Peter Pan (1924)

J.M. Barrie's play about the boy who refused to grow up has become a stage classic and a revival standard, but in the movies Disney's animated musical version remains the most famous incarnation. Nearly forgotten is the original 1924 live-action version, a lavish silent fantasy that captures the fairy tale magic of flying children, wicked pirates, and a wondrous storybook land where kids never grow up. Tomboyish Betty Bronson, with an innocent smile and a mischievous spontaneity, is the eternally adolescent boy while towering Ernest Torrence (the burly comic actor best known as Buster Keaton's gruff father in Steamboat Bill Jr.) plays a gleefully flamboyant Captain Hook. This faithful adaptation flies from the Darling nursery to the thick tangle of the Lost Boys' forest, where elaborate, cartoonishly exaggerated animal costumes wander the trails and a floating ball of fairy light reveals herself as a lovely, petite girl in a gossamer gown and glowing hair. A curious thread of American patriotism peaks in the pirate ship climax when the Lost Boys replace the Jolly Roger with the stars and stripes and fly the ship into the stars. Long thought lost, a beautiful 35mm print was recovered years ago and serves as the basis for this restoration. Anna May Wong costars as Princess Tiger Lily, and a fine new score by Philip C. Carli accompanies the film.

The DVD also features a 30-minute interview with costar Esther Ralston, an essay by film historian Frederick C. Szebin, and a treasure-trove of archival stills and promotion materials in a photo gallery. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

A Magical Journey

Peter Pan is a classic story that never gets old. Children love the idea of being able to fly to a wonderful place of fun and imagination, and adults love to go back to a time when they felt the same way.

As always, Peter Pan is played by a woman, this time she is Betty Bronson. Although hardly a recognizable name today, Bronson worked very hard to win the role over the top names of the day. Alongside her are actresses Esther Ralston as Mrs. Darling, Mary Brian as Wendy, and Anna Mae Wong as Tiger Lily. Ernest Torrence makes a great Captain Hook, though one might not expect him to.

The only strange thing about this film is that all of the animals are played by people in fuzzy suits. There is a dog, a crocodile, and wolves played by people. The special effects are pretty good; the flying children look good for the time period and Tinker Bell is done very well. However, sometimes it is obvious that people and objects are being pulled by strings, and there is a major error in the beginning. When Peter Pan is trying to stick his shadow back on, the light in the room casts a real shadow onto the floor.

All of these things aside, this is a really entertaining film. The sequences in Neverland seem very short because they are so fun, and the story really pulls at your heartstrings. The central theme of family is very prevalant. August 4, 2006

For the kid in all of us

The first thing you notice in the film is the credits. Among them is George Ali as Nana the dog. Then there is a reminder that this film is for the kid in all of us and that even the pirates are kids at heart.

As the scene opens up we see that this film is more of a stage play captured on film. Nana takes center stage and is so well portrayed that you have to remember it is a George in a fur suit. For people that do not know the story it is well played out and you find yourself actually anticipating the next sentence. For those that do know the story you are in for a few surprises. There are a few scenes of Neverland that look a tad like the California coast. The crocodile is cute.

Several things stand out in this film that you can not help but notice; among them are that it is Americanized to the point that when the pirate ship is taken the "Jolly Roger" is replaced with "Old Glory" instead of the "Union Jack". There seems to be lots of medicine handed out. And surprise, a brief request for audience (this means you) participation. Peter Pan traditionally is portrayed by a woman however Betty Bronson is a tad over developed for the part. Bronson is very convincing.

This is the story if a young lad that decides never to grow up. He is snooping around the Darling house and being spotted escapes with the exception of his shadow that got caught. On a return trip he convinces the Darling siblings to fly of to Neverland where they have many adventures with pirates, Indians and fairies. Will they also never grow up and what will the parents do?

All in all the film follows the story and you may find this to be one of if not your favorite version. May 28, 2004

Very accurate

I recently bought this movie because I'm a huge fan of Peter Pan and I was curious to see this 20s rendition of the lovely story. Though I wasn't expecting much, it was very accurate to the story. A very good movie, but I was a little disappointed at how they made the Darling children into patriotic Americans. Sure that would have been fine had they really been American..but no... Yeah the patriotism was borderline cheesy. But I guess we can't win all the time. If you can get past that, it's an amazing movie. Betty Bronson did a good job at the boy who never grows up, very cute. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes Peter Pan or old movies (or both for that matter). January 8, 2004

Silent Peter

Paramount's 1924 production was a major film in its day, an epic and a hit. Although James Barrie had written extensive screen treatments (totally new Peter Pan material now lost, apparently), for this film, none of it was used by the studio.
However, Barrie retained casting approval, even after a massive search for the woman to play Peter. Nevertheless, the creator's presence and imprimatur proved to be good fortune for the studio.

This 1999 dvd of a restoration of the film is important, although I believe it deserves a better overall presentation for us today. The story is an adaptation of the little fairy play we're all familiar with. Though stiffly directed by the temperamental Herbert Brenon, the story takes its own time and was filmed on a stage. The picture looks fine, and the orchestral score composed for this release shows affection for the material. The special effects are often simple, ingenious, and charming. However, it includes a real pirate ship in open water and mermaids on an island shore. George Ali's performance as Nana and the crocodile are almost worth the price of the disc; if you see it, you'll know what I mean. The special features of the disc, goodies we've all come to enjoy, are the bargain basement variety here. There is a fine essay on screen describing the film's background. But the feature of Esther Ralston's remembrances (she played Mrs. Darling) doesn't work on my disc. Selecting it stops the disc. Cold. The feature of production stills is adequate but incomplete. Perusing other books on the subject and the silent film era reveals many more production and publicity stills than are on the disc, including a theater lobby photo of Michael Darling (7 year old Philippe de Lacy) standing up bare in the bathtub while Nana, with cloth in paw,washes him. The adaptation also includes many of the traditional errors relating to Peter Pan, for example, Peter (Betty Bronson) crows like a rooster, but in the real story Peter doesn't do that, that is, his "crowing" means that he's bragging and strutting around; and it's not Never Never Land, it's the Neverland. At the end, after some patriotic American sloganeering, the Lost Boys fly off in the Jolly Roger and raise the Star and Stripes. The meeting between Peter and Wendy is described in the essay as "fey", and that's accurate. One of the things they got right was how unapproachable Peter is. Both Wendy and Tiger Lilly (played by Anna Mae Wong) want Peter as a husband. Well, boyfriend. All Peter wants is a mother.

There's always been a problem understanding Peter Pan. There've been Freudian and Jungian interpretations, such as, Hook is Peter's father and Peter represents the collective myth of eternal youth. I see Peter as representing the Green Man myth. Barrie, from Scotland, would've known this Celtic myth. The Green Man wears a mask of leaves, comes in the Spring, and often takes a consort, the Spring or Flower Maiden, back to the forest. Peter Pan wears only leaves, comes in the Spring, and takes Wendy to Neverland. The Green Man is a symbol of new or reborn life after Winter, and Peter states he is like the little bird just hatched. There is Spring in Neverland whenever Peter's in residence.

Peter has almost always been played by a woman in professional, commercial productions (there have been a few men who've done it). Even the famous statue in Kensington Gardens, which Barrie deplored because it doesn't "show the Devil in Peter", was modeled by a girl in a dress. There is a new film opening this December 25, based more on the novel, that has a young boy, 13 year old Jeremy Sumpter, in the role. A little revolution, now and then, is a good thing. Contrary to the publicity, though, he's not the first boy to play Peter Pan in a professional production. That would be the famous child star, Freddy Bartholomew, in a radio play in 1936. Given Bartholomew's precise, educated British treble, that show would've been charming to hear. It's a pity it is lost to the ether. Curiously, almost every major production has claimed to follow Barrie's intentions, but none, including this famous film from 1924, ever has. Like with productions of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, the grown ups or censors squash the fun or alter the characters. They can't help themselves. But I've read of people, including Walt Disney, who recalled seeing this film in 1924 and always had fond memories of it. It opened Christmas morning; just imagine what a treat for the children then!

Despite its flaws and the disc's faults, this is an important film of the silent era, and is fun to watch. I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the history of cinema or even Peter Pan.

I know Peter would love it; he loves any story about himself. September 5, 2003

Okay production of Peter Pan

Overall this was an okay version of Peter Pan. Betty Bronson showed she had charisma, although to me she is not the ultimate Peter Pan, (Mary Martin was, but then I haven't seen it since I was eight so...) I was disappointed mostly. I was looking forward to seeing Anna May Wong on screen and she was in the movie less than a minute. Also I didn't like the ending with the lost boys, that did not happen in the book. The real highlight of this movie was the man dressed in the dog suit, so adorable and yet so cheap. September 30, 2002

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