GamerTab That was an excellent one.

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

MissSimonetta Though The Sheik (1921) and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1920) are more iconic, and The Son of the Sheik (1926) seems to be the fan favorite, I believe The Eagle (1925) is Rudolph Valentino's finest performance and all-around film. It does nothing to revolutionize film nor is it what you would call "high art," but TE is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of Hollywood escapism with its strong characters, great action, and sparkling comedy set in an art deco re-imagining of the Russia of Catherine the Great.Valentino has a reputation for being a nostril-flaring lover, but I find more often than not, he was usually subdued in his approach, though his characters obviously possess a lot of passion. He's in fantastic form here, juggling roles as an action hero, lover, and light comedian. He might have been sexier in his final film, The Son of the Sheik, but here, he gets to show off a lot more of his comedic talent, which was woefully underused in many of his films. Valentino also gains the perfect leading lady in the spirited and beautiful Vilma Banky. The two make a sexy and incredibly adorable on screen pair, and they would be paired again in The Son of the Sheik. The standout among the supporting cast is Louise Dresser as Catherine the Great. She wrings out a lot of power and comedy in her unfortunately brief part.Clarence Brown is, of course, excellent in the director's chair. He and the cinematographer Georges Barnes bring a lot of artistic touches to this lightest of films. The two scenes which always stand out for me cinematically are the tracking shot across the dinner table and the bit right after the condemned Valentino marries Banky in his cell. The two are embracing in medium shot, and the hands of the prison guard off to take Valentino to his execution and the priest who married the lovers emerge from off-screen to gently pry them apart.If you've never seen a silent film, then TE is a good place to start. Its story is simple but with just enough depth of character to keep you interested and the comedy is smart, not dated in the least. For veteran silent film fans, this is essential.

Claudio Carvalho When the horses of a coach with two ladies speed after a shot, the Czarina Catherine II (Louise Dresser) sees the young Lieutenant Vladimir Dubrovsky (Rudolph Valentino) rescuing the ladies. She invites Dubrovsky to have dinner with her, but he is sexually harassed by the czarina and flees from the palace. He receives a letter from his father telling that he had been evicted from his lands by the corrupt Kyrilla Troekouroff (James Marcus). Meanwhile the czarina issues an arrest warrant authorizing the arrest of Dubrovsky dead or alive. Dubrovsky heads to his home town, but his father dies and he promises revenge against Kyrilla. He wears a mask and is called "The Black Eagle", and leads a group of unsatisfied men to fight against Kyrilla, stealing from the riches to deliver to the poor. However, when he meets Kyrilla's daughter Miss Mascha Troekouroff (Vilma Banky), Dubrovsky falls in love with her. Dubrovsky needs to rethink and choose between "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" and his love for Mascha."The Eagle" is a melodramatic and romantic silent movie with a hero that is a combination of Zorro and Robin Hood. The plot is entertaining and well constructed but it is funny to see, for example, Dubrovsky forgetting his friends and his promise to kill the man that stole the lands of his father that died after just because he is in love with Kyrilla's daughter. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "A Águia" ("The Eagle")

MartynGryphon I, like many on my side of the big pond, have a cheap, shoddy and very poor DVD transfer copy of The Eagle from InstantVision LTD (IVL). The music is rubbish, inappropriate and repetitive with no thought, (or care for that matter), given to the importance of music accompanying a silent film. Music can, when used effectively, accentuate certain parts of a silent movie such as having soft music for romantic/sad moments in the plot and lively music for party/action scenes. Sadly the IVL release has three random pieces of music on a loop, which sadly near ruined the movie for me and made it difficult to sit through and it was nothing more than a lottery of getting the right music at the right time. So IVL, in my opinion, have committed what can only be tantamount to movie manslaughter. I'll stop short of movie murder as I'm sure the intention was there to put out a good product and anyone who releases silent movies these days will usually get a big thumbs up from me anyway.Gripe aside, I'll proceed with the movie itself. The Eagle is basically the Zorro legend transported from Spanish owned Los Angeles, to Imperial Russia, which is a bit of a white lie really, as Alexander Pushkin's story 'Dubrovsky' was originally written in 1832 but first published posthumously in 1841, pre-dating Johnston McCulley's Zorro creation by over 80 years. (It's amazing what information you can get from Wikipedia).Rudolph Valentino plays Vladimir Dubrovsky and Officer of the Imperial guard of Czarina Catherine II, played by a strangely attractive Louise Dresser. Just before what is to be a regal inspection of her troops, Dubrovsky, borrows the Czarina's horse to rescue two ladies in a runaway carriage.One of the lady's is Mascha Troekouroff, played by the very beautiful and not at all strangely attractive Vilma Banky. Dubrovsky is smitten with her at first sight and his feelings are not exactly unreturned.After the rescue, they part company, but the Czarina has witnessed his act of derring do and she too takes a shine to him and orders him to report to her chambers that evening.He's goes thinking that she may want to give him some award, She's asked him there in the hopes he will give her one. However, Dubrovsky refuses the advances of the sex-mad Czarina and deserts his post and becomes a wanted man. His timing couldn't have been worse as he soon gets word that his families house, land and estates have been forcibly taken over by the evil Kyrilla Troekouroff, (James Marcus).Having alienated the Czarina who's very command would have corrected the problem, he heads for home seeking revenge. his task is not made any easier by the revelation that the damsel in distress he rescued is actually Kyrilla's daughter.In order to protect his identity he assumes the masked alter ego 'The Eagle' and undertakes a kind of Robin Hood/Zorro role, and with his band of followers sets out to deprive Kyrilla of his ill gotten gains and restore then to the rightful owners. He also assumes yet another alias in order to do infiltrate Kyrilla's inner sanctum, (and possibly get off with his daughter as well), that of Marcel Le Blanc, French Tutor hired by Kyrilla for his daughter's education. Dubrovsky is now in the perfect place for his planned revenge.The Eagle is arguably Valentino's best film. I've seen the Sheik and Blood & Sand, and were not particularly enamoured by either, in fact the whole 'Valentinomania' is sort of lost on me as I don't think he was a brilliant actor and am certain that had he lived, he would not have made the transition to sound. So I was left with a 'what was all the fuss about' feeling.I did, However, think that Vilma Banky was superb as was Louise Dresser, but the highest accolade I reserve for director Clarence Brown. His direction is flawless and it's no wonder that Louis B Mayer would soon have him at MGM to direct Greta Garbo & John Gilbert in many of their 'period' movies such as 1927's Flesh & The Devil.I enjoyed The Eagle, but thanks to the IVL DVD issue, I enjoyed it more with the sound off. I suggest you do the same. However, I'd rather watch Tyrone Power in the Mark of Zorro instead it's virtually the same story but a much better film.Enjoy!

Snow Leopard This is a very good period melodrama that also features one of Rudolph Valentino's best roles. The Robin Hood-like story combines drama, excitement, revenge, romance, and more in a well-crafted movie that is entertaining to watch. Vilma Banky and Louise Dresser head up a good supporting cast that works well with Valentino.The story setup has Valentino's character on the run from an angry Czarina, even as he is cheated out of his family possessions by a dishonest nobleman. He turns outlaw to avenge his family name, only to have everything complicated by romance. It's a good story, though a largely familiar one, and the cast and director Clarence Brown make it enjoyable.It's a good role for Valentino because it plays to his strengths and doesn't ask him to do much more. Banky is sympathetic as the daughter of the crooked Kyrilla, and Dresser does a very good job as Empress Catherine, bringing out her personal desires and her ruthless use of power. Albert Conti and James Marcus also give good performances, while Brown keeps things moving at a good pace and tells the story effectively, with an occasional lighter moment to keep things from being taken too seriously. "The Eagle" combines a good story, cast, and production values, and it works quite well.