Rex Ingram: Visionary Director of the Silent Screen (Screen Classics)

This biography by Irish scholar Ruth Barton contains silent film director Rex Ingram's personal life manuscript(never seen in public before). Rex Ingram was a stuborn man. He refused to bend; he lived life his way, and probably did everything he ever wanted to do. Rex Ingram was a handsome, cocky Irishman. He liked to paint. He liked art.. He created some of the earliest, artistic silent films ever made. Rex Ingram was born Reginald Hitchcock in 1892 in Dublin. His father pushed him into business, but Rex wanted to be an artist. Eventually, Rex migrated to New York City. On Long Island, Rex met the son of Thomas Edison. Edison was famous for claiming that he invented motion picture projection. Rex was interested, and became a minor actor in early silent movies. He studied film, but wanted to write screenplays. He did, even working with D.W. Griffith. Finally, Rex heard the call "Go West young man", and moved to Hollywood, California. As a director/writer, Rex bounced from Vitagraph, Fox Films, Universal, and finally landed at MGM. In 1920, he reported to executive June Mathis. Together, they hired young Italian immigrant dancer Rudolph Valentino to star in "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse(1921)". (The DVD of this classic has been restored by Kevin Brownlow, the only Rex Ingram film to enjoy such attention.) "Four Horsemen" was a huge success. Rex believed that he and his team, including cameraman John Seitz(who invented the matte painting) were responsible. Valentino was sure he was the core of it's success, and after one more film, Valentino bolted to Paramount. Rex Ingram needed a new leading man, and took a chance on a young, aggressive Mexican boy, who would become Ramon Novorro(the star of "Ben Hur"). Rex put Novarro into his "Prisoner of Zenda(1922)", another big hit. Re-made many times, "Prisoner of Zenda" shows Novarro at his best; and Rex and John Seitz as well. It features careful lighting, well-placed props, and a novel 3-D effect. In one shot, two soldiers drink and play cards. Behind them, to the right, a military statue stands out, in focus. Still farther back in the room, and to the left, a young man plays piano. It is Ramon Novarro. Almost a painting, the effect is multi-dimensional. It was a success, and Rex followed with "Trifiling Women(1922)", starring Novarro and the dark beauty, Barbara LaMarr. "Trifiling Women" is the story of star-crossed lovers; one is buried alive in an underground dungeon. A pet ape(Joe Martin) flirts with the girl on shadowy, back-lit sets. We can only guess at it's power, since "Trifiling Women" is a lost film. Rex wanted independence, and opened his own studio in Nice, France, on the Riviera. In 1926, he shot "The Magician", starring the "Golem" himself, Paul Wegener. Starting slowly, the movie builds to a rousing climax, with flashing lightning surrounding an old castle; inside the magician battles the young hero. Earlier, the young heroine is transported to an underworld dream-land, complete with Pan, the Devil, and a host of partially dressed dancers. "The Magician" was successful, but Louis B. Mayer ended Rex's career at MGM. Freaky horror didn't appeal to Mayer, and Rex was way ahead of his time. Rex Ingram made a few more films, some even with sound. But he converted to Islam and the Koran. He spent years travelling across the wind-swept North African desert, often alone. Suffering from high blood pressure, Rex Ingram died of a cerebral hemorrhage at his home in Studio City, North Hollywood, on July 2, 1950, at age 58. His wife, actress Alice Terry, inherited his estate of $200,000, including rare art works, old swords, and ancient guns. Rex Ingram was a true visionary of early cinema. Erich von Stroheim called him the "world's greatest director..."

Rex Ingram, the film director and not the actor, is largely forgotten today. But at one time, next to De Mille, Griffith, and von Stroheim, the handsome Irish-born Ingram was considered one of cinema’s most brilliantly creative and sought-after directors of the 1920s. Author Ruth Barton has paid lasting tribute to the great man in her interesting biography REX INGRAM: VISIONARY DIRECTOR OF THE SILENT SCREEN.Ingram worked in film as an actor in the 1910s, and began directing pictures for Edison Studios, the Fox Film Corporation, Vitagraph, and eventually Metro Pictures where he worked with scenarist June Mathis, producing the 1920 masterpiece THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, which made a star out of Rudolph Valentino.Along with that, his next Metro films, such as THE CONQUERING POWER (1921), THE PRIZONER OF ZENDA (1922), and SCARAMOUCHE (1923) were heralded for their cinematography (primarily lensed by John F. Sietz). Ingram made a huge star out of Ramon Novarro, featuring the young actor opposite his then wife Alice Terry. Also, among his discoveries was Britisher Michael Powell, who later directed (with Emeric Pressburger) THE RED SHOES (1948). Eventually breaking with Metro and relocating to the south of France, Ingram opened a film studio in Nice, and made only one talkie film. He later left the industry and converted to Islam.Author Barton explores the legendary director’s life and work, and gives comprehensive detail to each film, though she frequently slips into lengthy passages detailing the director’s Irish background and history. Still REX INGRAM: VISIONARY DIRECTOR OF THE SILENT SCREEN is a quick and enjoyable read and peaks the reader’s curiosity to learn more about him and to certainly explore his films. And after all, that’s the purpose of a good biographer.

Incredible story about a little-known film genius.....