Shadows

Chaney's performance as the chinese launderman is really the only thing lifting this film above the level of mediocre. Still, it provides a story with gothic overtones, albeit cliched ones. A woman (De La Motte, always competent) marries an evil seafarer who meets an early grave at sea; she marries the new town parson. But a jealous 3rd party convinces the parson that the first husband is still alive, blackmailing him in that man's name and driving him to stop sleeping with his wife (hence the gothic element of "true love thwarted"). It's up to Chaney, of course, to clear it all up and be "converted" (as usual, see "The Penalty") on his death-bed.

Chaney's make up is excellent, although not quite as astounding as his asian makeup for the later "Mr. Wu" (in which he appeared as 100 + years old). His playing is somewhat coy, in keeping with the tone of the film in general. As usual, we don't get to see as much of him as of the film's leading man, in this case the stolid Ford (slightly better than he usually is here).

Should be seen by Chaney fans, but may not be the best introduction to Chaney's art (as suggested by others) -- his gothic masterpieces being of course "The Unknown" and "He Who Gets Slapped" as well as the memorable "Unholy 3" and others. Unfortunately, this film ("Shadows") falls for me into the category of overblown films that feature excellent Chaney performances (such as "Phantom of the Opera" and "Hunchback of Notre Dame").

"Shadows" is another remarkable performance from the legendary Lon Chaney. In this story, he plays a Chinese immigrant Yen Sin, who appears on the scene following his rescue at sea after a violent storm.

The lovely Marguerite De La Motte is the heroine, Sympathy who is married to the brutish Daniel Gibbs (Walter Long) who was apparently lost at sea in the same storm. Along comes a new minister, Harrison Ford (no, not THAT Harrison Ford) who falls in love with the heroine. John St. Polis plays the Minister's faithful friend (or is he?) who is also in love with Miss Sympathy. Mixed in with all of this melodrama are the Minister's efforts to convert the Chaney character.

Chaney's makeup, as always, is astounding. He basically becomes his character and makes you believe that he IS Yen Sin. You just can't help but feel a little sorry for him. He minds his own business despite all of the pressures around him until the final reel when he reveals an unexpected turn of events.

I wish that more of Chaney's movies were available. He was and is one of the true greats of the silent screen.

A magnificently acted film by Lon Cheney and, to a slightly lesser extent, the rest of the cast. Marguerite De La Motte is not only beautiful, but exceptionally expressive for a starlet of her time. The writing is also wonderful, with likable characters, a plot that unfolds only as it needs to, and a wonderfully suspenseful climax. Also, the story stays engaging throughout, whereas other films of the time, especially dramas, have a tendency to drag at points. A slightly disappointing ending seems to reinforce the rather egotistical view that everyone is better off Christian, but this can be forgiven in light of the films numerous merits.

This interesting movie is very much a mixed bag. Lon Chaney gives another outstanding performance as Yen Sin, a Chinese man. With very little makeup, and a very expressive body, he gives us a sympathetic portrayal of a Chinese man who is not always treated nicely by the local townfolk. The screenplay is very daring for the time, as Asians were mostly portrayed as slant-eyed villains at the time, and Chinese were referred to as "Chinks". This is a very impressive production for a film that was not produced by a major studio.

On the other hand the direction of the film is mediocre. Director Tom Forman stages much of the action in long-shot. We rarely get a close-up view of Chaney or even Marguerite De La Motte, the heroine of this story.

This film is highly recommended for Lon Chaney, Sr. fans, and for those studying how American Cinema portrayed minorities in the 1920's.

I am not that familiar with the films of Lon Chaney, Sr. I first saw this sometime in the 1960's on Chicago's local PBS station. As I was about 15 years old at the time, I didn't appreciate old films or silent films as I do now. I do remember that the main characters names were Sympathy and Malden. Malden was actually the hero's sir name, but he is referred to through as "Malden". The moralistic story hinges on the marriage of an idealistic minister to a woman recently widowed. There is intrigue and blackmail involved, and it is up to Lon Chaney to help set things straight. He gives a very touching performance as a Chinese. His expressive face puts forth a convincing performance as a lovely, gentle soul. The DVD transfer was acceptably clean and there is a generic classical musical score underlining this version. This film appealed to me a great deal, much more so than when I was a kid.