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directed by Frank Borzage
USA 1925

 

Based on a play by Somerset Maugham, THE CIRCLE is a handsome film directed by Frank Borzage. The film opens in the 1890s as Lady Catherine is about to leave her husband (and son) and run off with her lover. The scene dissolves to 30 years later where young Elizabeth (pretty Eleanor Boardman) is facing the same decision: dull husband (Creighton Hale) or dashing lover (Malcolm McGregor). To make matters worse, Lady Catherine has been invited (along with husband) to visit!

As Boardman and company get ready for their guests we get several shots of Lady Catherine and husband motoring toward the country estate. The shots are from the back. So it's a slight shock when Lady Catherine breezes into the house and goes up to McGregor, thinking he's her son. Lady Catherine (superbly played by Eugenie Besserer) is seen to be a rather silly middle-aged dowager wearing too much makeup.

Excerpt of review from drednm for imdb.com located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 22 September 1925 (USA)

Reviews

DVD Review: Warner Home Video (Warner Archive Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!

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Distribution

Warner Home Video

Region 0 - NTSC

Runtime 1:05:38
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.95 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate

Audio Dolby Digital Stereo (Garth Neustadter)
Subtitles None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Warner Home Video

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• None

DVD Release Date: November 6th, 2012
Keep Case

Chapters 7

 

Comments

The Circle is a charming silent comedy based on a play by Somerset Maugham and directed by Frank Borzage for MGM before he moved to FOX. Eleanor Boardman is a young wife who has to choose between her husband Arnold Cheney (Creighton Hale) or her lover (Malcolm McGregor). Eugenie Besserer steals the movie as Arnold's mother Lady Catherine who once made the same decision favoring her lover. The younger version of Lady Catherine is played by 20-year-old Joan Crawford.

The transfer on the made-on-demand disc from Warner Archive shows its age, with many marks, specs and lines running throughout the feature. There are a few scenes that are too soft (capture 2), but those are seen not often. The film features a wonderful orchestral score by Garth Neustadter in stereo. Considering the age of the film and how much it would cost for a proper restoration (especially since the original materials no longer exist), this is a very nice presentation that we can recommend to any fan of silent cinema and Frank Borzage (Street Angel, Lucky Star, 7th Heaven).

  - Gregory Meshman

 


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DVD Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

 

Distribution

Warner Home Video

Region 0 - NTSC

 




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