Cecil B. DeMille was the first to accomplish a feat achieved by only one subsequent director: make the two best films of the year. Sidney Lumet did it both in 1963 ("The Panwbroker" and "The Hill") and 1997 ("Night Falls on Manhattan" and "Critical Care').
CB did it in 1929 with this film and "The Godless Girl." Watching Kay Johnson's character trying to cook (in high heels) was the funniest kitchen scene I've seen; often imitated, never equaled.
The mine cave-in featured special effects as astounding as the fire scene in "Godless." If "a gun hung on the wall in act 1 must be fired in act 3,"a song sung in a jailhouse wedding must be heard again when the two leads first realize they're in love.
With its sparkling repartee, "I laughed I cried," may be a cliché, but I did watching this masterpiece.
CB did it in 1929 with this film and "The Godless Girl." Watching Kay Johnson's character trying to cook (in high heels) was the funniest kitchen scene I've seen; often imitated, never equaled.
The mine cave-in featured special effects as astounding as the fire scene in "Godless." If "a gun hung on the wall in act 1 must be fired in act 3,"a song sung in a jailhouse wedding must be heard again when the two leads first realize they're in love.
With its sparkling repartee, "I laughed I cried," may be a cliché, but I did watching this masterpiece.