"The Mockery" is one of Lon Chaney's lesser known films. It is nonetheless a riveting Russian revolution melodrama.
Chaney plays a simple minded peasant named Sergei whom we first see searching the corpses of dead soldiers for food, drink and whatever else he can find. A beautiful young woman (Barbara Bedford) appears and implores Sergei to guide her to the city of Novokursk. Sergei agrees and on their journey they stop to rest at an apparently deserted cabin.
Unknown to the weary travelers, there is a revolutionary soldier hiding out there. Soon his compatriots arrive and Sergei is forced to take a beating while protecting the young woman. They are rescued when an army patrol rescues them. The woman promises to always be Sergei's friend.
Arriving in the city we learn that the young woman is the Countess Tatiana Alexandrova. Sergei is hospitalized and the Countess goes to live with the rich war profiteering Gaidaroffs (Mack Swain, Emily Fitzroy). When Sergei is released from hospital, he goes to the Gaidaroff home to seek out his "friend". There he learns that she is an aristocrat in love with an army officer Captain Dimitri (Ricardo Cortez).
Sergei is given a job with the household gate keeper Ivan (Charles Puffy) who begins to fill Sergei's mind with talk of the coming revolution. Sergei changes and becomes radicalized. When the revolutionaries take over the house, the Gaidaroffs flee and Sergei seeks out the Countess with hopes of taking her unto himself but..................................................
Chaney, the master pantomimist, again becomes the character he is playing. He becomes Sergei with his unkempt look and his simple minded outlook. As always, the viewer is drawn to Chaney's various facial expressions and mannerisms in accordance with the progression of the story. The story line of Sergei's protection of the young girl and his whipping at the hands of the revolutionaries, reminds me of a similar relationship between Quasimodo and Esmarelda in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1923).
Barbara Bedford makes a fetching young Countess who raises the desires of Sergei, Ivan and Dimitri. Ricardo Cortez is the dashing young hero in much the same way as Norman Kerry in the earlier film.
Mack Swain is the same Mack Swain who appeared in numerous Charlie Chaplin shorts and in the classic "The Gold Rush" Emily Fitzroy stand out as the domineering Mrs. Gaidaroff. And watch for John Mack Brown in a couple of scenes as an Army officer. Brown of course, went on to a lengthy career as Johnny Mack Brown in an never ending series of "B" westerns after a brief career as a leading man at MGM.
Another Chaney classic.
Chaney plays a simple minded peasant named Sergei whom we first see searching the corpses of dead soldiers for food, drink and whatever else he can find. A beautiful young woman (Barbara Bedford) appears and implores Sergei to guide her to the city of Novokursk. Sergei agrees and on their journey they stop to rest at an apparently deserted cabin.
Unknown to the weary travelers, there is a revolutionary soldier hiding out there. Soon his compatriots arrive and Sergei is forced to take a beating while protecting the young woman. They are rescued when an army patrol rescues them. The woman promises to always be Sergei's friend.
Arriving in the city we learn that the young woman is the Countess Tatiana Alexandrova. Sergei is hospitalized and the Countess goes to live with the rich war profiteering Gaidaroffs (Mack Swain, Emily Fitzroy). When Sergei is released from hospital, he goes to the Gaidaroff home to seek out his "friend". There he learns that she is an aristocrat in love with an army officer Captain Dimitri (Ricardo Cortez).
Sergei is given a job with the household gate keeper Ivan (Charles Puffy) who begins to fill Sergei's mind with talk of the coming revolution. Sergei changes and becomes radicalized. When the revolutionaries take over the house, the Gaidaroffs flee and Sergei seeks out the Countess with hopes of taking her unto himself but..................................................
Chaney, the master pantomimist, again becomes the character he is playing. He becomes Sergei with his unkempt look and his simple minded outlook. As always, the viewer is drawn to Chaney's various facial expressions and mannerisms in accordance with the progression of the story. The story line of Sergei's protection of the young girl and his whipping at the hands of the revolutionaries, reminds me of a similar relationship between Quasimodo and Esmarelda in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1923).
Barbara Bedford makes a fetching young Countess who raises the desires of Sergei, Ivan and Dimitri. Ricardo Cortez is the dashing young hero in much the same way as Norman Kerry in the earlier film.
Mack Swain is the same Mack Swain who appeared in numerous Charlie Chaplin shorts and in the classic "The Gold Rush" Emily Fitzroy stand out as the domineering Mrs. Gaidaroff. And watch for John Mack Brown in a couple of scenes as an Army officer. Brown of course, went on to a lengthy career as Johnny Mack Brown in an never ending series of "B" westerns after a brief career as a leading man at MGM.
Another Chaney classic.