Long before Renoir or Welles experimented with depth of field, Sternberg was employing it in his silent films, and perhaps most beautifully in The Docks of New York. The mise-en-scene is so incredible in this movie that many critics accuse the movie of being overly concerned with imagery, and less concerned with plot. The plot is simple, yet it allows Sternberg to concentrate on what he appears to be most concerned with--developing character psychology. One is reminded of the rich characters in Greed when watching this film, yet the sense of despair is underplayed in Docks creating a much more subtle film than Stroheim's.
Many critics claim that Docks shows a near-perfect mastery of silent technique. Yet, the film remains somewhat obscure because it was released in 1928, when the novelty of the first "talkies" was overshadowing silent films such as Docks. If you are at all interested in film history or just plain good films see The Docks of New York.
Many critics claim that Docks shows a near-perfect mastery of silent technique. Yet, the film remains somewhat obscure because it was released in 1928, when the novelty of the first "talkies" was overshadowing silent films such as Docks. If you are at all interested in film history or just plain good films see The Docks of New York.