The Light in the Dark (1922)

I just saw the unrestored shortened version of "The Light in the Dark" so keep this in mind when reading my review. This shorter version clocks in at 32 minutes and is, despite being greatly condensed, a very good silent short.The film begins with a woman moving in at a boarding house. One of her neighbors (Lon Chaney) is clearly infatuated with her and the theme of his unrequited love is a very common theme in Chaney's films.Suddenly, the film abruptly switches venues--now it's in Britain. A rich guy finds a golden cup half-buried in the ground. It's a fancy cup that glows and he announces to the world that it might just be the famed 'Holy Grail'.Just after this, the lady becomes sick (heart-sick--a common movie malady) and things don't look good. But when he tells Chaney about the story of the Holy Grail (much of which I have never heard before and think they made up for the movie), he is determined to steal it and use it to cure her. Yes, in this film this legendary cup has the power to heal (thank goodness it didn't have the face-melting power like the Ark of the Covenant in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"!). The cup works its magic though the lovely lady is still sad--apparently she and the owner of the cup have some sort of romantic history together.When the owner discovers the pair and the cup, he contacts the police. In the next scene, Chaney is being prosecuted for assault and theft, but the owner is touched by Chaney's friendship with the lady and decides the best course is to lie his head off. As a result, Chaney is found not guilty and everyone lives happily ever after...except for Chaney, who is once more left to lament his lost love as she leaves with the old boyfriend.While the story is a bit antiquated, what impressed me about this one were the restrained acting and the nice cinematography. The film is very artistic looking and I liked seeing the glowy cup--a nice special effect for the time. It's worth seeing, but you might just want to look for the extended version instead--it probably is a better film but this is only conjecture based on my feeling that the original film length is almost always better than a truncated one (though there are definite exceptions).

Light of Faith, The (1922) *** (out of 4) A rather interesting religious/love story about a young woman who is seriously injured (Hope Hampton) and is being taken care of by a thief (Lon Chaney). One day the woman notices that her ex love, who thinks she's dead, has found the Holy Grail. The woman tells the thief that this grail has the power to heal so he sets out to find her ex and get the item. This is the shortened version of The Light in the Dark, a film that was believed lost until being found three years ago. This shortened version was prepared in 1927 by a religious group and this is the version, which has been seen the most. This version runs 40 minutes shorter and while I'd love to see the full version this one here is quite impressive. Hampton is very good in the lead even though she hasn't much to do and Chaney is terrific and quite believable as the thief with a good soul. The lighting used in this film is some of the greatest I've seen from any silent film and it makes the religious moments very strong. This film is on Kino's DVD of Oliver Twist but hopefully they'll release the full version at some point.

The Light of Faith, a three-reel condensed version of this film, is available on Kino video. The George Eastman House recently restored the original full 6-reel feature, which we were treated to at Cinefest in Syracuse, NY in March 2003. Lon Chaney plays a kind-hearted thief who falls for Bessie MacGregor (Hope Hampton, star and producer) who has been taken in by a wealthy society matron after being struck by the matron's automobile. He steals a goblet (the Holy Grail?) reputed to have healing powers in hopes of restoring Bessie's health. The film was praised for its art direction and cinematography at the time of its release.

With a title like this you'd have to expect some lighting effects, but the sheer beauty of the lighting and cinematography in this film will amaze you. Sunlight in the heroine's hair, the glow of the holy grail and its reflection on faces, even the light of God - all are realized with great care. It certainly anticipates Clarence Brown's later work, especially with Garbo.The version of the film that I saw was a 30 minute edit re-titled "The Light of Faith" (and beautifully restored by KINO video). I don't know if a longer version exists, but I'd love to see it. As it is the film works beautifully. It is a simple tale of a rough petty criminal, played with great delicacy by the genius actor Lon Chaney, who is trying to help a young woman who has run away from her wealthy family. She tells him the story of the holy grail - and Brown recreates it for us with great beauty. Chaney then attempts to steal the newly discovered grail to restore the girl's health. It builds to a moving and visually stunning climax.Don't miss this exquisite film.