. No doubt it was familiar to readers when he was writing, but it is less familiar now and so the film's greater emphasis on explaining the story is very welcome.

There are some very powerful scenes in the film especially those that detail the brutality of the British in forcing the Acadians from their homes and in the process causing the separation of families and loved ones. The film tries to mitigate the British cruelty by suggesting that it did not have the sanction of the government. No doubt the studio hoped that the film would thus play better in Britain. But the images of the crime remain more vivid than any excuses. The film is a compelling account and indictment of 'ethnic cleansing' and remains vitally relevant today.

The print used for the Image DVD is very good. It is tinted using various muted shades and is clear and sharp. There is almost no damage. Evangeline is a very late silent film, released in 1929, and originally was accompanied by a soundtrack of music, sound effects, singing and a very brief piece of dialogue. Some of this soundtrack has now been lost. Where this is the case the DVD includes a piano score. It is easy to tell where the original soundtrack remains for the sound quality is quite poor and indistinct. It is interesting to hear the original soundtrack as it illustrates the transition period between silent films and talkies. It is clear that Evangeline was shot as a silent with the sound added later for where there is singing it does not synchronize with the lips of the actors. Only at the very end of the film is there a brief moment when Evangeline actually speaks. It's as if we hear the end of silent pictures, and in a way we do.