Product Details

• Actors: John Barrymore, John Roche, Warner Oland, Estelle Taylor, Montagu Love
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 110 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302004500
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,161 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Must-Have Classic!, June 24, 2004

By 

Barbara (Burkowsky) Underwood (Tumut, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Don Juan (Silent) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Besides having two popular stars like John Barrymore and Mary Astor in a lavishly-costumed, entertaining and exciting adventure, this film also features this first 'perfectly matched orchestral accompaniment' recorded on Vitaphone. This was one of the first steps in 1926 towards synchronized sound with moving pictures which led to 'talkies' a few years later. The picture quality on this tape is excellent and is in clear black & white, but at first hearing the original Vitaphone recording sounds a bit muffled; exactly like our parents' old phonograph records - which it is, after all. After a short while, however, I was too engrossed in the film to pay attention to the sound quality and only noticed how well the music and sounds matched the scenes and mood of the pictures.
John Barrymore suits and plays the part of Don Juan perfectly, showing a range of emotions as he moves from playboy to serious lover and hero, as well as engaging in a breath-taking sword fight that would rival the popular Fairbanks Swashbuckler films. "Don Juan" has the perfect balance of humor, drama, excitement and suspense to make it a video well worth while and one that will hopefully appear on DVD before too long as well!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two words: John Barrymore. Isn't that enough?, May 20, 2004

By 

Sara M. Kay "pagan bookworm" (Newport, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don Juan (Silent) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

John Barrymore is perfect in the role of Don Juan de Marana, the notorious lover of all women who made a pact with his dying father that he would never let a woman into his heart. He matures into a clever and handsome young man who, with the help of his faithful sidekick Pedrillo, romances and seduces many women simultaneously- even to the point of having three women in his home who each have no clue that they are not alone with the great lover!

His reputation intrigues the fatally beautiful Lucrezia, a member of the villainous Borgia clan, and he accepts her invite to their upcoming gala. Between dodging Lucrezia and instantly seducing an attractive young maid, Don Juan's cold heart is melted by the mere sight of the pure Adriana della Varnese, portrayed by the gorgeous Mary Astor (roughly 20 years before her famous role in "The Maltese Falcon"). Adriana's father, Duke della Varnese, is an enemy of the Borgia and also a guest at the party. When Don Juan realizes that the Duke is about to drink a poisoned glass sent by Lucrezia, he gallantly saves the Duke's life as a gesture of ardour to Adriana. Lucrezia sees that Adriana is a threat and tries to rip away her rival's innocence by trying to marry her to the evil Count Donati, and by giving her to the even more evil alchemist Neri as a guinea pig for his fiendish experiments. Don Juan fights his feelings as long as he can, but ultimately stands up to each challenge with courage and intelligence. There is an excellent fight scene between Don Juan and Count Donati which ranges from swordplay to fists to exhaustion between the two men, and the scenes where Don Juan is imprisoned by the Borgia (and his escape) are amazing. Don Juan does save the girl and escape from the enemy, and the happy couple ride off into the sunset as of olden times...wait a minute, this was made during the olden times!

John Barrymore also plays Don Juan's father, Don Jose de Marana- a bitter man who had his wife's lover trapped behind a wall of their castle and swore off love forever. He also did all of his own stunts in the film. This will surprise those who don't like older movies with its timeless romance and unforgettable characters. A must-have for silent movie fans everywhere!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic film marks the end of an era, July 12, 2011

By 

Dr. James Gardner (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don Juan (DVD)

Don Juan is the legendary 14th Century Spanish lover immortalized in Moliere's 1665 play, Mozart's 1787 opera, and Byron's 1821 epic poem. This 1926 movie with John Barrymore was the first film version. Don Juan would later be played by Douglas Fairbanks Sr. (1934), Errol Flynn (1949), and Johnny Depp (1994).

John Barrymore (1882-1942) was one of the greatest theatrical performers of the 20th century, but many of his screen performances are not nearly as powerful, and this is particularly true of his work in the talkies. In films like "Romeo and Juliette" (1936) and "Twentieth Century" (1934), which were essentially filmed plays, we get to see what theater goers saw, but in more dynamic vehicles like "Rasputin and the Empress" (1932) and "Dinner at Eight" (1933), much of Barrymore's charm and charisma are missing. But here in this silent film his skills are fully in view.

FWIW - Barrymore set the world's record by slapping 191 kisses on various women during this film.

A very young Mary Astor (1906-1987) plays the innocent girl who attracts Barrymore's attention. Astor is best remembered as Mrs. O'Shaughnessy from "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), although she won the Oscar for her role in "The Great Lie" which appeared the same year and is now mostly forgotten. Astor made more than 100 films from 1921 to 1964 ("Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte") and was a major star in the silent era. Astor does her usual good job.

Myrna Loy (1905-93) plays an aide to Borgia. She started in silent films in the mid 20s, appearing as an uncredited slave girl in "Ben Hur" (1925) and then appeared in more than 50 silent films before transitioning to sound. Her persona as a comedienne slowly emerged in films like "The Prizefighter and the Lady" (1933) that was directed by Woody Van Dyke, who would help transform Myrna Loy into Nora Charles, the other half of "The Thin Man" series (1934 - 47) for which she is best known.

Warner Oland (1879-1938) plays Cesare Borgia. Oland is best known for his many films as Charlie Chan, starting in 1931 following his role in "The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu" (1929). Interestingly enough he was Swedish.

Hedda Hopper (1885-1966) appears briefly. Hopper is better known for her gossip columns, but she did, in fact, appear in over 100 films between 1916 and 1946. Her performance in this film suggests that her career move was the correct one.

Alan Crosland (1894-1936) was a major director in the silent era where he made some 50 films including "Under the Red Robe" (1923). He followed "Don Juan" with "The Jazz Singer" (1927), but after this his career declined.

The sets are lavish, the costumes are terrific, and the photography is marvelous, using some hand held techniques that were revolutionary for the time. This was the first time the music and the film were synchronized and it works perfectly. The same team later worked on "The Jazz Singer" and so began the talkie era.

The big money earners in 1926 were "Aloma of the South Seas", Raoul Walsh's "What Price Glory?" with Victor McLaglen, "The Great K and A Train Robbery" with Tom Mix, "Beau Geste" with Ronald Coleman, and Clarence Brown's "Flesh and the Devil" with Greta Garbo and John Gilbert. "Don Juan" came in #9, just ahead of another Barrymore film, "The Sea Beast". Other notable films released that year were "The General" with Buster Keaton and "Son of the Sheik" with Rudolph Valentino.

This movie is great stuff for silent film fans and for anyone interested in seeing the early work of future stars like Astor, Loy, and Oland. For Barrymore fans this is a must see. He is in complete control of his considerable skills. He climbs balconies, swings from the chandeliers, jumps off terraces, and engages in sword fights on land and on horseback that are the equal of any of Douglas Fairbanks' swashbuckling during that same era. Indeed, the duel between Barrymore and the evil Count is one of the top 5 dueling scenes ever photographed.