The very first Oscar presentation featured two directing awards - one for dramatic picture and one for comedy. After that first year the academy decided to eliminate the comedy category and just award one statue for best director. The winner of the one and only best director Oscar for a comedy went to Lewis Milestone for probably the most overlooked film of the silent era - Two Arabian Knights.
This movie is a real gem and the only reason it's not on everyone's top fifty list of the best silent films of all time is because many people have not seen it. It's not on DVD and may never be due to legal issues with the estate of Howard Hughes who produced the movie. Fortunately, Turner Classic Movies has shown it a couple of times in the last few years and will hopefully continue to do so as Two Arabian Knights is a real find.
This tale of two long-time enemies who escape a German prisoner of war camp and their adventures while searching for freedom is clever, romantic, exciting and oddly quite modern considering it takes place during World War I and is silent. Everything from the humor to the acting and direction still feels fresh today. The laughs are genuine and the movie has stood the test of time. Two Arabian Knights delighted audiences in 1927 and is every bit as fun while viewing it today.
Mary Astor gets top billing and although she is quite good as the love interest from another culture, her character is a supporting one to the two real stars of this movie - Willam Boyd and Louis Wolheim. Their onscreen chemistry rivals any of the best "buddy films" ever made and could quite possibly be the father of them all.
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd all made wonderful movies that any true film lover should seek out, but the smartest comedy to come out of the silent era didn't feature any of them. Two Arabian Knights is a real treat for any generation of true film fans.
This movie is a real gem and the only reason it's not on everyone's top fifty list of the best silent films of all time is because many people have not seen it. It's not on DVD and may never be due to legal issues with the estate of Howard Hughes who produced the movie. Fortunately, Turner Classic Movies has shown it a couple of times in the last few years and will hopefully continue to do so as Two Arabian Knights is a real find.
This tale of two long-time enemies who escape a German prisoner of war camp and their adventures while searching for freedom is clever, romantic, exciting and oddly quite modern considering it takes place during World War I and is silent. Everything from the humor to the acting and direction still feels fresh today. The laughs are genuine and the movie has stood the test of time. Two Arabian Knights delighted audiences in 1927 and is every bit as fun while viewing it today.
Mary Astor gets top billing and although she is quite good as the love interest from another culture, her character is a supporting one to the two real stars of this movie - Willam Boyd and Louis Wolheim. Their onscreen chemistry rivals any of the best "buddy films" ever made and could quite possibly be the father of them all.
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd all made wonderful movies that any true film lover should seek out, but the smartest comedy to come out of the silent era didn't feature any of them. Two Arabian Knights is a real treat for any generation of true film fans.
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