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Captured on Film - The True Story of Marion Davies

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Perhaps the most memorable scene in Orson Welles' Citizen Kane is his talentless, screechy wife's "operatic" debut. Just as Kane was a thinly disguised alter-ego to William Randolph Hearst, Susan Kane was a thinly disguised parody of Marion Davies, Hearst's long-time mistress.
The thing was though, the real life Marion Davies was very talented and kind, and nothing like the self-centered, pathetic Susan. This wonderful documentary restores the balance. There are lots of clips of Marion's films, and her radiance, gift of parody and mimicry, and comic timing are all obvious. Marion supposedly stuttered in real life but her talkies have no sign of the stutter. Davies is a joy to watch on camera. Her eyes are large and expressive, and she does a wicked imitation of Greta Garbo that would make SNL proud.
The documentary is narrated by Charlize Theron (who has a very pleasing speaking voice), and it has interviews with filmmakers, historians, and biographers. Virginia Madsen, who portrayed Miss Davies in a film, is also interviewed, as is Ruth Warrick, one of the stars of "Citizen Kane." Nothing is sugar-coated: Marion Davies was loyal to W.R. Hearst, but she did have dalliances with her leading men. She also, unfortunately, resembled Susan Kane in that she had a drinking problem. But it seems as if everyone who met her loved her. There are numerous testimonials to her generosity and even gullibleness.
Most documentaries are disappointing in their extras, but not "Marion Davies." It contains a "bonus" of an entire silent film of Davies -- Quality Street, which was remade into a talkie (starring Katharine Hepburn). Like most silent films this one takes some imagination to appreciate, but it's wonderful watching Marion's comic timing and charm on full display.
Highly recommended. I got this dvd for my mom, who is fascinated by Marion Davies, but ended up enjoying it tremendously.

Captured on Film: The True Story of Marion Davies is an insightful look at one of the most talented stars of the silent era. Davies' talent had been overshadowed by the way she was portrayed in the film Citizen Kane years after she had left the screen; many people suffer the misconception that Davies was a gold digging drunk with no merits as an actress. This could not be further from the truth. Paired with interviews with notable fans like Kevin Brownlow, Virginia Madsen, Fred Laurence Guiles, and Jeanine Basinger and film clips from some of the accessible to the rarest of Marion's films like Show People, The Floradora Girl, The Patsy, When Knighthood Was in Flower, Janice Meredeth, Beauty's Worth, Little Old New York, and Marianne, this documentary proves that Davies truly was a force to be reckoned with. The film concentrates less on her early life and her life after Hearst than during her stardom, but this is understandable since the bulk of viewers are most interested in this time frame.

Coupled with this fascinating documentary is the silent film Quality Street. It stars Marion as a beautiful young girl whose love for a soldier played by Conrad Nagel is threatened by the Napoleonic wars. While he is away for ten years, she loses her beauty and charm; when Nagel comes back for her, he finds an old maid schoolteacher and realizes he no longer loves her. Instead of sulking, she takes action and impersonates a niece called Miss Livvy who wins Nagel quickly with her former personality. The film is exciting, vibrant, and incredibly entertaining. It truly showcases Marion Davies' talents as a star.

Captured on Film - The True Story of Marion Davies is a marvellous bio about a truly great comedienne of the 20s and 30s. Marion is known for being the companion of William Randolph Hearst but that is a very small part of who she really was. Her talents are enormous. She is very funny, as well as beautiful but nevertheless she will take a role as a homely girl, no makeup, unattractive clothing, if the part requires it. Her ability to use foreign accents for roles is by far the best I have ever seen. This bio reveals Marion as a truly generous, loving and devoted woman to those who worked with her, be it cast or crew. She was good to everyone, quietly meeting many needs and helping those she could. I admire Marion Davies very much and have enjoyed every one of the many movies of hers I have seen, whether silent or talking pics. I implore you to check out this bio about a very talented lady.

Marion Davies, one of the most beautiful and talented actresses during the silent film era and the beginning years of the talkies. A woman who captured the hearts of many and was also known for being the mistress of one of the richest men of America, publishing and movie mogul William Randolph Hearst.

Her career and her life with W.R. Hearst is celebrated and featured in the one hour documentary "Captured on Film: The True Story of Marion Davies". A fantastic documentary on the life of Marion Davies, how she met Hearst, her career in silent films and then how she felt about the talkies and also covering her life after film, the Ince scandal, affair rumors, her niece Patricia Lake (who was actually the child of both Hearst and Davies), the death of Hearst and the death of Davies.

A fascinating documentary with so much detail about her life, the "Captured on Film" also goes into one of the most unfortunate things that has ever happened to an actress, specifically Marion Davies.

Known as the first screwball comedienne, Marion Davies has had an illustrious career from 1917 through 1937 which was well known to many at that time...that was until the the Orson Welles 1941 film "Citizen Kane" was released.

"Citizen Kane", considered to be the greatest film ever made, is a film which many people believe to be an autobiographical film in which the character Charles Foster Kane is based on the mogul William Randolph Hearst and the ditsy, no-talent character Susan Alexander Kane was based on Marion Davies.

Unfortunately, since the film and as the Silent Film became forgotten, many people believed that Marion Davies was the same as Susan Alexander Kane. An actress who was with a rich publishing mogul and a person without talent. Although "Citizen Kane" to this day is considered by many film institutes as the greatest film ever made, unfortunately, the myth of Marion Davies is like the character of Susan Alexander Kane is absolutely false but for many it became fact. Marion Davies was nothing like the character of Susan Alexander Kane. Not only did Davies have business smarts, she was one of the most talented actresses of that time. She also was an inspiration to many, as she donated money to help the needy, to help friends and it was well-known that she had a stuttering problem but for her live action films, she showed many that can she overcome the problem.

Orson Welles commented, "We had somebody very different in the place of Marion Davies. And it seemed to me to be something of a dirty trick, and does still strike me as being something of a dirty trick, what we did to her. And I anticipated the trouble from Hearst for that reason." (from "The Battle Over Citizen Kane" PBS documentary)

But at what cost has "Citizen Kane" hurt Marion Davies reputation overtime? One thing that we do know is that Davies never watched the film but she did write, "I had no anger toward Orson Welles. After all, everybody is created to do their very best, and he probably thought that was his way to make money. Who was I to say I didn't like the way he did his picture? I was not built that way. I liked to keep the waters calm. "

Fortunately, with this documentary, people will get to know who Marion Davies is and how she was unlike the character featured in "Citizen Kane".

Also, included with this DVD release is a Marion Davies MGM 1927 silent film titled "Qualty Street", a film based on the 1901 play by J.M. Barrie. Directed by Sidney Franklin and featuring a piano score by Philip Carli, "Quality Street" takes place in England during the Napoleonic Wars and revolves around Phoebe Throssel (played by Marion Davies). As many of the young and older women are smitten by Dr. Valentine Brown (played by Conrad Nagel), Brown has his eyes set only on the young and beautiful Phoebe.

All seems to go quite well between the two, but while walking home, Brown sees a rally in which the the military is asking for men to join and fight for their country against the impending march of Napoleon's troops to Britain. Phoebe who thinks that Dr. Brown would be proposing is shocked when she finds out that Brown is going to join the military to fight for the country.

Fast forward several years later and Phoebe and her sister Susan are now teachers but during those years, the young and beautiful Phoebe looks much different. She no longer shows the enthusiasm that she once had, wearing eye glasses and covering her whole head with a bonnet, she is much different than before. And in one instance at school, she finds out that one of the young students drew her and called her an old maid.

Meanwhile, Dr. Brown returns from war, with a few battle scars but what has kept him going is his love for Phoebe and can't wait to propose to her. When Brown arrives back home, he and Phoebe finally meet but things are not the same as before. Brown is shocked by how Phoebe looks and Phoebe can tell that with the years that have passed, not only have they grown older but she can tell Dr. Brown does not see her in the same way anymore.

But the reaction of Dr. Brown towards her and the incident at the school and a student looking at her as an "old maid" has hurt her. But now she has had enough. She wants to know how much Dr. Brown loves her but the only way is to transform into the vamp "Livvy", the niece of Phoebe. Phoebe tells her sister Susan that if Brown really loves her and not her looks, he will avoid Livvy but if he becomes smitten with her, she does not want anything to do with him.

As Dr. Brown returns back to Phoebe's home to apologize, instead of meeting Phoebe, he comes across the sexy Livvy. Will Dr. Brown be allured by the charm of the sexy Lilli? Or will his heart and love for Phoebe remain?

VIDEO:

For "Captured on Film - The True Story of Marion Davies", the documentary features very good photos as we get modern interview footage with those who knew Marion Davies and also the archived footage featured in the documentary are good as well.

As for "Quality Street", the film is presented in black and white (1:33:1) and the picture quality of the film varies. While the film is watchable and most of the scenes are good, you will notice that there is degradation from the original film source and see some warping on the sides of the film. Fortunately, the main part of the film is not damaged but towards the end of "Quality Street", there is about a minute or so, where the degradation takes over the whole screen. It is watchable but that is probably the only time where the film is at its worst. Fortunately, it's for a short time only.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"Captured on Film - The True Story of Marion Davies - The Milestone Collection" is presented in Dolby Digital Stereo for the documentary "Captured on Film - The True Story of Marion Davies". The dialogue is clear. As for "Quality Street", the silent film features a piano score by Philip Carli. Quality Street has English intertitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Captured on Film - The True Story of Marion Davies - The Milestone Collection" comes with the following special features:

* Stills Gallery - Featuring an autoplay of movie still images and photos featuring Marion Davies and WR Hearst.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I absolutely love Marion Davies. When it come to beautiful silent film stars, next to Louise Brooks, she is one of my favorites. I suppose one of the reasons why I enjoy her work is that, while Mary Pickford films usually are serious films, Marion Davies films are the screwball comedies and films where she just has fun. She's one of those actresses where your eyes are glued to the film as she is definitely ravishing but her acting and mannerisms, are just fantastic.

But it is a shame when you follow her career, despite having a flourishing career especially during the transition from silents to talkies, she has had such a raw deal despite all that she has accomplished and contributed. From the Ince scandal, her affair with WR Hearst and then "Citizen Kane", you just wish that people can know the true Marion Davies than what we see of Susan Alexander Kane who is nothing like Davies.

Of all people, "Citizen Kane" director/actor Orson Welles was even asked to contribute a foreword to Marion Davies oral history "The Times We Had" in which Welles went on to say about Davies, "Marion Davies was one of the most delightfully accomplished comediennes in the whole history of the screen. She would have been a star if Hearst had never happened. She was also a delightful and very considerable person. The proof is in this book, and I commend it to you."

Despite how anyone may have felt about Hearst, she was dedicated to him, maybe not loyal but she was with him and both shared the brunt of the media. But despite her personal life with Hearst, Davies is one of the most talented comediennes in the history of screen and with the release of "Captured on Film - The True Story of Marion Davies", I am so grateful for this documentary and grateful to Milestone Film & Video for including one of her silent films on this DVD.

"Quality Street" may not be one of Marion Davies classic films but it's one of the films that showcases her charm and how she knows how to use her mannerisms to showcase the character's personality but also showcases her strength in production (which she did a lot for WR Hearst films). Both Davies and Conrad Nagel have very good chemistry onscreen and for the most part, the film is a dramatic comedy that doesn't get too serious or convoluted. I do like the set design and costume design as well as the early cinematography for the film. I've read for the dolly shots, cinematographer Hendrik Sartov used a hand-held camera and wore roller skates. If that is the case, that would be very impressive, especially knowing how bulky camera equipment was during that time. "Quality Street" may not be among the top or most recognized Marion Davies films but the film does showcase humor and charm and for the most part, I enjoyed the film and that it was included alongside with the documentary as an excellent bonus.

Nearly a decade since the release of this DVD, fortunately we are now starting to see some of her classic films released (from Warner Archive) and aired on TCM. As a new generation of viewers discover silent film, I'm sure they will discover Marion Davies and hopefully now, a renewed interest and respect for one of the best comedic actresses of all time thanks to this documentary and DVD release.

If you have discovered Marion Davies or a big fan of the comedienne, "Captured on Film - The True Story of Marion Davies" is definitely recommended!

All these years I've heard what an extraordinary actress and comedienne Marion Davies was but how her talent was overshadowed by her being William Randolph Hearst's paramour. This documentary proves Davies was an exceptional film personality. Her parody of Lillian Gish had me in stitches. In scene after scene she is just perfect and she does amazing physical stunts. She is also at all times lovely and accessible; no mystery about her. On the other had, she is never a buffoon a la Lucille Ball (not a criticism of Lucy). She keeps it all high class. The record shows also she was a kind, sweet person, most beloved in the film colony. Hearst's sons treated her lovingly, then the night he died removed all traces of him from their home and turned their backs on her. It must have been stunning, but she survived. Her reputation did not survive Orson Welles' heartless and untrue depiction in "Citizen Kane." I know the film is a great American classic, but there was no reason for him ridicule Davies. He was not a nice man.

we loved this book, my husbands grandmother was good friends with Marion Davis, so it was fun to read about her

Marion Davies was as an actress in an elite class with Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish and Clara Bow. Marion was a brillant comedy actress and equivelent to Lucille Ball's Lucy as the screw ball comedy actress. This video highlights Marion's life with her defacto William Randolph Hearst who wanted her to become a serious actress but had trouble at MGM when Erving Thalberg the boy wonder who cast his wife Norma Shearer in all the good sound movie roles. Also during the silent movie era Marion was at the top of her game as demonstrated in the movie Quality Street where she done comedy and serious acting and is amazing in her role as a fun loving young women who's boyfriend is the actor Conrad Nagel as he goes away to war to fight Napolean Bonaparte's army and comes home to find his girl has aged and not fun anymore. She then makes herself look younger to trick her boyfriend into believing that she is her niece but he being a doctor is smart and finds out it is a trick. Silent movie actors like Marion came from the stage in New York and were very experienced. Marion was good friends with Charlie Chaplin who Hearst did not like because Charlie would flirt with Marion. Marion was very popular in private with other friends such writer George Bernard Shaw who found her charming with her lisp, director King Vidor, writer Madame Elinor Glyn who wrote the movie IT for Clara Bow the IT Girl. Also Marion was a wonderful host for parties at the Mansion San Simeon also the beach house at Santa Monica she shared with Wiliam Randolph Hearst and he would get her to impersonate other actors for the guests. This a a very good video about her life and and includes the movie Quality street. Silent movie actors were pioneers and brillant at there craft which Marion Davies was and a very intelligent lady as well. I would have loved to have been an actor in that era and to have been a friend of Marion's it was such a great time to have been involved in movies. You must see this video as you will be as amazed as I am by this marvellous lady.

I love Marion Davies' movies (The Patsy 1928, Show People 1928, The Florodora Girl 130, etc)

A little shocking to find out about her personal life and that long affair with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst(--saucy!) Who knew they weren't all prim in proper in the early 1900's? ;)