West of Zanzibar

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andy f Lon Chaney's at his best in this captivating macabre story. Some incredible sets and imagery, so it's worth finding the restored version if you can. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Another successful Tod Browning and Lon Chaney silent pairing; these two seem to have been made for one another. Chaney plays a magician who has been crippled during an altercation with his wife's lover (Lionel Barrymore), and then plots revenge. Left with the pair's daughter (Mary Nolan), he sends her off to a sleazy place in Zanzibar, where as an 18 year old we find her in a dive bar bantering with men. The implication is clear. He steals ivory from Barrymore in order to goad him into coming to him, then sends for Nolan, in order to spring vengeance in the form of her degradation. Things don't go as he plans, but I won't spoil it. Chaney gives a great performance, and with a range spanning glowering bitterness to frightened horror over some of his actions. He's so great physically in these types of roles, truly appearing as one who has no function in his legs as he pulls himself up and down from his wheelchair. Barrymore, Nolan, and Warner Baxter (in the role of a doctor) are all strong as well. Browning is fantastic at blending macabre elements, such as the natives' practice of burning a wife or daughter alive when a man dies, with psychological shock and horror. As compared to William J. Cowen's remake four years later ('Kongo'), I found this one to have a lesser degree of racism, though the 'savage cannibal'/'civilized man' aspects are present. It's unfortunate that a portion of the footage seems to be missing - in particular, when Nolan's character apparently has run away, only to appear the next day in a bedraggled, dirty appearance. Even so, it holds together and makes for a good watch, if you're in the mood for something dark. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member I couldn't get past the exaggerated racism and ridiculous premise of this movie. A product of its time, it became rancid long, long ago. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member I couldn't quite bare this film. The portrayal of Africans as savages and cannibals tainted my ability to watch it. It's a shame because Chaney & Barrymore are brilliant. However, in this context it is very hard to watch. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Lon Chaney's performance is fantastic and Tod Browning knows how to turn a melodrama into great entertainment. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Lon Chaney's performance is absolutely bone-chilling. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews

West of Zanzibar

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