Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem is vividly brought to life by one of the silver screen's great beauties, Mexican actress Dolores del Rio. In the quiet Acadian village of Grand-Pre, Nova Scotia, lives the beautiful and beloved Evangeline. She is betrothed to Gabriel, but before they can marry, France and England declare war. The Acadians, bound by an allegiance to England but by ties of kinship to France, refuse to take up arms. As a result, they are forcefully deported and Evangeline must set sail for unknown lands, wander in the American wilderness, searching for her lost love.
Excellent DVD, a great treasure from our Mexican Diva Dolores Del Rio. This one of the earliest silent films and it so good to have it on DVD version for a Del Rio's fan. The sory is funny and dramatic at the same time.
September 13, 2008 |  | A beautiful cinematic experience |  |
Made during the pinnacle of artistic and elegant silent film production in 1929, "Evangeline" is a superb example of a high quality silent cinema which has taken its rightful place alongside other fine film classics over the century. The story itself is already a deeply moving experience, making the forced deportation of Acadians from Nova Scotia in the mid 1700s much more than just an historic event as it revolves around the life of Evangeline and her betrothed, Gabriel. The film opens with stunning scenery of the rugged north-east coastline, the quaint village and the likeable characters that live there, and of course, the deep, whole-souled love and commitment between Evangeline and Gabriel. But at the height of their bliss, a cruel military strike shatters all their lives, and the film becomes a gripping and heart-rending adventure as the lovers become separated and try to find each other in various parts of the United States. Emotions and suspense are often intensified by the original Vitaphone soundtrack to this film which includes a few sound effects and some lovely songs which were popular in the late 1920s. Unfortunately, the entire soundtrack has not been retrieved, and a standard but very good piano score fills the scenes which are missing the original soundtrack. Although it might seem a bit haphazard to have ten minutes of piano score, then ten minutes of original soundtrack and then piano again, the visual impact of "Evangeline" surely outweighs any disappointment over musical accompaniment. Fine acting, especially by legendary Mexican screen beauty, Dolores Del Rio, express all the intense emotions which make "Evangeline" such a vivid and unforgettable love story. Although there are no special features or bonuses on this DVD, the overall beauty and style of the film, along with perfect picture quality, already score a full five star rating, and this is a silent film any lover of good, classic cinema would appreciate.
September 3, 2007Evangeline is based on the Longfellow poem about starcrossed lovers; this makes it both romantic and artistic. Dolores del Rio is Evangeline and Roland Drew is her lover. The two plan to be married but are interrupted by a war that takes the villagers away to America. The chaos separates them and as soon as they get to America, it is all they can do to search desperately for each other. This is a sad film, but intensely emotional and beautifully done.
The photography is excellent. There are halos of light around the couples' heads. The makeup is wonderful; both people look amazing (not that they needed much help). The technology is very advanced despite this being a silent film. After all, it was made when the talkies were coming into the spotlight.
Milestone always does a great job with their releases, and this one is no exception. The price might be slightly high, but it is worth it for such a gem of a film.
June 20, 2007I purchased this silent with my heart set on seeing Miriam Cooper in the starring role. Upon its arrival, I immediately noticed the name "Dolores Del Rio" as the lead, and put it on the shelf. I'd heard of Del Rio, but my disappointment at not having Miriam Cooper as Evangeline over-rode my curiosity. Come to find out, the version of "Evangeline" that stars Miriam Cooper is considered "lost".
When I put aside my misgivings. and viewed the film, I was struck by the beauty of Dolores Del Rio, and the depth of her emotions. Her performance was quite extraordinary, and you could see that she'd thrown all of herself into playing Evangeline. Also, this dvd was constructed from the original 35mm prints, and boasts the original tints and musical score.
This is a wonderful rendition of "Evangeline" that bears witness to the dedication and artistry of little known directors and "foreign" actors. I recommend this movie to anyone who has a penchant for silent films at their best.
August 5, 2005'Evangeline' is to be greatly recommended in its own right, not just for being among the very last handful of silent films. It was rare, even in earlier silent days, to dare speak in such lushly melodramatic terms as director Carewe does here, and after this viewer's initial puzzlement, even periodic embarassment, I was completely won over by the sheer wilfulness of passion, the faith the characters have in undying love. The location scenes are, to put it mildly, spectacular, and the grandiose scenes showing off a cast of at least several hundreds impress even in this computer-generated age. The technical quality of Image Entertainment's edition is unsurpassed in visual brilliance, and I applaud the decision to mix between the original symphonic score and a modern piano transcription where the original music was missing.
What can I say? You need to be a romantic to appreciate this film, but if you are, you are in for an unforgettable treat.
May 3, 2003More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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