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The Silent Command (1923) Online

The Silent Command (1923) Online
Original Title :
The Silent Command
Genre :
Movie / Drama
Year :
1923
Directror :
J. Gordon Edwards
Cast :
Edmund Lowe,Alma Tell,Martha Mansfield
Writer :
Anthony Paul Kelly,Rufus King
Type :
Movie
Time :
1h 20min
Rating :
6.1/10
The Silent Command (1923) Online

The Silent Command is a story of the United States Navy, revolving around experiences of a naval captain, warships, merchantmen, sea storms, a spectacular wreck, and an enemy effort to blow up the Panama Canal.
Cast overview, first billed only:
Edmund Lowe Edmund Lowe - Capt. Decatur
Alma Tell Alma Tell - Mrs. Richard Decatur
Martha Mansfield Martha Mansfield - Peg Williams, the vamp
Betty Jewel Betty Jewel - Dolores
Florence Martin Florence Martin - Peg's Maid
Bela Lugosi Bela Lugosi - Hisston (as Belo Lugosi)
Carl Harbaugh Carl Harbaugh - Menchen
Martin Faust Martin Faust - Cordoba
Gordon McEdward Gordon McEdward - Girdley
Byron Douglas Byron Douglas - Adm. Nevins
Theodore Babcock Theodore Babcock - Adm. Meade
George Lessey George Lessey - Mr. Collins
Warren Cook Warren Cook - Ambassador Mendizabal
Henry Armetta Henry Armetta - Pedro
Rogers Keene Rogers Keene - Jack Decatur

Bela Lugosi's first stage role in the US was "The Red Poppy". Unable to speak English, he was forced to learn the role by rote. He was rewarded with excellent reviews and earned his first US film role, a villainous part in silent film The Silent Command (1923) as a result.

Initially released as an eight-reel film with a 91-minute run time, subsequent releases were cut by 18 minutes and reduced it to seven reels. H.T. Hodge claimed to have shown a nine-reel version at the Palace Theater in Abilene, Texas.

Debut of Henry Armetta.


User reviews

Yggdi

Yggdi

Silent Command, The (1923)

*** (out of 4)

A Naval officer (Edmond Lowe) must stop a terrorist (Bela Lugosi) from blowing up the Panama Canal, which would cut the U.S. Navy in half. Directed by J. Gordon Edwards, this is a pretty good little thriller with a terrific start and nice ending, both of which pack some nice suspense. The middle drags a little bit as Lugosi pays a blonde to try and seduce the Naval officer into giving away his secrets. Lowe is very good in his role but it's Lugosi who really steals the picture with his wonderful performance. This is certainly the best I've seen from his silent pictures, which I believe this was the last remaining one for me to see. I think the rest are lost.
Pumpit

Pumpit

Very good drama about a scheme to destroy the U.S. Navy fleet and the Canal of Panama, done with more resources, even to have location shooting in Panama. Béla Lugosi is the sinister Eastern Europe leader of a band of terrorists. He stands with his mercenary associate Menchen by the Miraflores locks (one of the three gateways to pass from the Pacific ocean to the Atlantic and vice versa) and studies the plan that needs to be executed, while he runs a sugar cane plantation and has his secret headquarters below the ruins of the cathedral from the first settlement of the city of Panamá, that was destroyed by pirate Henry Morgan in late 16th century. Béla decides to get information from a righteous official (Edmund Lowe), who knows where the mines for the defense of the canal are located; and to obtain such fact he uses the services of vamp Peg Williams (Martha Mansfield) in Washington, where most of the action takes place. The story then seemingly goes the direction of a typical melodrama about adultery and military degradation, but do not be misled, stay with the movie, and you will reach a tense climax aboard a ship on its way to Panamá, while a storm is ravaging the sea and Lugosi fights Lowe to death. For his first motion picture in the United States Lugosi had a very good start: a fine leading role mostly handled with moderation, without the mannerisms that would become his trademark.