The Ace of Hearts (1921) watch online HD

Although I've seen the standard Lon Chaney horror classics in the past--such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925)--I haven't seen them for a while. This is the first of Chaney's less currently popular films that I've seen. I was very impressed. Although it wasn't just Chaney, but everything about The Ace of Hearts that "clicked" for me on this viewing.

Despite the conventional wisdom, I think The Ace of Hearts works marvelously if you don't have the background information on the story. I think that was part of my attraction to it--it's presented as something of a mystery. As shown on screen, the film concerns some kind of very solemn secret society who have decided that a particular individual is a "Man Who Has Lived Too Long".

We learn that some members of the secret society have been interacting with him--one, Mr. Forrest (John Bowers), has regularly served as his waiter for breakfast for a number of years. "The Man Who Has Lived Too Long" has been going to the same restaurant at 9:00 a.m. every day. Another, Mr. Farallone (Chaney), has been painting "The Man Who Has Lived Too Long's" portrait. We learn the procedure for the secret society's carrying out of their death sentences, which involves the executioner being "randomly" chosen by receiving the Ace of Hearts. The executioner is chosen, and he's given the tools he needs for the job as a plan is settled on. All that's left is to carry out the sentence. However, there's a snag when the executioner has second thoughts, and The Ace of Hearts becomes something of a twisted parable about morality.

As presented in the film, we never learn very much about who the main characters are, who their villain is, and so on. The story stays extremely focused on the plot, which is deceptively simple. There are only two aspects--the machinations of the secret society planning and attempting to carry out the death sentence and a love triangle between Mr. Forrest, Mr. Farallone and Lilith (Leatrice Joy), the only female member of the secret society.

Without knowing the background information that fueled the film, The Ace of Hearts is a taut, metaphorical work about "the power of love". Early in the film, one member of the secret society expresses relief that he wasn't chosen as the executioner because he has a wife and kids at home--there is a chance that the executioner may come to harm while carrying out the sentence. The eventual kink in the plan arises because of love, through an ironic plot development that was initially to give the executioner strength, or added resolve, but that ended up undermining the operation. And the final resolution of the film arises through love and a realization that the final course of action is the right one ethically.

Chaney is amazing in his ability to convey complex emotions and thought without the aid of sound. Apparently, his abilities developed partially out of the fact that his parents were deaf, and he learned how to communicate with and even entertain his ailing mother through gestures.

Wallace Worsley's direction is inventive. Goldwyn films were relatively low budget at the time, so costs were cut by keeping sets to a minimum, for instance. Worsley gets maximum mileage out of the few sets in the film. He uses a well-planned mix of economic shots to easily convey the plot. The few shots set "outside" are extremely effective, with the torrential rain and hurricane-force winds (both caused by technical limitations of the effects at the time) lending an appropriately gloomy atmosphere in crucial scenes. It's just too bad that there aren't very clean prints of the film floating around, or that spending time and money to clean them up wouldn't be justified financially.

Another big factor that helped me love this film is the DVD version I watched--Turner Classic Movies' "Archives" Lon Chaney Collection release. This features a new score by Vivek Maddala that is simply fantastic. It's even more incredible when we consider that this was Maddala's first score--he obtained the gig by winning a contest that TCM hosted. The score is beautiful and modern, with inventive harmonies. It always meshes exquisitely with the action, and goes far in helping to tell the story.

But what about that background information? Well, even though I don't think it's necessary to enjoy the film, it's interesting in its own right. The story, by Gouverneur Morris, was a response to the first "Red Scare" in the U.S., from 1917 to 1920. Although the roots were complex and associated with World War I, all one needs to know is that the Red Scare involved anti-communist ideology, connected to communist paranoia among the public.

Thus, the "secret society" in the film is supposed to be a Russian communist group (although they're often said to be intended as anarchists, but that's complicated, as well, as "anarchist" can mean very different political ideologies). Lon Chaney's character was originally named Rattavich, but the script was eventually generalized to avoid the more overt politicizations. Under this interpretation of the film, the "Man Who Has Lived Too Long" is a capitalist whom the communist secret society feels the need to assassinate--sometimes this is seen as something of a parallel to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria, which is said to be one of the causes of the first World War. This interpretation helps explain how a film that is mostly on the "wrong" side of the moral compass, or even nihilistic (until the ending), made it past the censors. Whatever the reasons, though, it's a refreshing, unusual and well-made film that gains bizarre, eerie universality through its ambiguity.

I think it's a mistake to compare silent movies in general to modern films. The medium is just plain different- subtlety isn't a strong point- kind of like vaudeville. This movie is a great little snippet of history. The story- about anarchists preparing to assassinate a "bad man" is very current for its time- only 3 years after WWI- caused by the assassination of a world figure by an anarchist. So, the message of the movie, that love trumps anarchy was current, and timely. Lon Chaney was a master of silent emoting- and yes, perhaps the acting seems stylized and mannered, but taken in context, it's a great deal of fun. It's also an interesting portrayal of a woman within a political movement- first as an ideologue detached from love and romance and then as a woman consumed by her passion and ready for her husband to abandon his principles to remain at her side. She's in some ways the villain of this piece- and in some ways the hero. Very nice shades of ethical grays.

...the plot isn't particularly strong to begin with; one has to have a good knowledge of the post-WW1 "Red Scare" to get out of it what the filmmakers intended, and even then it's not much to speak of. However, that actually works in an odd way, since it allows for this picture to be an example of how Lon Chaney's acting talents contributed to his movies. They truly carry the show here, especially the subtleties of his facial expressions. There's also a rare opportunity to see John Bowers, one of the stars of silent cinema whose career came to a screeching halt with the advent of talkies; the character of Norman Maine in the first two Hollywood productions of A STAR IS BORN was in part based on Bowers. It's also interesting to see the original Goldwyn Pictures logo at the beginning of the picture, before the design was only slightly adapted for use by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer three years later...

At noon on 16 September 1920 the United States suffered the most destructive act of terrorism yet committed on American soil when a bomb believed to have been planted by Italian anarchists exploded on Wall Street, killing 30 people outright and injuring hundreds of others. Already in cinemas, Wallace Worsley's 'The Penalty' (1920), had recently starred Lon Chaney as the head of a gang of anarchists plotting a spectacular robbery; and a year later the director and star released a similarly themed follow-up based upon another novel by Gouverneur Morris.

Obviously a pot-boiler compared to 'The Penalty' (but like its predecessor handsomely shot by Donovan Short), Chaney has top billing but a very secondary role as a member of a secret society who resemble the anarchists in Conrad's 'The Secret Agent' (1907), the conspirators in Thorold Dickinson's 'Secret People' (1952) and the vigilante judges in Peter Hyams' 'The Star Chamber' (1983). They decide to rid society of a vile plutocrat (Raymond Hatton, called "The Menace" in the cast list but referred to throughout the film as "The Man Who Has Lived Too Long") by cutting cards to choose the assassin. This scheme is complicated by an extremely uninteresting love triangle comprising Farallone (Chaney), Forrest (John Bowers) and the intriguingly named Lilith (Leatrice Joy); the last being the brotherhood's only sister, a prig whose infatuation with "the Cause" means she has zero interest in romantic matters.

Although selected on the basis of cutting cards (an obvious nod to Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Suicide Club'), Forrest should have been the obvious candidate to carry out the assassination in the first place; since for the past three months he's been working as a waiter in the restaurant where The Menace has breakfast every morning at 9.00, and thus perfectly placed to shoot him in the head at point blank range. Instead their chosen method of execution takes the form of an entirely indiscriminate act of terror employing a bomb capable of destroying an entire building; which it should already have been obvious to Forrest and his associates would mean that The Menace would not be the only casualty (like the little Kenyan girl in 'Eye in the Sky'). Sure enough, when it finally dawns upon Forrest that there will be collateral damage the entire operation is compromised.

The bomb itself looks like a cigarette case and neatly fits into a jacket pocket: yet another example of movie technology far in advance of anything available in real life. The Wall Street bomb itself had had to be brought to the site where it exploded on a horse-drawn wagon.

The Lon Chaney silent suspense thriller "Ace of Hearts" ranks as one of the great thespian's less compelling films. First, he doesn't conceal himself beneath layers of make-up. He is basically Lon Chaney with long hair. Second, the action is appallingly dreary without a hint of humor.

A secret society has decided at one of their clandestine meetings that an individual who had opportunities to change the world but did not must now die. They plan to blow him up with a powerful but small explosive device that looks rather benign. The Lon Chaney character Mr. Farallone is a member of this august body of men that has as one of its members a beautiful young lady. Lilith has dedicated herself to the society or what the members refer to as 'the Cause.' After the group agrees that the man should die, they hold another meeting when Lilith (Leatrice Joy) deals from a deck of playing cards to determine who will kill the man. The individual who receives the ace of hearts will serve as the executioner. Lilith deals the ace of hearts to the man who has been trying to romance her, Mr. Forrest (John Bowers), and he values the opportunity to carry out the execution. Of course, Farallone is disappointed that he did not receive the card. Lilith and Forrest get married and spend a night together before he goes off to carry out his orders. Forrest works as a waiter at the restaurant that the man who has lived too long usually enjoys his breakfast.

A problem arises for Forrest because a young married couple end up sitting at a nearby table, and Forrest doesn't want to destroy their lives when he blows his target to smithereens. Forrest returns to the group of older men and Lilith and explains that he refused to blow up the target because of the young couple. The group dismisses Forrest and his wife. They are determined to punish Forrest for his failure to obey orders. They have a similar drawing to the earlier one and Farallone receives the infamous ace of hearts. Instead of blowing up Forrest and his wife, Farallone detonates the bomb in the room with the conspirators and they are all blasted to bits. Lilith and Forrest are getting off a train when they hear the newsboy hawking his papers and buy one to read about the explosion. "The Ace of Hearts" was another in a long line of Chaney pictures where he sacrificed himself for the love of a woman. Here, he sacrifices himself so that Lilith and Forrest can live.

"The Ace of Hearts" occurs in drab rooms with groups of older men discussing what will happen in the story. Although this movie made a little money, the critics bestowed more praise on it than audiences. Clocking in at 75 minutes, "The Ace of Hearts" appropriates the paranoia communism had bred with the Red Scare in America in 1919 to 1921. The Ruth Wightman screenplay never identifies the murderous brotherhood nor the man that the brotherhood means to kill. The narrative is painfully generic and neither the Cause nor the capitalist (Raymond Hatton) that they intend to eliminate are fleshed out in any detail.

Like most of Lon Chaney's films, this one is weird--a definite plus. However, the film overall isn't very good thanks to some spotty writing and it's a shame, as I adore his films...just not this one. And it's really a shame, as the basic premise is really, really cool.

The film begins with a group calling itself The Brotherhood having a secret meeting. Apparently, this self-appointed group decided that it's their job to destroy evil by killing evil people--presumably rich folks who abuse their power. I like this concept but often have found such films always take the stance that such an organization is evil (such as in "The Star Chamber") and it wasn't surprising that eventually this becomes apparent. But in the meantime, they are discussing a particular man that two of the group have been following and observing. John Bowers and Lon Chaney are these two agents and both adamantly feel the man must die--and both feel completely justified to do this. Oddly, you never really hear about what this intended victim has done to merit this.

It just so happens that both these men are in love with the lone female in this small group--Latrice Joy. However, she is so devoted to the cause that she rebuffs both their advances. But, out of the blue, when Bowers is chosen to kill the target, Joy agrees to marry him and spend one night together, as presumably Bowers will either die or be caught by police after he assassinates the man. In a very touching scene, you see the other suitor, Chaney, standing in the rain all night long as the couple spend their wedding night. You have to see it--it was very well done.

Now up until this point, I really, really liked the film. Sadly, however, when the couple awoke the next day, the plot started to fall apart and made little sense at times. First, Bowers suddenly has second-thoughts about committing the assassination--something never even hinted at before in the film. Worse, however, is Joy's sudden announcement that she cannot let Bowers kill the man (!?!?!) and that they should run off together as she now adores him!! Was Bowers THAT remarkable in bed or was this just a case of bad writing?! I think it was the latter, as remember, she was SO devoted to this holy cause that only the day before she refused to even date Bowers or Chaney!! Why the sudden switch? It made no sense at all and frustrated me to no end. Fortunately, at least the last portion of the film (reminiscent, in a way, of the sacrifice made in "A Tale of Two Cities") was very good and the film ended with a bang (in more ways than one).

The bottom line is that there were major portions of the film that were wonderful and smaller portions that completely undid the good in the rest of the film. In addition, while I am a huge Chaney fan, this is not one of his best performances, as occasionally he over-gestured and his character occasionally lacked sublety (though at other times, such as in the rain, he was wonderful). Worth seeing if you are a Chaney nut (like myself), otherwise try to see one of his better films such as "The Unknown" or "Phantom of the Opera".

"The Ace of Hearts" is essentially another variation of the eternal triangle. As was usually the case Lon Chaney doesn't get the girl.

The plot involves a secret society referred to as "The Cause", a vigilante group of seven men and one woman who decide to rid the world of people who were in a position to do some good in the world but did not for their own selfish reasons. The group led by Mr. Morgridge (Hardee Kirkland) has chosen its next victim. The group is then dealt cards until one of them is dealt the ace of hearts. The holder of the ace of hearts is then given "the honor" of carrying out the execution.

Within the group are Mr. Farallone (Lon Chaney), Lilith (Leatrice Joy) and Mr. Forrest (John Bowers). Forrest draws the fateful ace of hearts and eagerly looks forward to the task at hand. Lilith was absent from the meeting so Farallone and Forrest, who are both in love with her, go to see her and tell her the news. She rejects Farallone's advances, but agrees to marry Forrest if as she says, that will provide him with the courage he needs.

The couple marry and return to Lilith's apartment for their wedding night. Broken hearted lover Farallone greets them to ensure that they did in fact get married. Later as the couple retires and turn out the lights, we see the pathetic Farallone standing in a driving rain lamenting his lost love. This scene alone makes the movie worthwhile. Chaney could show such emotion facially that one cannot help but feel pity for the distraught lover. This was a method Chaney would repeat in many of his other films as well.

When it comes time to murder "The man who has lived too long" (Raymond Hatton), Forrest, having succumbed to the tender love of Lilith, sees the error of the plot and backs down. Later, the committee condemns Forrest to death for his failure to carry out his assignment. But Farallone sees a way to give the couple their freedom.

Chaney plays what amounts to a supporting role here as the story centers more on the Forrest and Lilith characters, but as I pointed out, Chaney steals the film with that aforementioned scene in the rain. Raymond Hatton by the way, went on to a lengthy career in "B" westerns in the 30s and 40s usually playing the crusty old sidekick.

Vintage Chaney.

In October 2000 Turner Classic Movies aired for the first time on television The Ace of Hearts. Although this may not be Lon's most famous movie it is still a good one. The movie is about a secret society who seek to rid the world of wealthy capitalist. The member who draws the ace of hearts gets to kill the capitalist. This is also a love story. Lon loves this girl who loves someone else. The girl loves the man who is going to kill the capitalist but love changes their attitude about the whole thing. The society kills it's members who betray them. Will Lon save the girl he loves? Will the capitalist be murdered? This movie now has a new music score! My hat off to TCM for airing the movie and for making the music score possible. The print is in very good shape. It's very scratchy in places but all in all very clear. What do we expect for a movie 80 years old. TCM probably used the best, if not the only, print in existance. TCM should be showing the movie soon and often from now on. The Ace of Hearts is a must for Chaney fans.

A group of extremists plan to eliminate a man they deem dangerous via bomb. In order to decide who will carry out the assassination, every member draws from a deck of cards until the Ace of Hearts is pulled-- the one who draws this card is chosen. Among the group's members are Farralone (Lon Chaney) and Forrest (John Bowers), who both compete for the affections of the sole female member, Lilith (Leatrice Joy), but she rejects them, as she lives for nothing but "the Cause". Things get complicated, however, when Forrest draws the ace of hearts. Impressed by this, Lilith agrees to marry him as he and the Cause have become "one and inseparable", breaking Farralone's heart. It gets even worse when the newlyweds realize they cannot go through with the murderous deed now that they have love. When Lilith comes to him for help, Farralone has to decide whether or not he's willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the happiness of the woman he loves.

The Ace of Hearts is a decent drama: the atmosphere is great and there are several suspenseful moments which keep the viewer interested. Lon Chaney is excellent as usual; his performance feels the most alive, as he characterizes the role through little gestures. His part is the most realized, making the other 2/3 of the love triangle seem pale in comparison. Bowers and Joy don't lend much personality to their roles, but they do a competent job with the material they're given. The acting is broad at times; even Chaney gets hammy once in a while, beating his breast in anguish after his rival and Joy run off to get married.

The "power of love" theme in the film falls a bit flat, in my opinion, due to the underdeveloped characters of Forrest and Lilith. Before their wedding night, they are enthusiastic about the Cause and Lilith exclaims how much of a hero Forrest will be after he carries out the murder. Then, the next morning, the two find that they are in love and because of this they can no longer commit such cruelty. I'll cut the story some slack due to its allegorical nature, but the way this is executed feels contrived, which takes away quite a bit from the movie.

Other than that, The Ace of Hearts is an okay film. While this major flaw is distracting, Chaney's performance and the atmosphere make it worth at least one viewing.

Lon Chaney belongs to some middleclass terrorist group that assassinates rich guys. He loves the lone woman in the secret society, but she love another. The plot had to be dumb even in 1921 and Chaney's overacting had to be too much even in those days.

Still, the silent film technique reminds one just how much time is wasted today on mindless dialogue. The film moves quickly and its moody visuals almost makes up for the silly story. When Chaney isn't pounding his chest, his face tells exactly enough.

"The Ace of Hearts" is a fascinating curiosity piece, and it has an excellent and evocative new symphonic score commissioned by Turner Classic Movies. Many thanks to TCM for its preservation and enhancement of our silent film heritage.

This tense, interesting drama features a story full of suspense and a typically fine performance by Lon Chaney. The combination of an assassination plot with a romantic rivalry is hardly unique, but it works particularly well in this setting, and it is used to bring out a number of ideas with significance that go beyond the events themselves. Although set in its own era and to some degree connected with political concerns of the early 1920s, it probably works even better when it is removed from the historical context, since this allows the plot to work on a higher level.

It starts with a secret society planning the death of a powerful man who in some undefined way poses a menace to society. It's both interesting and effective that the particular offenses of 'the man who has lived too long' are never detailed. Thus, instead of focusing a debate on whether or not the specific things he has done ought to be punished, the questions become broader: whether it is right to use violence to punish a dangerous or evil person outside of the law, and whether it would ever be right to harm innocent persons in the process. These kinds of questions are at least as important now as they were at the time, and the movie provides a worthwhile perspective.

Chaney's character here has little of the make-up and disguises for which Chaney was well- known, so that his considerable acting talents do the work instead. His character is at the same time a broken-hearted suitor and a vengeful member of the radical group, often with conflicting motives, which gives Chaney lots of material to work with.

The first part sets up the story in a careful and intriguing way. The middle part moves more slowly, and focuses most of the attention on the radical couple played by Leatrice Joy and John Bowers. Both are adequate, but their scenes together sometimes lack intensity, and even in limited screen time Chaney still has the stronger presence during this stretch. The couple's agonized soul-searching then sets up some very tense moments in the last part of the movie.

An anarchist group holds their clandestine meetings to discuss the elimination of people in high power who are deemed wasting their prestige and power. The group decides on a "Man Who Has Lived Too Long" who should be eliminated and deal the cards until the Ace of Hearts determines who is to be the assassin. Forrest receives the card and is proud of it, one reason is that it impresses Lilith, a fellow member of the group to the point of the two marrying to test their bravery. The marriage saddens Farallone who was hoping to draw the ace to impress Lillith. After the first night of marriage (and the eve of Forrest carrying out his assignment), Lilith fears that their love will give Forrest a change of heart, but he says he will fulfill his duty. The next day while Forrest is in preparation of his duty, Lilith runs to Farallone to plead to save Forrest if anything happens to him, even though he tries to force his love upon her in case of Forrest's death. An OK film that just can't seem to escape the melodrama stigma that prevails throughout which sometimes smothers the suspense that the film should be portraying. The acting is somewhat bland, even by Chaney who just does not seem to be wanting to give his all. Worsley's directing seems to be going in all different directions of melodrama, romance, and suspense (which does look good at times), but can't maintain stability. The restored version by TCM has a very good score by Madala. Rating, 4.

Lon Chaney and John Bowers both love Leatrice Joy. They are members of a secret organization modeled on anarchist groups of the day that kills people it thinks the world would be better off without. Leatrice Joy is more interested in the (unspecified) Cause, but when John Bowers is picked to bomb the latest victim, she agrees to marry him. Lon Chaney agrees to help John Bowers and John Bowers flee the organization if Bowers survives the operation, but only if she will marry Chaney if Bowers gets killed. If you really care, you will have to see the movie for the Hollywood ending.

A rare chance to see Lon Chaney's face without much makeup.

Suddenly, we find ourselves watching a meeting of a secret brotherhood of assassins who decide who has lived too long and then go ahead and kill him. There is no explanation of the background to the brotherhood and no detail as to what the man they intend to kill has done to make him fit only for death, but from a well placed headline part way through the tale, we realise that the action takes place during the great "red scare" of the post Russian revolution days. Leatrice Joy, later seen in "Manslaughter" is not at all like the sex symbol we usually see her as: possibly the heavy Edwardian fashions of long skirts and masses of hair are not flattering but overall the film shows us an accurate picture of the pre-jazz age era. Chaney once again plays the loser in a love triangle. Apart from longish hair, his make up is straight, but his acting is not: the style, here, of his mannerisms, gestures and facial expressions are more Phantom of the Opera than this story calls for. Chaney is capable of greater subtlety. Sadly, my copy, though visually good, has a terrible score. I accept that we should be thankful that such early films have survived at all, but if a decent musical accompaniment cannot be provided, then please don't bother! In this case I just turned the sound off! "The Ace of Hearts" was shown at the Imperial Hall, Walsall in the week after they showed "Heart of a Wolf", which demonstrates the popularity of Chaney's films. In short, a curious and interesting film.

Lon Chaney is dealt the wrong card in Wallace Worsley's Ace of Hearts,an Anti-Red thriller written by Govuenor Morris who scripted the brilliant film 'The Penalty'. It's tough to really say what is wrong with Ace of Hearts other than the fact it has interesting set-ups but doesn't go through with them. The movie screams it's subject matter of the Red scare to the viewers but this society never lets it's plans be known to the audience. The pieces are there and we are able to put a loose version of their grand scheme together in our mind but it just doesn't work. I wanted to know what these people were up to and why Chaney, John Bowers, and Leatrice Joy believed in this cause. It is kind of a let down to see these characters as stereotypical looking Communists with unkempt goatees. Chaney's character Farallone is one of the most poorly developed he ever played. I imagine that on the shooting script there was next to nothing written in terms of character description. With a few rewrites the picture could have eliminated him entirely and just had Bowers but Lon is able to make this character interesting and compelling and that is a testament to his great skill.

There are no small parts, just small actors. Lon Chaney was as large as they come. Farallone is given depth which he really doesn't deserve. Chaney plays him as a desperately lonely man trying to fill his life with this cause and who wants to win the love of Leatrice Joy's character Lilith. He could have been a stern and unwelcoming but Chaney doesn't play him as that. He is hopelessly shy and can never love but from a far. Unrequited love is the glue that held Chaney's career together but each character who experienced it is never the same as the one before. Farallone is a tragic being and in looking at the picture even in this silly Anti-Red scenario he is very human.

Wallace Worsley offers fine direction to the picture. He is able to establish the mood of the secret meetings pitch perfectly and utilizes the camera to build tension in ways you all most don't expect from an early movie. I think he complimented Chaney quite well in the pictures they worked together on. The Penalty and Hunchback are obviously two of his finest works but Ace cannot be completely ignored. The scenes in the rain and where Farallone waits the night on the stairs with the dog are exceptional.

Again the thing that brings this movie down is the lack of information we get about this secret society. I realize that the studio was skating on thin ice with the sensors but they can't just give us a plot about a secret society and have undertones about the ways of ancestors without giving us the full picture. These characters have strong beliefs to this cause but we don't know what the cause is and thus the characters are somewhat weakened.

After all the years (well all my life, really) that I have spent being addicted to movies, the one category that I was not much interested in until recently is the most historic: silent films. I have always found them interesting in one way; because I am a "history geek," I found them fascinating as a sort of living record of say, how Los Angeles looked back then, watching actual people from 1917, and so forth, but as far as sitting through most of them, especially the feature length ones, I wasn't really interested. The combination of them being of another time, for another audience, very few have survived, and so on---I just didn't spend much time with them.

But recently this changed--I read two books by Scott Eyman, "Lion Of Hollywood," about L.B. Mayer, and "Empire Of Dreams," about Cecil B. Demille. These books made me very interested in viewing some of these films, but my first problem is, of course, most of the silent films discussed in film histories have not survived, and, secondly, for those that are still available, what is the best source? For most people with a casual interest in the material, that would be Turner Classic Movies. TCM shows silent films fairly regularly, for part of the season they show them on Sunday nights, and when they feature a certain star, they might run all day, as in the case of Lon Chaney recently. This is invaluable for people like me, with a casual interest; I think most people have seen The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and Phantom of The Opera, (I have), but few of this generation have seen films such as The Unholy Three, Tell It To The Marines, Laugh Clown Laugh, and the one that I have spent all this time bloviating to get to: The Ace of Hearts.

The Ace of Hearts is about a "secret society" or "dark brotherhood" (with one sister, though), i.e. a group of assassins, that have decided a "certain man" has "lived too long." They discuss how he has become more greedy arrogant, etc. The story is, evidently, deliberately generic, but I would suppose that you could interpret the group as being communists, the "man who has lived too long," capitalism, the group as an anarchist, the "man" as the U.S. President, and so on and so forth, but the story is laid out as, the group decides that this man, whoever or whatever he is, should die, and one of them will be the one to kill him.

The way this is decided, by the society's rules is, a deck of cards is shuffled, and a card dealt to each person in turn, whomever gets the ace of hearts, will be the assassin; this person will be provided with the general plan and anything needed to carry out the execution. One complication is, Mr Forrest, who is chosen, and Mr. Farrallone, (Chaney), are both in love with Lilith, the only female in the society. That's one level where the film is interesting--if it weren't for that part of the story, there probably would not be a female involved. Secondly, this is one of only two films that I know of, where Chaney appears with his true face, i.e. no layers of makeup as usual. His hair is sort of long, that's all. The only other film that I am aware of where you see his "true face" is Tell It To The Marines.

So now, the action is set in motion. The method of execution is chosen, and Mr. Forrest has his appointed task. But of course complications ensue, (I won't detail those), and a relief assassin has to step in for Mr Forrest (guess who)? The Society is not happy. I will leave the ending for you to discover since I am assuming you have not seen the film and I have told you plenty, already.

Finally I am fascinated by how Lon Chaney was able to convey such emotion in films that had no spoken dialog. Many silent stars could, because they began as stage actors, but he could do it to an entirely different level. Many believe he would have been a huge star in sound films also, but unfortunately he passed away in 1930, just as sound films were beginning. I am very interested to see "The Unholy Three" sound version, as I have never heard him speak.

If you have not seen many feature length silent films this is an excellent one to start with.

8/10.

Although the plot is definitely one of its weaker points, it is nevertheless an entertaining and well done movie. Turner Classic Movies has recently re-mastered, restored and re-scored the film and it is quite an impressive effort. The political basis of the plot is rather hard to believe, but the love triangle is quite touching. Lon Chaney's character is very convincing, if a bit over the top (which can be quite common in silent pictures.) Leatrice Joy and John Bowers are also quite good as the lovers who second guess their original political beliefs.

An anarchist group decides that one man has lived too long. His executioner will be determined by chance. One of the group deals out cards to the rest. The one who gets the ace of hearts becomes the assassin. Two young men (Lon Chaney and John Bowers) desperately want that card. They are both courting the sole female member (Leatrice Joy), who thinks of nothing but The Cause. When Fate deals her own hand, one of the suitors (Chaney) must determine if he really loves the girl—or merely wants to possess her.

The themes of love, honor, unrequited love and self-sacrifice pervade this fine suspense thriller. The script, written by Ruth Wightman from a story by Gouverneur Morris, and directed by Wallace Worsley, is extraordinarily deft at creating and maintaining suspense. All the details—what we see and don't see; what we are told about this anarchist group and what we're left to guess; and the moment when a certain character is at last introduced—are well chosen. The film only loses its footing briefly during the fatuous intertitles near the end ("Love is construction!").

Lon Chaney is a great actor, but that doesn't mean he's perfect. He has a great face and a way of compelling our attention and sympathies. I think his main defect is best demonstrated by the scene where Lilith shows up at the door, and he expresses shock. He was clearly expecting this "shock." Lon Chaney is not always what actors call "living in the moment"—feeling things as the character feels them without anticipating the next line in the script. His ability to concentrate on his performance is said to have been intense; but he doesn't always live with his character moment by moment. The trouble is not his era's acting style. Even though people have knocked silent movie acting since the days of silent movies, the exaggerated expressions and gestures are really very powerful. So they are with Chaney.

This excellent silent film was given an enormous boost in 2000 when Vivek Maddala won a competition and was hired to write the score, a job he performed beautifully. My high rating applies to the 2000 version of this film.

THE ACE OF HEARTS is a strange, haunting tale about a mysterious club devoted to the elimination of "the man who lived too long." LON CHANEY is a member of this group of assassins who are determined to end the life of someone they've decided to kill. All of their motivations are never fully explained.

The plot thickens when Chaney is not assigned the task, but the job is given to a man in love with LEATRICE JOY--as is Chaney. When the man cannot do the job, the club turns to him when he inadvertently chooses the Ace of Hearts and is expected to carry out the kill and thereby win the heart of Miss Joy. Strange indeed, as far as the plot goes. To tell more, would be to give away the twist ending.

There's a mysterious element throughout, due partly to the story itself and the masterful photography capturing dark and windy scenes in a way that adds to the suspense. But the acting is strictly from the silent era, which means nobody gives the sort of performance today's viewer would find natural.

Even Chaney is given to extreme posturing to portray a man frustrated in love and finding irony in the situation he finds himself in. He wears none of the extensive make-up usually associated with his parts, but it's not one of his most distinguished roles.

Fans of the famed actor should find it worth viewing.

This movie packs quite a punch. To an audience used to a lot of exposition, it might not be that pleasurable, but this movie is pretty good at getting right down and dirty into its story and leaving us asking for more.

Lon Chaney heads this brilliant fable about a man caught on the losing end of a love-triangle that exists within a secret society. In typical Lon Chaney fashion, this unrequited love threatens to tear his heart and soul apart, and tension mounts over who he may take with him. As the opposing suitor wins the favor of the girl AND the call to do the secret society's dire bidding, the antiheroic protagonist has to figure out how to win the affections of the worried young woman who is anxious over her lover's dangerous mission.

This movie never really quite tells what the secret society is, or why they want to kill "The Man Who Has Lived Too Long," but it's strong visualizations of the love-triangle are very foreboding and lovely, and overhead shots of the table as they pass out the cards searching for "The Ace of Hearts" is both thrillingly suspenseful and a good symbol of objective justice. Even a scene that would seem unnecessary involving a dog shows a lot about the characters and their deeper motivations.

Lon Chaney is one of my favorite actors of all time, and while his pantomime may seem overdone today, he always does it with a lot of understanding and pity for his tragic characters. This acting job is no different, as we share with him his loneliness, his depression, and his climactic hysteria. Modern-day actors could stand to learn a lot from him, and modern-day directors could stand to sheer down the expository dialog and tell their stories to such an effect as this movie.

--PolarisDiB

I had no idea at all what this movie was about when I sat down to watch it, and that can often benefit some films. This was certainly the case here, as it was suspenseful and mysterious from start to finish, and once again I am thinking I have often been too dismissive of silent movies and the power they have by conveying their emotion through visual gestures over sounds. More often than not it turns out that I am satisfied by most silent pictures and award them at least three of four stars, or else maybe I'm just getting lucky and am spinning only the more notable ones. Either way, I was dying to know what would happen next in ACE OF HEARTS and how the story would play out.

Lon Chaney is one of several members of a secretive organization who meet privately to decide which person among them will be the one to murder "the man who has lived too long". We don't know who that marked individual may be or why he has been targeted; all we see is that the method in deciding which man gets to kill is by having each draw a playing card, and whoever turns up the Ace of Hearts is assigned the task. The lone female participant (Leatrice Joy) seems to live strongly for The Cause, and Chaney and fellow member John Bowers both love her and eagerly hope they are chosen. As was the common ingredient in many a Chaney feature, Lon is a victim of unrequited love, and there are some touching moments here of his heartache. Chaney is very strong in the movie, though it doesn't seem to be exclusively his picture alone this time, and there are reasons to enjoy it other than just to watch his performance.

The outcome of the story cannot be told, but as I said it gripped me from the beginning. As an added example of how intriguing the film was, my wife had been out and arrived home for the last scene. She asked me the name of the movie and then when I decided to re-watch the entire thing again with the audio commentary by Chaney Historian Michael F. Blake, I was astonished that my wife sat through the entire film with me the second time. This is something she seldom does these days for one of my personal DVDs ... let alone a 1921 silent! ***1/2 out of ****

*****************************If louis b. mayer is the man who lived too long. ************ He was a horrible person who made the world worse. *********************************

Another disappointment I'd like to discuss is The Ace of Hearts (1921).

When Uncle Carl asked Lon Chaney to recommend a director for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he asked for Frank Borzage. Instead, Laemmle hired Wallace Worsley, who had guided Chaney through four previous pictures, including this little effort about a group of anarchists plotting to blow up an enemy of society when he lunches at a New York restaurant.

Although third-billed to the fakey Leatrice Joy and the extremely competent John Bowers, Lon Chaney was allowed to run riot and to absolutely dominate just about all of the slow-moving and thoroughly predictable - indeed heavy-handed - scenes.

Occasionally, the movie does present a bit of visual appeal and admittedly it doesn't run too long.

And at least the TCM DVD has been produced from a well-worn but first generation 35mm print. That is always welcome!

THE ACE OF HEARTS (1921) deals with a secret society that plots to eliminate a wealthy industrialist. Three of the members of the group are involved in a love triangle. When one of the men is chosen to perform the assassination, the woman (who originally would not consider a romance) marries him, but then they begin to have second thoughts about their task, with significant consequences for all involved. Directed by Wallace Worsley.

SCRIPT: THE ACE OF HEARTS is quite interesting in that it takes us into the secret world of a vigilante group and makes its members into the main characters rather than the villains. The story is told in several chapters, and each part is concise and focused, without unnecessary details (although the part where Lon Chaney's character waits outside the couple's apartment is a bit too long). There are occasional touches of humor (a bit with a dog, a member's remark about his family) that help to lighten the mood as needed. The movie could have done with a few less title cards in the beginning. Later on, it tells the story visually in a more effective manner. SCORE: 8/10

ACTING: Lon Chaney gives a strong performance as Farallone, an experienced member of the society who forms part of the love triangle. Chaney is usually known for his portrayals of grotesque characters like the Phantom of the Opera. However, he had more conventional roles as well, which showcased his extraordinary abilities. Chaney's performance is commanding, while at the same time allowing us to empathize for Farallone's plight. John Bowers portrays Forrest, a younger man, who is affable and friendly (he is somewhat reminiscent of Richard Barthelmess) and he is effective as well. Leatrice Joy, who was the star of many Cecil B DeMille movies at this time, portrays the central point in the triangle, Lilith, effectively as an attractive yet stern woman who at first denies herself romance for the cause, but then changes into a warmer person once love comes into her heart. Good work by all involved. SCORE: 8/10

CINEMATOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION: Don Short served as the cinematographer on this film. The movie has some striking overhead shots and effective chiaroscuro lighting. The scenes with rain are very moody. One detail I liked was how the title screen, instead of merely saying "THE ACE OF HEARTS", showed the actual ace of hearts card from the deck. Iris shots are also used. The sets are appropriately dark and somber at times, to show the nature of the secret society. In contrast, the restaurant scenes are bright and airy, and quite well composed to show the massive size of the interior. Very well done. SCORE: 8/10

SUMMARY: THE ACE OF HEARTS is something of a forgotten gem from the silent era. The story is different and quite involving, the acting is very good and the production of the film gives considerable visual interest. SCORE: 8/10

This very moody and atmospheric thriller about a secret society was directed by Wallace Worsley and written by Gouverneur Morris, who were both responsible for Lon Chaney's chilling movie "The Penalty" (1920). The evocative and eerie music (by Vivek Maddala, so much more appropriate than his score for "The Patsy") gets you into the mood instantly as a secret society meet on a windy, rainy night to plot the murder of "one who has lived too long". Even in the depths of all this seriousness there is a romantic triangle going on as Mr. Forrest (John Bowers) and Mr. Farallone (Lon Chaney) both fall in love with the elusive Lilith (Leatrice Joy) who is wedded to "the Cause"!!!

After the gruelling role of "Blizzard" in "The Penalty", this role of the lovelorn Mr. Farallone must have seemed like a walk in the park to Chaney but such is the power of his acting that with a few emotive expressions he was still able to give a gripping performance. When the cards are dealt, the Ace of Hearts, the card of death, goes to Mr. Forrest and he is elated that he has been chosen to eliminate "the Menace" (Raymond Hatton). Lilith then announces that she will marry him if that will inspire him further but after a night of love she is a changed woman and begs Forrest to run away with her. He is supposed to go to his waiters job and leave a timed bomb at the seat where "the Menace" has his breakfast every morning at nine o'clock. But things don't go to plan and when he sees a pair of run away lovers (Cullen Landis is one) sitting at a nearby table he cannot go through with it. That means he, himself, is under sentence of death but meanwhile Lilith has extracted a promise from the lovesick Farallone that if something goes wrong he will help them. In an unexpected twist Farallone (which proves Chaney didn't give up all his intensity) makes Lilith promise that if Forrest doesn't return she will, in turn, marry him. But Farallone has an ace up his sleeve that paves the way for the newly wed's happiness.

Chaney's intensity toward the end made me wonder if the movie was meant to be far longer than it's 75 minutes. It originally had a far different ending, much more exciting in my opinion. Lilith and Forrest are finally tracked down to their mountain haven by Morgridge, the Society leader, who, in the original ending had picked the Ace of Hearts as the one to hunt down and kill Forrest. He survives the bomb blast but when he sees the happy family (there is now a baby) he also renounces "the Cause" with a view that love conquers everything. When Samuel Goldwyn saw it, he declared it preposterous and ordered a new ending!!!

It was this movie that bought Leatrice Joy (soon to be Mrs. John Gilbert) to the attention of Cecil B. DeMille and the next year she would shoot to fame in "Saturday Night" - he intended to do for her as he had done for Gloria Swanson. John Bowers was married to Marguerite De La Motte and his main claim to fame is that his life and death were the inspiration for the Norman Maine character of "A Star is Born", although neither he nor his wife were as famous as the two depicted in the movie.