DON JUAN (1926) B/W "silent" 113m dir: Alan Crosland

w/John Barrymore, Mary Astor, Estelle Taylor, Warner Oland, Montagu Love, Myrna Loy

Thrilling swashbuckling action, with Barrymore (still untouched by the ravages of alcohol) flourishing his rapiers as the famed lover.

From The Cinema Book, edited by Pam Cook: "In May 1925, Harry and Jack Warner witnessed a demonstration of Western Electric's sound system, and, intrigued by the possibilities it presented, a deal between the two companies was negotiated. In April of the following year, the two companies co-founded the Vitaphone Corporation to make sound films and market sound equipment. In August, Vitaphone presented its first sound feature, Don Juan. Don Juan itself boasted a synchronized musical accompaniment throughout, but it was the eight 'Vitaphone Preludes', including recorded concerts and a filmed speech by Will Hays, that greatly impressed audiences. At this point, the Fox Film Corporation decided to join the move to sound, and with the acquisition of their own sound system began to produce sound newsreels under the Movietone banner. In January 1927, Warner Bros. followed its earlier success with the release of The Jazz Singer: although this film was more of a 'singing' than a 'talking' film, the brief improvised dialogue sequences included the prophetic words 'You ain't heard nothin' yet'. By the following spring, all the majors were busily engaged in equipping studios for the transition to sound, and the Vitaphone system was rapidly revised. On both Don Juan and The Jazz Singer the 'soundtrack' had been recorded on discs whose playing time equaled the running time of one reel of film. Because the disc-synchronisation process was rather unreliable, it was soon replaced by sound directly on film."

From Variety's contemporary review of the film: "Several outstanders in this splendidly written, directed, and produced feature. Not alone does John Barrymore's superb playing become one of them, but his athletics, as well. A chase scene is a bear. It's of Don Juan carrying his Adriana away, followed by about a dozen swordsmen on horses, with Barrymore placing his charge in a tree, to return and knock off all of the riders, one by one or in twos.

"The complete surprise is the performance of Estelle Taylor as Lucretia Borgia. Her Lucretia is a fine piece of work. She makes it sardonic in treatment, conveying precisely the woman Lucretia is presumed to have been. The other outstanding performance is that of Mary Astor's Adriana. Astor has but comparatively little action, but fills the part so thoroughly that she is a dominating figure. Warner Oland is Cesare, the savage brother, and he looks the role."