The Wicked Darling (1919) User Reviews

Despite a somewhat shabby print, this is a swell silent film.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 12 January 2010]

Like so many other silent films, THE WICKED DARLING has degraded badly over time. That's because for decades Hollywood used nitrate-based film stock and it tended to decompose quickly--in some cases turning to dust, in others becoming slimy and bubbly and in a few cases it even exploded! By the time this film was placed on DVD, there was only one print left (again, this is not too unusual) and it was the version with Dutch subtitles--which needed to be translated. Additionally, the film is a mess in many spots--with lots of Swiss cheese-like holes in the print. None of this makes the film impossible to watch--just don't expect a pristine looking film.

The film begins with a nice guy, Kent (Wellington A. Playter) being dumped by his shallow rich fiancée. Why? Because he's no longer rich! Nice lady, huh?! A bit later, he meets up with Mary (Priscilla Dean) who is running from the law. This is because she's a thief. However, she is able to convince Kent that she is a nice girl. However, Mary is so taken by the very decent Kent that she really does want to be this nice girl, so she gives up her wicked ways and gets a real job. The problem is that her old cronies (including Lon Chaney in an early role) don't want her to go straight and will stop at almost nothing to keep her on the side of evil. Will she succumb to niceness or rottenness? Tune in for yourself and see.

Wile this is far from a great melodrama, for 1919 it's awfully spiffy. Sure, it's a bit obvious here and there and the idea of a career criminal turning a new lead so quickly and with such small provocation is silly, but it is very entertaining and well-acted for the day. Not a great film but it sure is better than average and worth seeing--lousy print and all.

Gritty Despite

[Cineanalyst · 6/10 · 3 July 2005]

"The Wicked Darling" is one of some eleven films directed by Tom Browning that stars Lon Chaney. In this one, Chaney has the supporting role of the villain Stoop Connors. He does well enough, and one can see here the beginnings of one of America's greatest silent film actors. As well, Browning's direction is impressive.

The nighttime photography and low-key lighting add grittiness to the story of crime and reform. Chaney's hard-bitten performance also helps. The pacing is rather quick, too, with smooth editing. Even with the typical bad-girl-turned-good-through-the-love-of-a-man story, there are some uncompromisingly real moments during her reform, as well as the suspenseful ones that keep the film going. In one scene at the restaurant, for example, the "gutter-rose" protagonist returns food to a customer's plate after it falls on the floor.

There is, however, a gaping hole in the story, as I see it. That three criminals, headed by Connors, are seemingly only intent on making the life of the gutter rose miserable is believable enough, I suppose. But, why do Mary and Kent not tell the police that Connors shot Kent? At this time, Kent doesn't know that Mary has the necklace, so it can't be because he's afraid of her arrest, too. I don't understand it, and it's a major fault for a director of films that tend to rely greatly upon their subject matter and characterizations. It seems to be merely an excuse to continue with the plot.

(Note: The newly restored version released by Image Entertainment is excellent, except for some deterioration in the form of mottling, which I found easy to ignore. Additionally, some still photos are used in place of some brief missing footage.)

A typical vehicle for Priscilla Dean - Universal's top female star of 1920

[kidboots · 7/10 · 24 June 2008]

"The Wicked Darling" is remembered today because it is an early Lon Chaney film but when it was made people went to see it because Priscilla Dean was the star. During 1918-19 she was being groomed as Universal's top female star. "The Wicked Darling" was a typical role. She was often cast as an adventuress, a burglar, in "The Exquisite Thief" she played "Blue Jean Billie" whom "you adored even when she robbed you blind". She made 9 features with Tod Browning as director - he knew how to showcase her to advantage.

In "The Wicked Darling" she plays Mary Stevens - "the Gutter Rose" - who is forced to become a pick pocket. One night she is told by "Stoop" (Lon Chaney) to go to the Davenport reception and mingle. While there she steals some pearls that have been accidentally dropped. Adele Hoyt (Gertrude Astor, who was one of stars in "The Cat and the Canary" (1927))learns that her fiancé, Kent Mortimer is now penniless and breaks off their engagement. Adele doesn't return his pearls but loses them when she is leaving.

Running from the police Mary takes refuge in Mortimer's house. His trust in her makes her want to change her ways and she is working as a waitress when she meets him again. I think that Martha Mattox (the creepy housekeeper from "The Cat and the Canary") plays the head waitress. A friendship develops (Mary has not confessed to having the pearls). When Stoop finds her again a scuffle ensues and Mortimer is shot. Even though Mary nurses him back to health, when he learns of her old associations he banishes her back to the gutter.

Lon Chaney is really threatening as "Stoop". He is not above hurting Mary to get what he wants and it is only the presence of the burly bartender (Kalla Pasha) that protects Mary.

The film has a realness about it due to Tod Browning's gritty direction. Some of the night scenes were actually filmed at night (unusual at that time) and real locations were used.

The DVD I have is copied from the sole surviving print preserved by the Netherlands Filmmuseum. It shows damage and mold and there are some missing scenes. The score, which I liked, was arranged from popular songs of the period. I enjoyed it very much and can recommend it.

Rare first Browning-Chaney Vehicle comes to light

[zpzjones · 13 September 2010]

Having seen "Outside the Law", the second Browning-Chaney-Dean feature, I can say "The Wicked Darling" feels almost like a prelude to that film. When you watch this film it looks like some of the sets were used in "Outside the Law". Browning seems to want to finish in "Outside the Law" what he started in this film. There's even a gruesome fight scene (two in fact) with Chaney & the hero here(Wellington Playter) as there would be between Chaney & Wheeler Oakman in "Outside the Law". Priscilla Dean is one of the best actresses of the silent era & I look forward to checking out her other silent films like Browning's "The Virgin of Stamboul" (unfortunately minus Chaney). The version of this film comes from the remaining 35mm print in the Nederlands Filmmuseum and it has tremendous beginning stages of nitrate decomposition. Fortunately this film was rescued in the knick of time. Dean's character at the opening of the film comes off as a thief in cahoots with Chaney but its insinuated that she also moonlights as a prostitute with Chaney her pimp. Browning seemingly sets up the viewers imagination on Dean's activity while early in the film showing Gertrude Astor as a 'kept woman' for Wellington Playter. Astor leaves Playter after he goes broke. With good chunks of the film lost and this being an abridged foreign release anyway, more imagination is still left to the viewer. But Browning's customary last act of redemption for the crooked Priscilla Dean is identical in Outside the Law.

An early Tod Browning and Lon Chaney picture

[psteier · 6/10 · 9 October 2000]

At its heart a cheap melodrama of the time. Lon Chaney as the thief forcing the poor heroine Priscilla Dean into crime is very Lon Chaney.

The reconstructed print was made from material in fair to poor condition and is missing perhaps 15 percent of the original.

Interesting film/Chaney & Browning's first

[funkyfry · 7/10 · 12 February 2007]

Chaney and Browning's first collaboration is a more interesting film in the final analysis than what it at first appears to be. Basically on a superficial level what we have here is the basic crime and redemption story. Mary Stevens (Priscilla Dean) is a young thief who hangs out with various questionable sorts, who are led by "Stoop" Connors (Lon Chaney). She steals a necklace from a wealthy lady just before running into her fiancé Kent Mortimer (Wellington Playter) who she promptly falls in love with. Chaney and his fellow criminals (including a bizarre pale-faced fence) try to intimidate Mary into turning over the jewels even though she had decided to turn straight. She does eventually sell some of them in order to help Mortimer pay his rent -- he was wealthy but has now fallen on hard times. One key here is that Mortimer's girlfriend, the one who had the gems stolen from her (Gertrude Astor... perhaps a real socialite to judge by the name?), turned him down for marriage because he wasn't rich enough. So in the end after defeating Connors and his thugs, (SPOILERS) and after a full hour of hearing Mortimer moralize about all kinds of subjects, the two of them use the money from the necklace to run off to the country and start a pig farm. "At least we didn't throw our pearls before swine" they laugh as the credits roll. I don't know if this made much sense in terms of the overall narrative (why was Mortimer so adamant about not wanting to be with a thief, only to change his mind completely in the end?), it sure was more interesting than the ending you would expect.

Chaney's performance is solid but not a stand-out for him. It's basically the same as his work in Browning's subsequent "Outside the Law" (natch for Dean, who at least had honed her saucy demeanor more by the latter effort) except that here he plays only one role. Playter has too much gravity (both literally and spiritually) on screen to be a fun or amusing lead character. Although at the end he does gain some depth I suppose. There are many standouts among the supporting cast, particularly Kalla Pasha who plays the bartender and shows off his patented wrestling moves -- latter day Tor Johnson and Hulk Hogan fans will be pleased. Browning's camera work is characteristically plain, though there is one interesting shot of Mary from the head up that pans down her face through a veil. He brings more realism to the proceedings than is normal with what looks like real night-time photography and the collection of real-life characters (like Pasha) in the supporting cast.

A film that will be of interest to anyone who likes Chaney and Browning or who is interested in the early crime pictures of the 1910s, though "Outside the Law" is a bit more substantial I believe.

Travel to The Slums

[FerdinandVonGalitzien · 6/10 · 25 July 2009]

Human curiosity is one of those primal feelings that the aristocracy share with coarse people; the more bizarre and obscure the subject, the more interested are the aristocrats. Strange places are especially fascinating even if such locales are the slums, the very opposite of aristocratic neighbourhoods.

But to travel to the slums is a dangerous outing so in order to satisfy aristocratic curiosity about these nether regions (while not overlooking the need for protection on these peculiar journeys) aristocrats need an expert guide to be able to take a safe walk on the wild side ( as an old German proverb says) so how can one do better than turning to Herr Tod Browning?

Thanks to Herr Browning's expertise, this Herr Von recently watched (from a safe distance) slum specimens like unscrupulous pawnbrokers, greedy landladies, violent waiters, hardened criminals, ruined men and working girls, all bizarre and curious fauna for an aristocrat ( especially the working girls) that are depicted carefully in the film "The Wicked Darling" (1919).

It is well-known that Herr Browning had a special likeness for those underprivileged persons who were the main characters of many of his films, works that could be great or obscure but were always astounding and unique. "The Wicked Darling" is one of his early silent films that is also one of Herr Browning's many collaborations with Herr Lon Chaney; they were a perfect team.

The film is characteristic of many of Herr Browning films and also displays a sarcastic sense of humour that this Herr Graf likes specially (Surely the ending is meant as a joke with our gutter heroes finding a new and peaceful life as farmers, surrounded by impassive cows rather than dangerous criminals.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must return to the peaceful isolation ward at the Schloss.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

Gratifyingly well made, solid, & enjoyable

[I_Ailurophile · 9/10 · 31 January 2023]

I'm not supposing it's true across the board, but it's striking that many of the films Tod Browning made were characterized by a vivid visual presentation that was all but fantastical in and of itself, even if the same weren't true of the content. This fits neatly into that sensibility, with rather vibrant sets, costume design, and even hair and makeup to greet us even within the first minutes. Factor in the unmistakable visage of Lon Chaney and the immediate charm of Priscilla Dean, and unless everything else about the picture went terribly wrong then it's all but guaranteed to be enjoyable. Thankfully, as the length advances it's clear that this is indeed well made, and worthy of remembrance. It may not be an absolute must-see, but for fans of the silent era above all, 'The wicked darling' is worth checking out.

Dean gets the starring role and stands out most but the whole cast, also including Wellington A. Playter and Spottiswoode Aitken, give fine performances of swell personality and nuance. I might argue that they even best what one might say of some other early silent features, where the exaggerated body language and facial expressions of theater were predominant; the acting here somewhat seems like a bridge between the two styles. Meanwhile, it's worth repeating that those behind the scenes really did turn in some excellent work; while silent movies certainly relied on strong visuals generally, some are more noteworthy for their imagery than others, and I rather believe that 'The wicked darling' is one of the standouts. If I've any especial critiques it might be that the editing is decidedly curt and choppy at points, with cuts from shot to shot or moment to moment exceeding the brusqueness one may sometimes forgive owing to either limited technology or print degradation. Even this doesn't severely detract from the viewing experience, however, and the quality well outshines this weakness.

True, the story is fairly common material for the era, the saga of a girl of low circumstances and rickety morals who makes good while her even more unsavory fellows don't. Yet who says every film has to be perfectly original (you're asking for trouble) or a beacon of singular brilliance (so few are)? Even if we're familiar with the brunt of the tale, it's written well, with characters both sympathetic or unlikable, and appreciable scene writing. Browning was no slouch, demonstrating solid capability as a director well before those titles that would be his most enduring claims to fame. And it should be said, too, that while the surviving print definitely suffered from deterioration before it was digitized, at large the fundamental image here is gratifyingly sharp, unquestionably surpassing what no few of its contemporaries were able to achieve; whether one wishes to credit cinematographer Alfred Gosden for this aspect or otherwise, it's notable and commendable.

Once again, there's nothing about 'The wicked lady' that's so piercingly fabulous as to uniformly demand viewership. It's well made in every regard - writing, direction, acting, all the contributions of the crew - with the curtness of sequencing being well outshone by the feature's value otherwise. It's also familiar, and from afar, unlikely to stand tall next to its kin. Nonetheless, simply for the fact of how strong every component part is, and the whole as a result, I dare say that maybe this is more readily recommendable, a title that should be upheld as an example of what early cinema could accomplish when everyone was firing on all cylinders. It may not be totally flawless or essential, yet if one has the opportunity to watch 'The wicked lady,' I believe it's fully deserving of one's time, and a great credit to not just all those specifically involved but the skill and ingenuity of early filmmakers broadly.

Dean meets Chaney

[www1125 · 10/10 · 26 August 2022]

I'm grateful this film was found, despite being lost for a very long time. While my ten star rating may be a bit high for a basic crime drama, I honestly really enjoyed it. There's a lot to give credit for here. Tod Browning's unique directing style is definitely present, and utilized tremendously. I particularly enjoyed the constant illusion to the gutter rose that was the theme of the film. The various side characters, in typical Browning fashion are very memorable, from the overbearing landlady to the hulking bartender. But of course, the real draw is the first film teaming up my favorite silent film actor and my favorite silent film actress. Lon Chaney and Priscilla Dean both carry this movie from start to finish, and their many scenes together are very entertaining to watch. Lon is of course the villainous gangster, and plays the part with absolute sinister glee. Not many people could match up to him in this state, but Dean gives him a run for his money, as the pickpocket who wants desperately to turn her life around, but has been living in the wrong crowd for too long. Honestly, the only real gripe I have was the leading man, who is just lame, and becomes unlikable when he begins judging Dean for her past. It's a necessary plot point of course to throw her back into Chaey's clutches, but I feel it could have been handled way better, especially considering the good Dean had clearly done up to that point in the process of reversing her life. Despite this, the film remains enjoyable, and at just under an hour is a very easy film to watch. Any Chaney fan should check it out, and heck, check out more Priscilla Dean movies if you can. It's sad how little she is remembered today.

Solid Melodrama With A Fine Performance By Chaney

[Snow Leopard · 15 November 2005]

A solid melodrama in itself, "The Wicked Darling" is most noteworthy now for the supporting performance of Lon Chaney, in the kind of villainous role that he performed as well as any actor of his time (or just about any other time, for that matter). The movie has recently been restored from one badly damaged print and a few scraps of information, and the restorers have done an impressive job indeed piecing together almost all of the original feature.

Priscilla Dean has the lead role, as a good-natured pickpocket caught up in a bad crowd, among them being Chaney's vicious character. A chain of events leads Mary (Dean's character) to develop a friendship with an upper class gentleman (played by Wellington Playter) who has recently lost both his fortune and his fiancée. The two of them go on to face a series of crises, tests, and menaces, many of them instigated by Chaney's character.

It's a story like many others of its era, but Tod Browning's direction keeps it from being ordinary, adding some good touches and details, and getting good performances from most of the cast. Chaney, though, is the one that stands out. He has no disguises or detailed make-up this time, but he makes full use of every opportunity to portray a cold-hearted crook who forms a formidable obstacle to the happiness of the heroine and the man she loves. As a result, it's quite a bit more interesting and memorable than most movies of its kind.

Good Film

[Michael_Elliott · 11 March 2008]

Wicked Darling, The (1919)

*** (out of 4)

Mary Stevens (Priscilla Dean) is a lifelong criminal now making her living by serving as a pickpocket for "Stoop" Connors (Lon Chaney). Mary meets a guy named Kent (Wellington Playter) and decides to turn her life around but her last gig she stole some priceless necklace and Coonors won't leave her alone until he has them. This is a very sweet romantic drama with a strong morality side to it. Director Tod Browning adds all sorts of class to the film, which is very fast paced and contains a wonderful visual style. Chaney is good as usual but it's Playter who really steals the film.