Three Days to Live (1924) User Reviews

Lively melodrama, edited by Frank Capra, with a fine central performance.

[David-240 · 7/10 · 5 February 2017]

Frank Capra was learning his trade when he took on editing and title-writing duties on this low budget San Francisco production. At its heart this melodrama features a glowing performance from Ora Carew as a wealthy young woman who springs into action when the lives of her father and fiancé are threatened by a mysterious rajah, played with eye-rolling menace by Hal Stephens. It's great to see a woman taking charge here as the men flounder. Interesting also to see that America's suspicion of Muslims was very much alive back in the 1920s. Helen Lowell, who Capra would marry, is also effective as the Rajah's lustful slave-girl. Capra does some nice editing tricks and keeps the action rolling at a brisk pace. Exteriors include the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, substituting for the Middle East! This is not a great silent film but it is a fun and lively one, and an interesting recent re-discovery for the Capra canon.