Carmen (1915)
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Carmen Movie Review
Carmen is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Geraldine Farrar and Wallace Reid. It’s a pretty solid, cinematic flick.
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“Every man can be bought with something“
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Don José, an officer of the law, is seduced by the gypsy girl Carmen, in order to facilitate her clan’s smuggling endeavors. Don José becomes obsessed, turning to violent crime himself in order to keep her attention. The plot is rather standard for the 1910s in a way that we see a woman destroy a man sexually. I’ve seen it in this year alone with ‘A Fool There Was’ which is a better film in my opinion.
The movie still has its great scenes and is well made overall. Some emotional moments as well as the dramatic ones are really strong, but the plot is otherwise rather typical and most of the plot points did not leave a lasting impression on me.
As for the actors, I have to say that they are both very strong with Geraldine Farrar being so well cast as she fits this role so well with her presence being rather eclectic at times whereas Wallace Reid is also very good with a rather emotional performance.
Carmen is an impressively cinematic movie. Cecil B. DeMille made a hell of a movie, especially for 1915 standards. I am of course talking about its cinematography. It’s absolutely striking. The photography is mesmerizing and many shots are instantly recognizable with the costumes, imagery and attention to detail all being stellar.
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Carmen thus works more so as a visual experience than a storytelling one as in that regard it’s rather weak. The characterization also could have been better. But I liked the emphasis on less intertitles and more visual storytelling plus the score is also terrific as it fits the action on screen so well. So I did find this movie so old-fashioned, even for its time, but still on its cinematic merits it’s worth a watch for sure and is actually one of the finest looking movies of its particular period. It also showcases how strong of a director DeMille has always been.
Carmen is rather standard and old-fashioned in terms of storytelling, but Wallace Reid and Geraldine Farrar are excellent together and quite memorable. The movie is weaker in plot and characterization, but terrific in Cecil B. DeMille’s fantastic direction and particularly cinematic due to its superb cinematography and a lot of memorable shots.
