The Conquering Power (1921) User Reviews

Excellent silent film directed by Rex Ingram and starring - Rudolph!

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 30 May 2006]

"The Conquering Power" is an amazing film starring Rudolph Valentino, Alice Terry, and Ralph Lewis. In the film, "the conquering power" is intended to be love, though in the original material, it's that root of all evil, money/gold. Here, Charles (Valentino's) father loses his fortune, and before he kills himself, he sends his son to his estranged brother. His brother, Grandet, is a wealthy, cruel miser who takes advantage of Valentino's bad luck. He has a lovely daughter, Eugenie (Terry) and she and Charles fall in love, in spite of the fact that they seem to be first cousins. Charles decides to seek his fortune, and Eugenie makes him a gift of her gold, given to her each year by her father on her birthday.

Well, the "Sunset Boulevard" phrase "We had faces then" certainly applies to this film. There were so many odd-looking, wizened up, elderly people in this film, it was astounding. They were all fascinating to look at and seemed to showcase the beauty of Terry and Valentino all the more. Valentino is excellent, ever elegant, and is particularly handsome in the beginning and toward the end of the film, when he sports casual clothes, a mustache, and 5 o'clock shadow. For the scenes at his uncle's, his makeup is somewhat exaggerated in the style often used in the '20s - and this is one actor who needed no accentuation. Terry is lovely and gives a wonderful performance.

The star of this film, however, is Ingram's direction, particularly at the end, where mysterious hands come out of a cradle filled with gold and from everywhere else, Gold itself makes a human-like appearance, spitting out coins, and walls literally close in. Fantastic effects done many, many years before the computer and requiring a lot of imagination.

Highly recommended - we are so fortunate to be able to see some of these films, even if they are not in pristine condition.

Highly effective.

[raskimono · 8/10 · 10 February 2004]

This movie from one of the masters of silent cinema Rex Ingram is a melodrama without its excess. Certain scenes show you the power of silent cinema over sound such as the hallucinatory sequence showing a man's dependency and folly on wealth. Valentino is solid as the rich playboy who loses everything and is forced to live with his miserly Uncle who intends to cheat him out of his inheritance and Terry is solid too as the Miser's daughter who falls in love with Val and learns humility and virtue along the way. The story like all epic sagas spans many years. Here is where I'll knock the movie. It is obvious the movie is truncated from the book and a lot of detail is left out. If made today, it would obviously be almost three hours long. I don't know if it would make a better movie but it would be more detailed. Ingram though turns the movie into a study of greed and love as polar opposites in the avail of human survival and in that aspect, the movie scores. Just to add, the movie opens with an inter-title telling the audience that since polling (they had NRG in the twenties too) showed that audiences did not like costume pictures, the movie had been moved to a modern setting. Funny for in a few years the costume picture would dominate the industry and oscillate but never die ever since.

BALZAC and VALENTINO and INGRAM

[rfkeser · 7/10 · 5 December 1999]

As the immediate follow-up to his anti-war saga FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, Rex Ingram presented this rendition of Balzac's EUGENIE GRANDET. The story is nominally updated to the flapper era, but most of it takes place in a provincial town where everyone wears 19th century costumes anyway. As in the earlier film, Rudolph Valentino is a playboy [ with a poodle] who must prove himself, but he appears to somewhat less advantage here. Once again, Alice Terry sensitively plays his designated love object, but in a more traditional ingenue role. Ingram does not always stage scenes effectively, but his films are distinguished by appealingly natural acting: even the obsession of old miser Grandet is never overplayed. In fact, the most striking scene shows the old man hallucinating personifications of his beloved gold, a sequence which may have influenced Ingram's friend and colleague Erich von Stroheim when he filmed GREED. Ingram's celebrated visual talent and John Seitz's cinematography are hard to judge in the dim, unrestored print available. This film lacks the spectacle of FOUR HORSEMEN, but still manages to suggest Balzac's sweep in portraying the complexity of human relations. The "conquering power," according to an introductory title, is Love.

Very Impressive

[Michael_Elliott · 16 June 2008]

Conquering Power, The (1921)

*** (out of 4)

The impressive silent film starts off with one of the strangest titles cards I've ever read. The film, obviously meant to be played at least a hundred years before 1921, has a title card that tells us current movie goers don't care for costume dramas so they've updated the story to 1921 times. In the film, Rudolph Valentino plays a playboy who has everything he wants in life but his father comes home, obviously upset, and asks him to go stay with his uncle (Ralph Lewis) for a little while. When the playboy reaches his uncle's home he learns that his father has killed himself but his cousin (Alice Terry) is there to comfort him and soon the two fall in love. The problems are just starting because her father is an evil man that only cares about money and will stop at nothing to keep them apart even if one must die. This film is probably best remembered for having a big influence on Greed and that isn't the only reason people should seek this film out. Ingram does a great job in the direction even though the material isn't the strongest that it could have been. I think a little stronger screenplay would have helped the film but there's no doubt that this film contains one of the most memorable scenes in silent history. I wasn't overly thrilled with Terry who I feel somewhat weights the film down with her mediocre performance but Valentino comes off quite strong. The scene stealer is certainly Lewis who turns in a great performance as the wicked father. The evilness of his character certainly jumps off the screen and Lewis does a great job at playing it. The highlight of the film comes towards the end when Lewis is trapped in a room where ghosts of the people his greed as destroyed or killed come to haunt him. The way this scene is shot, with light coming in through a hole in the roof, is extremely well done but it also has a very creepy and eerie tone throughout. This certainly isn't a horror film but this sequence is among the greatest I've seen in any of the silent horrors I've watched.

an old fashioned morality play with excellent production values

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 5 July 2006]

The worst thing about this movie is the old fashion-style script based on a story by Balzac. It just seems ancient and preachy even for the 1920s. However, despite this, the production values are high and the story is still quite entertaining.

Valentino is the spoiled son of a rich man. Unfortunately, this rich man isn't very good with money and he loses his fortune speculating. But instead of telling his son, he sends the man to see his uncle along with a letter. When Valentino arrives at his uncle's, the uncle opens the letter. It explains how he has bankrupted himself and will have killed himself by the time this letter was opened! The uncle is a very rich tightwad who only lives to hoard money and has little love in his heart for anyone. He really doesn't care about Valentino but wants to get rid of him so he won't fall for his cousin (after all, he wants her to marry a rich man and increase the family fortune). Valentino goes to the Caribbean and slowly makes his fortune--thanks to gold his sweet cousin let him borrow.

While Rudy is gone, his uncle becomes increasingly reclusive and insane--thinking about nothing but gold. In fact, the man begins to hallucinate and is quite crazed (these scenes are really cool, by the way). When he learns that his daughter let Rudy borrow her gold, the old man goes over the edge and screams and yells and his poor wife falls down dead from grief! Also, the old creep locks his daughter away in her room and vows never to allow her out! But, a bit later he lets her out in an attempt to trick her into an arranged marriage for profit. She refuses and he falls down dead (wow, that was contrived).

She's now rich and in charge of the family fortune. A few years later, Rudy returns and is a rich man as well. Neither knew that the evil uncle had stolen all the letters the two had written to each other and they hadn't had any contact for years. However, despite this, they instantly fall in love. The end.

By the way, although you assume the cousin never finds out, she is apparently the step-daughter of this evil uncle and Rudy is not her biological first cousin. Their romance, then, still seems pretty creepy.

The film has, as you can read, a bizarre and difficult to believe plot. But, it is entertaining and the acting is fine, so it's worth a look but not an essential film, that's for sure.

An interesting adaptation of a literary classic

[richard-1787 · 6/10 · 17 June 2010]

I watched this to see how it handled Balzac's classic Eugénie Grandet. In the first part, it follows the novel quite closely. Then, however, it verges considerably, for various reasons.

First, Charles Grandet never becomes the cold-hearted cynic of Balzac's tale. In Balzac, he forgets about Eugénie entirely while off in the West Indies making a fortune, and when he returns to France ignores her for the homely daughter of a nobleman - he wants a title and access to high society, since he already has money. In the movie, Charles sincerely falls in love with Eugénie - could Valentino have been allowed to play such a cynic? Second, Grandet, who is already an excessive character in the novel, becomes even more obsessive in the movie. This leads to the greatest scene in the movie, Grandet's hallucinations while in his counting room, which are completely original with the film, very impressive, but have no equivalent in the novel.

Charles and Eugénie don't get much chance for real acting. That is left to Eugénie's father, and, in silent movie terms, he does a fine job.

I found it interesting that some of the very melodramatic scenes in the novel, which would have been great in a silent film, were not used, such as when Eugénie defies her father to serve Charles a good breakfast, and the classic melodramatic scene, when Père Grandet tries to cut the gold out of the box Charles gave Eugénie as a pledge for the money she had lent him.

Balzac's novel is better. He acknowledges the depths to which man can descend. But this movie has interesting scenes, mostly those invented by the script writer and the director.

Fine romantic melodrama

[scsu1975 · 7/10 · 3 December 2022]

Victor Grandet has lost his fortune by speculating, but his son, Charles, is unaware of this. Victor sends Charles to live with Pere Grandet, who is Victor's brother. Victor commits suicide, and Charles learns he is penniless. Pere, who is a miser, manages to buy up Victor's debts at a fraction, and makes a small fortune by doing so. However, he keeps Charles in the dark. Meanwhile, Charles begins to fall for Pere's daughter Eugenie. Charles leaves to seek his fortune. While he is away, Pere intercepts letters that Charles has written to Eugenie, leading the two lovers to believe each has gone their separate ways. Will true love conquer all?

This is a fine romantic melodrama, with good performances by the leads. Valentino, in particular, gets a chance to experiment with his role, beginning as a spoiled rich boy. Interestingly, when we see him later in the film, he has abandoned the "slicked-down hair" look, and sports some beard stubble, which to my mind, makes him look more handsome: Alice Terry is beautiful as ever, and she makes an attractive partner for Valentino.

In one odd scene, Terry is courted by various suitors. One of them, played by Ward Wing is clearly portrayed as effeminate.

The film is enriched by the solid performance of Ralph Lewis as Pere Grandet. Lewis creates one of the most reprehensible characters of the silent screen, which makes his final comeuppance deliciously appropriate. Without giving too much away, let's just say Lewis encounters some spirits who wish to enact justice.

Another Ingram masterpiece.

[David-240 · 10/10 · 21 May 2000]

Rex Ingram was one of the best "silent" directors, and he proves his skill yet again in this powerful, and often frightening film about love and greed. Evidently a strong influence on Von Stroheim's "Greed", "The Conquering Power" is about the love affair between cousins Valentino and Terry, and the actions of Terry's miserly father to prevent the affair. Ralph Lewis gives a commanding performance as the father, and the scene in which he is locked in a room with the ghosts of the people his greed destroyed, and even the ghost of gold itself, is utterly terrifying. Valentino convincingly moves from dandy to enlightened youth, and Terry is sublime as the suffering daughter. And through it all is Ingram's uncanny ability to catch the beauty in a face, the stream of light into a room, the thrill or the terror of a touch! Silent film-making at its very best.

cousin love weird me out

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 1 April 2024]

In Paris, Charles Grandet (Rudolph Valentino) is the playboy son of a wealthy banker. After the death of his father and losing much of the family fortune, he falls under the care of his uncle (Ralph Lewis). His greedy miserly uncle lives in a provincial town under strict conditions with his daughter Eugenie (Alice Terry).

Certainly they aren't familiar, but they are still first cousins. It's a bit weird to have love at first sight with your first cousin. Maybe the times were different or it's a French thing. It's a Balzac novel. I don't know anything about all that. It is a lot to get over and I don't particularly like Charles anyways. Valentino is great at being the playboy. In the end, it's more about the uncle and his greed. He becomes the central character and he's the Scrooge. It's a fine drama. Mostly, I really like the gold scene.

Effective, if unfaithful, adaptation of Balzac's novel

[pocca · 8/10 · 29 August 2005]

Even though Rudolph Valentino is billed as the lead (in the version I saw, anyway) he is not on screen all that much and is more of a supporting character. It is really the story of Pere Grandet (well played by Ralph Lewis) and how his life has been, figuratively and literally, crushed by gold (the final scenes in which he is trapped in his cellar with the ghosts of people his greed has destroyed and is taunted by a snake-armed, leering golden demon are very disturbing). Still, even though his role was comparatively small, Valentino makes a strong impression as Charles Grandet, the spoilt son of a rich man whose essential decency, like that of Julio Desnoyer, is brought out by adversity and the love of a good woman . At the beginning of the movie he is hosting a wild birthday party for himself, but twenty minutes into the picture his father has committed suicide and Charles has become dependent on his wealthy but miserly uncle, Pere Grandet . At his uncle's home he meets and falls in love with his beautiful country mouse of a cousin, Eugenie, played by Alice Terry whose ethereal blondeness contrasts well with Valentino's dark good looks and who with the possible exception of Vilma Banky was his most memorable leading lady.

Objections have been sometimes raised to the liberties the screenwriter, June Mathis, took with Balzac's novel. A title card at the beginning of the picture tells the audience that "commercialization" has told the producers that it dislike costume pictures; evidently commercialism also told them that audiences don't like unhappy endings or unlikable leads, hence the sentimentalizing of the original story in which Charles Grandet and Eugenie are happily reunited at the end of the film. In the novel, Charles wastes Eugenie's gold and quickly forgets about her (making her gift seem more rash than romantic), and the conquering power does indeed turn out to be greed, not love as the movie would have it. If one is able to accept the movie on its own term (which of course can be difficult if you're familiar with the original source), Mathis's changes work well enough, however. Other complaints about the movie have involved the disorienting change of setting from Paris to the countryside--in the Paris scenes the people are dressed in modern (1920's) fashions, but the clothing and lifestyles of the country people has a very nineteenth century look to them. It is conceivable, however, that in the days before modern media had permeated everywhere fashions in isolated villages would change more slowly.

On the whole, this is one Valentino's stronger movies—it was a shame that irreconcilable professional and personal differences between Rex Ingram and Valentino led to the latter's departure from Metro shortly afterwards as there he was being offered the sort of quality scripts he would spent the rest of his short career trying to find.

an exquisite adaptation of a powerful novel

[kidboots · 10/10 · 2 November 2008]

Balzac's "Eugenie Grandet" is the powerful story of a miser's daughter who becomes attracted to her cousin Charles, who is a fortune hunter. After giving him all her savings and hoping to join him, Charles disappears - only to meet years later when he is passing through her village on his way to Paris. His life tells on his face - he is overweight, debauched and has married a much older woman for her fortune. Eugenie, however, has grown as a person and unlike her father is a beloved person in the village. When I first started watching "The Conquering Power" I thought NO!!! - it can't have the same ending (in the movie Charles is so sensitive and nice), and, with the two stars being Alice Terry and Rudolph Valentino, it didn't.

Charles Grandet (Rudolph Valentino) is spoilt and pampered and leads a hedonistic existence in Paris. His father, Victor, is in deep financial distress and writes to Charles (Ralph Lewis) his brother, begging him to look after young Charles and treat him as a son. Young Charles is also anxious to see his cousin Eugenie (beautiful Alice Terry). His father has speculated heavily and plans to kill himself during Charles' absence.

Charles Grandet is the village miser. He is a wine grower, has orchards and owns half the town but lives in a sparsely furnished dwelling. The villagers despise him. He keeps an eye on all household expenses - even doling out the flour for Eugenie's birthday cake. Every year, on her birthday Eugenie is given a sovereign but she must not spend it - she must keep it safe.

Young Charles, along with his poodle, is an unexpected guest at Eugenie's birthday. He is appalled at the miserliness of his uncle. When he hears of the death of his father he draws closer to Eugenie for comfort. When Eugenie finds out Charles wants to go to the West Indies to make his fortune - she gives him all the money she has saved - as she says she has no use for it. When her father realises what she has done, he goes mad and attacks Eugenie, dragging her to her room and locking her in. Eugenie's mother dies of the shock. All the villagers are horrified at his treatment of Eugenie and now the secret is revealed that Eugenie is his step-daughter - and not his natural daughter. If she finds out she could force him to divide his property and take half of it, so says the Notary, who wishes his son to marry Eugenie. Eugenie is let out of her prison and then finds hidden letters that prove her father has cheated Charles out of his inheritance ( and also declaring his love for Eugenie). He father accidentally locks himself in his counting room and goes mad after having hallucinations about his gold. This is a particularly harrowing scene and Ralph Lewis handles it very well.

Eugenie doesn't marry and years later when Charles returns to visit the old garden where they used to meet - they are re-united.

The film is a beautiful and stylish love story. Alice Terry shows what an under-rated actress she was and Valentino was wonderful in his under-stated acting. He should have made more of these type of films and if he had stayed with Ingram he may well have.

Highly Recommended.

Effective, Somewhat Surreal, Melodrama

[glofau · 9/10 · 17 June 2014]

This 1921 Rex Ingram/June Mathis adaptation of Balzac's 1833 novel "Eugenie Grandet" makes for surprisingly entertaining viewing, although the film's plot bears only a superficial resemblance to the source material, recasting it as a more conventional melodrama. The lovers (portrayed by Rudolph Valentino and Alice Terry) are extremely noble, the villain (portrayed by Ralph Lewis) is an irredeemable miser, and there can be no question about how this film will end... but getting there is tremendous fun! Despite being the product of the Hollywood studio system, this film is reminiscent of German Expressionist works such as Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Joseph von Sternberg's The Blue Angel, particularly as it builds to its nightmarish climax. It also reminds me of Alice Guy's earlier Victorian morality films, although here the moralizing seems to be more for show than springing from genuine conviction on the part of the filmmaker.

Unlike some reviewers, I am not overly familiar with Rex Ingram's directorial output, but he clearly knows what he's doing. The pacing of the film is really great and the performances he gets from his actors are relatively restrained and moving... and then the film goes completely over-the-top, which makes for effective contrast!

If you haven't seen this picture, I won't spoil the climax for you, but I thought it was a lot of fun (in a ghoulish kind of way) and pleasingly surreal! Let's just say that I really enjoyed how crazy things became once our villain, morally adrift due to outbursts of increasingly reprehensible behavior, buried his face in a cradle full of gold and began to trickle the coins gleefully over his head... things just slide out of control from there to a really satisfying finish!

The film is beautifully and stylishly photographed, despite a somewhat peculiar dissonance between nominal "modern" sections inserted around large portions of film that were clearly intended as a period costume movie. The somewhat testy opening titles which claim that the "Great Public" does not like costume dramas imply some sort of studio interference which the filmmaker resented. Unlike 1927's film masterpiece "The Wind" however, this film does not give the impression of a happy ending hastily tacked on by nervous studio executives, just a questionable attempt to make a costume melodrama appear to be a contemporary drama.

The Conquering Power makes a pleasant change of pace from the grinding, so-called "reality" of current Hollywood dramas, which seem to be more interested in making YOU feel disillusioned and horrible than entertaining you... as if we were ALL blind to Man's Inhumanity to Man and needed to be kicked in the face! This melodrama has its share of disillusionment and violence but it's not trying to make YOU feel disillusioned or overwhelmed or disaffected; quite the reverse. There is much to enjoy in the people and passions that populate its canvas, filled with emotions which, despite being a little corny, ring true and make you "buy" its melodramatic denouement and "love will prevail" message. I enjoyed this tale of greed and perversion more than many similar films because you don't have to take it too seriously yet it conveys something that touches you.

Great silent film

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 30 January 2004]

Playboy Charles Grandet (Rudolph Valentino) is sent to live with his uncle Pere Grandet (Ralph Lewis) when his father becomes ill. His father dies leaving Charles penniless. Charles falls in love with his niece, Eugenie (Alice Terry). Pere refuses to let them fall in love and get married and will do anything to stop it...

Very good silent movie that is virtually unknown--I couldn't find it in any movie books! Valentino and Terry are just both just gorgeous looking and make a very appealing couple. Lewis is also very good as the cruel uncle. Rex Ingram was one of the best directors of the silent era and this shows why. It's beautifully done--the movie flows smoothly and (for a silent film) moves rather quickly. The sequence in which Pere starts going mad at the end is extremely well done (and actually quite scary). A very good film--well worth seeing.

Sadly the only print available (shown on TCM) is in poor shape. The print is VERY grainy with scratches making some scenes hard to watch. Still, if you can overlook this (I was) you can enjoy the film. But it needs a major restoration job. How about it TCM?

An Alice Terry Tour de Force

[sunlily · 8/10 · 7 October 2006]

I've just watched the Alice Terry, Valentino movie The Conquering Power. While I enjoyed the movie, it didn't have the power and emotional scale of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The story is about the power of love over seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The focus here is on the director's wife, Alice Terry, and she's up for the challenge, her lovely face registering a myriad of emotions, but it seemed unrealistic that she fell in love with her own cousin played by Valentino so quickly, that she was willing to wait for him as years passed without word as she was subjected to so much abuse from her father.

The morality angle about the obsession of greed and the way it's depicted as a monster that eventually crushes the person obsessed, really reminded me very much of the movie Greed, but in a much smaller, more intimate little film.

You can tell that there must have been some falling out between the director Rex Ingram and Valentino, as his part is very small and secondary, as compared to the earlier film Horsemen. They never made another picture together, which was a shame. Valentino never got another director who was willing to take the same kinds of risks with him.

Top marks!

[JohnHowardReid · 10/10 · 1 May 2014]

The Conquering Power (1921): It's good to see such an excellent print of this powerful and totally absorbing film, now available on a Grapevine Video DVD. A very stylish director, Rex Ingram, was tolerated at Metro because, although his films cost the studio a lot of money, that money was handsomely recouped at the box office. Here, in this totally absorbing 90-minutes adaptation of Balzac's story, he uses a superb cast of players, led by his wife, the lovely Alice Terry, and including Rudolph Valentino (both fresh from their triumph in Ingram's "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"), Ralph Lewis (unforgettable as our hero's miserly uncle), and bearded Eric Mayne (later to become a standard figure in the roster of Hollywood extras, but here playing a short but featured role as the hero's well-bred but impecunious dad). The stylishly noir photography was the work of John F. Seitz (who also photographed "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"), while the moody art direction was handled by Amos Myers. Who will ever forget the splendid party scenes at the beginning of the movie or the bare, sparsely furnished, noirish catacombs of Pere Grandet's miserly, meandering "mansion"?

A Touch of Gold

[wes-connors · 8/10 · 11 May 2008]

Angelic Alice Terry (as Eugenie Grandet) lives with her miserly father Ralph Lewis (as Pére Grandet) in a French village. Soon, Mr. Lewis's brother sends word that they are to be joined by Paris playboy Rudolph Valentino (as Charles Grandet). Kissin' cousins Valentino and Terry fall quickly in love (they are not blood relations, it is later revealed). After his brother commits suicide over some bad business deals, Lewis conspires to keep the young lovers apart, and steal their family fortunes.

"The Conquering Power" is introduced as being the power of Love; although, you'll see, later in the film, another "Power" give Love a run for the money - it is an extraordinary scene, near the end, wherein greedy Lewis receives comeuppance. Valentino's role is a rather bland one; but, he dresses up well. Cinematographer John F. Seitz and actress Terry are outstanding. Most of all, the film is a triumph for Terry's director husband Rex Ingram; he makes the most of a poorly adapted story, which doesn't take full advantage of the personnel involved. Still, Mr. Ingram delivers the Midas touch.

******** The Conquering Power (7/8/21) Rex Ingram ~ Alice Terry, Rudolph Valentino, Ralph Lewis

Valentino's Second Big Budgeted Movie Lead Role

[springfieldrental · 8/10 · 14 October 2021]

For the brief time Rudolph Valentino worked for Metro, he treasured June Mathis' guiding hand. "She discovered me, anything I have accomplished I owe to her, to her judgment, to her advice and to her unfailing patience and confidence in me," the actor said a couple of years later.

She made sure Valentino received the leading role in her later screenplay of a Honore de Balzac 1833 novel, "The Conquering Power." The actor's presence in July 1921's release of "The Conquering Power" was just as central--and just as alluringly romantic--as his role in "Apocalypse." His portrayal of a rich playboy who sees the spiritual light in his angel-like female cousin, whose father is the greediest and most insane person on the face of the earth, illustrates the acting depth Valentino displays here. The masterful direction of Rex Ingram, whom Mathis respected and was the director of "Apocalypse," includes a hair-raising scene where the greedy Monsieur Grandet is hallucinating that his chest of gold is transforming into a breathing demon.

Valentino didn't have warm, fuzzy feelings for Ingram; in fact they clashed on the set a number of times. The director soon after eloped with actress Alice Terry, who was in the two directed movies above. The couple relocated to Nice, France, where he made several films for MGM Studios. For a man working outside the United States, Ingram remarkably gained respect for being "the world's greatest director" in the eyes of director Erich von Stroheim among other movie critics.

Actress Alice Terry's screen presence in her Ingram roles was considered flat and pliant. Once she escaped Ingram's directional grasp under Paramount Pictures, her acting became more dynamic and was positively received by the critics. Ingram was known for his philandering outside his marriage. When he died in 1950 at the age of 58, Terry invited four of his mistresses to his funeral and post-memorial party. When questioned on the appropriateness of the four's presence, her reply was "Who cares, I'm the only one that can call herself Mrs. Rex Ingram." As for Valentino, he left Metro Pictures after not receiving a raise above his paltry salary. He and Mathis moved on to Paramount Pictures, where he appeared in several women-appealing heart throbbing films.

Frightening Silent Film

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 1 April 2024]

Balzac's moral tales were always a lot of fun. Here is a retelling of the book Eugenie Grandet. Rudolph Valentino plays a young man, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, leading a life of relative debauchery while his father supports him. The father, however, makes bad investments and is broke. He sends the young man off to his estranged brother, who is incredibly rich, but a miser. He lives in hovel. His stepdaughter, Eugenie, is under his control because the wife has no spine. When Charles and Eugenie see each other sparks fly and this romance becomes derailed. The father commits suicide and so his son is left to fend for himself. Eugenie gives all her birthday gold to him and he goes off. He quickly does well, but the Uncle doesn't let any correspondence get to Eugenie. He is a miserable creature, out of the Scrooge mold. The story is well told with some terrifying stuff, especially at the end. While the quality of the film is not that great, it is wonderful to see something that was printed over a hundred years ago.

Beautiful Ending To a Well-Made Movie!

[marlene_rantz · 10/10 · 12 October 2019]

For all of you who loved the ending of "Random Harvest", and I am one of them, I promise that the ending of this movie will really get to you-a beautiful ending to a well-made movie! I have watched just the ending of this movie over and over again, and I never get tired of it! Once again, Rudolph Valentino and Alice Terry both from "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" give solid performances as a man and his cousin deeply in love while being separated by the lady's father, excellently played by Ralph Lewis. The movie is based on a novel by Balzac which I will read because of this movie. The direction by Rex Ingram is excellent!

This film certainly has atmosphere.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 8 April 2024]

Charles Grandet is set to inherit his father's wealth after his death. Charles is taken in by his uncle, Monsieur Grandet, but he's a scheming and manipulative man, who forbids Charles affections for his cousin, Eugenie.

It's quite a captivating movie, obviously it's incredibly dated in terms of production and story, but that is surely part of its appeal, at over 100 years old, you have to admire the brilliant sense of atmosphere and clever storytelling.

It's very chilling in parts as well, this must have thrilled the audiences.

The most striking thing about this movie, the presence of Rudolph Valentino, I'm surprised at how little he's present, he's definitely not the lead, what an exquisite looking man.

Rex Ingram did a fine job directing this, for making a picture that still has an appeal a hundred years on.

8/10.

A fine, compelling silent drama

[I_Ailurophile · 8/10 · 24 April 2024]

Major star power is no guarantor of the success of a picture. Esteemed actors have participated in some of the best films in the world, and in some of the worst, and even as Rudolph Valentino's fame outshines his short life and career, not all his works are equal, either. I see both the strengths and the weaknesses in Rex Ingram's 'The conquering power,' and while the former outweigh the latter, even at its best I don't think this is a title that specifically, majorly stands out among its contemporaries. It deserves remembrance, certainly, both on its own merits and as a surviving piece of silent cinema - only, maybe just don't go out of your way for it.

When I last watched a feature that was based on classic literature by Honoré de Balzac, the viewing experience clocked in at a walloping thirteen hours. By all means, Jacques Rivette's 'Out 1' is an outlier, both for its extraordinary length and for the experimental nature by which it adapts 'History of the thirteen.' Be that as it may, the frame of reference is not a useless one, for the chief issue I take with this 1921 flick is that one need not be familiar with Balzac's 'Eugénie Grandet' to readily gain an understanding that the adaptation, even by so highly regarded a screenwriter as June Mathis, removes details and nuance. I'm sure it was necessary to condense the source novel into a more digestible, conventional length of film stock; even so, there is a brusqueness in the storytelling that to me suggests chunks of plot were left out to simplify the cinematic rendition. This is understandable in some measure, but in another it is unfortunate as the full breadth and depth of the tale, and the impact it might carry, is diminished.

With that in mind, however, by and large 'The conquering power' is terrifically well made, and more than not it's surely a fine credit to all involved. Overall the narrative remains intact, and the scene writing is fabulously strong; as director Ingram works hard to ensure that the gravity of each beat is conveyed as faithfully as possible, and there is some splendid shot composition throughout. In both the writing and direction, even down to some intertitles, there is sometimes a masterful sense of poetic flourish, and otherwise artistry, that definitely captures the imagination; this is a drama, but there are deliciously dark vibes coursing throughout, and noteworthy themes. I love the costume design, and the sets, and even the hair and makeup is lovely. Perhaps more than anything else, much of the success of this movie can be attributed to the superb acting. The entire cast is outstanding, breathing vivid life into their characters and infusing the proceedings with stark vitality, and that applies even to those in smaller supporting parts. Valentino may be the most famous participant all these decades later, but swell as he is here, I think he's rather outshone by Edward Connelly in his subtle performance; by Ralph Lewis, with the intense fervor and malignance with which he embodies Père Grandet; and not least, by Alice Terry, who as beleaguered, lovestruck Eugenie is arguably given the most opportunity to illustrate her range.

The picture is a tad rough around the edges, and it seems clear to me that 'Eugénie Grandet' was somewhat gawkily abridged in its translation into a script. I can hardly blame Mathis for this, nor Ingram as director or producer, but the incidence is discernible and is therefore regrettable. I'd go one step further and say that this is even a tad uneven, for while some scenes are altogether brilliant, other moments (maybe in the third act most of all) were plainly less carefully crafted. And still it speaks so well to the skills and intelligence of all involved that the end result is nonetheless fantastic at large - engaging, compelling, and highly satisfying. In whatever ways this is troubled, when all is said and done such matters are fairly minor and forgivable. I don't think it wholly demands viewership, and strictly speaking it may not be the feature to change the minds of anyone who isn't already enamored of the silent era, but whether you have a particular impetus to watch or are just looking for something good, ultimately I'm pleased to give 'The conquering power' my firm recommendation.

Valentino seals the deal

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 8/10 · 1 April 2024]

There are certain screen idols who, a hundred years on, exist more in the popular culture than they do in their work itself.

For me, Rudolph Valentino (along with Greta Garbo) was a chorus name-drop in the wistful love song, Right Before Your Eyes (written by Ian Thomas and recorded by America). That was decades before my wife introduced me to classic movies and saw for myself what a miracle both Valentino and Garbo were.

In The Conquering Power, Valentino leaves no doubt why he was the superstar of his age. He is the attractive, assured son of a ridiculously wealthy Parisian. Unfortunately, dad loses it all in stock speculation and sends Valentino to live with a rich but miserly uncle before topping himself. Sounds like the feel-bad hit of the summer, right?

Well, hold on to your panties, ladies, 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet.

The uncle has a beautiful daughter (naturally) played by Alice Terry. They fall in love but the uncle schemes to keep them apart and recover his brother's lost fortune.

Alice Terry is wholesomely beautiful and her acting leaves no doubt why Valentino would fall for her.

Ralph Lewis as the greedy uncle gets a lot of screen time and he portrays his character so well you forget you're watching a silent movie. His facial expressions and body language are remarkable.

Director Rex Ingram got superlative performances out of his leads, in a story adapted from Balzac. But credit also is due to groundbreaking cinematographer John F Seitz, whose captured faces, motion and light in ways that make this movie still feel fresh 103 years later.

The climax is a thing to behold. To describe it would be to wreck it.