The Mechanical Man

[Foxbat]

Directed by Andre Deed

English translation Liz Corra

New music score Rachel Gutches

Starring Andre Deed, Gabriel Moreau, Valentina Frascaroli, Fernando Vivas-May

Made in 1921 (silent) Tinted Black & White

Length 26 minutes.

Here’s a sobering thought: it is estimated that only between 10 and 15 per cent of all movies from the silent era still exist today. Just think of the sheer number of lost or destroyed movies – of all the work that went into creating them – lost, perhaps forever.

A chance discovery in Brazil uncovered an old Portugese version of this early example of Italian cinema. Only part of this movie remained intact (hence the 26 minute running time). This is the tale of Mado – a villainess who escapes jail and steals a giant mechanical man to do her evil bidding and wreak terror upon her home town. The police are powerless against such a foe, but the remote controlled monster meets its match when a scientist (following the plans of its original creator) builds another mechanical man – and this film reaches its climax as the two metal behemoths battle it out in an Opera House after the audience has left screaming in terror.

The film is in a bad way despite its restoration. The constantly changing colour tints would indicate (at least to me) that this film has been cut and rejoined many times in the past. The missing footage is replaced by some text explaining the plotline and the new film score is adequate (sometimes perfectly complimenting the mood of the image but often going wildly out of kilter with the visual effect). My biggest gripe is the use of modern effects within the score – it tends to make it feel out of its time. I would have preferred a straight orchestral score.

Enough survives to show that this movie used a good range of visual effects and most likely thrilled audiences of the time with the image of these lumbering beasts doing battle.

Think of all those films from King Kong in 1933, through to the Godzilla movies of the 50s and 60s - and on to today with Jurassic Park et al. The Mechanical Man was one of their ancestors – the Monster Movie Cro-Magnon. Every monster movie that you watch today grew and evolved from such films as this.

Despite its many flaws, this is an utterly fascinating and pleasing addition to any collector of silent movies. It is also a lesson in what happens to relics from days gone by when we do not care what happens to them at the time. Today’s junk becomes tomorrow’s clues. The history of the cinema is also the history of us all. Film has become such a strong part of our culture to the degree that, every time we let a film rot or be discarded, we lose a tiny bit of our own past.

I, for one, am glad to see this movie restored, at least, in part. Let’s hope we find some more lost gems before they finally turn to dust and it’s too late.

I’m not sure that this qualifies as a review but ..hey ho..there you go