London After Midnight - Chaney

[Ellis Kendrick]

I've never seen this movie and now I read that it is a "lost movie" and only stills remain. Is this true ?
If it is available, where ?

[Tim Fortuna]

Tim Casey would know more about this then I would but I believe they "remade" the movie using pictures and a script. I think.

[mikef12169]

Tim Casey would know more about this then I would but I believe they "remade" the movie using pictures and a script. I think.

Yes I think it was last Halloween TMC showed it.

[RockinResin]

Apparently the original film was destroyed in a fire. There is a UTube video with the basic storyline accompanied by still photographs from the original movie. Pretty cool considering that this is all that exists. So they say.

Sal

[Ellis Kendrick]

I checked out the two offerings on You Tube and they were quite good. After awhile you forget they are just production stills. Good soundtrack and silent movie period-correct title cards topped off the experience. One was around 43 minutes long and had better color and more photos. The other shorter one must have been someone's first attempt at doing the technique and was quite good as well.

[derekc62]

There are no known copies of the film but hope springs eternal that one day one will show up.
As mentioned earlier, TCM has broadcast the 'recreated' film more than a few times. It uses production stills and title cards.
The end result is good, and since photos are used, picture quality is likely much better than if it were film. I seem to recall the 'recreation' allowed the producers to move the camera through some of the photos providing for close-ups, pans, etc. making it a bit more visually pleasing. Remember, camera movement in the Silent era was extremely limited.
That being said, the viewer has to use some imagination to fill in the visual gaps of how the film would have appeared.
But since Mark of the Vampire used much of LAM's story line (based on Tod Browning's short story The Hypnotist) if you're able to view both films you'll get a good idea of what LAM's audiences would have seen. The big difference is that Chaney played two roles while in M of the V the duties were split between Barrymore and Lugosi.

[billikenmonster]

it would be amazing if someone in film production could incorporate the TCM LAM with some CGI and period camera effects to really show a recreation of London After Midnight. Ever since I was a kid in the 1960s I wanted to see this movie

[temperflash]

I used to have a large paper bound copy of a captioned still screen grab reconstruction of an early Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde film. I think it starred Fredrick March. Very enjoyable read and the still allowed better examination of sets and composition. The "Rape of Psyche By Eros" figurine on a table behind the rape murder scene was particularly effective. Eros being depicted as a winged angelic figure yet performing a base and brutal act.
Another was Dr Jekyl putting the tip of his cane in a garter on the floor when examining the prostitute. The old saying "he'd put his blank where I wouldn't put my walking stick" was pretty obviously the inspiration.

I've watched parts of the "London After Midnight" reconstruction. I'll try to finish it one day.
Every so often long missing bits of films surface.
I remembered seeing some long missing deleted scenes from "Metropolis" many years before these surfaced and were used in the most recent reconstructions.

[DoctorG]

Yes, the LAM still reconstruction is the closest thing we have at this point, other than the old Steve Riley book with the script and stills. I would strongly suggest getting the TCM Lon Chaney series of DVDs, which not only includes the LAM reconstruction, but an excellent biopic on Chaney's career, including interviews with people who saw the film before it was destroyed in the film archive fire. Sadly, the overall view was that the film wasn't very good, but I'm sure Chaney stole the show with his Man in the Beaver Hat make-up.

[billikenmonster]

I have long been told that Chaney used spring wire to keep his eyes open like they were in LAM, is this true? I just watched The Penalty and the cd had extra items one was his makeup case showing the glass eye he used in another film. He was just amazing.

[Ellis Kendrick]

By all reports - Lon Chaney would endure great pain and discomfort for the sake of the accuracy and effects of his makeup.

[temperflash]

He is believed to have achieved a Cataract effect by applying egg whites to his eyeball.