Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (February 6, 2023)
With 1928’s Our Dancing Daughters, we get a flick from the era in which movies went from silent to “talkies” – and awkwardly at times. In this case, we find a movie with effects/music on a synchronized soundtrack but only a little audible dialogue.
On the surface, Diana Medford (Joan Crawford) appears to be a hedonistic party girl, but deep down, she hides a more virtuous and idealistic side. On the other hand, her friend Ann (Anita Page) pursues a much more selfish and amoral path.
Both vie for the attention of Ben Blaine (John Mack Brown), a young man set to come into a fortune. This competition – and Ben’s choice – leads to a slew of complications.
With my opening paragraph’s focus on the movie’s transition from silent to talkies, I might’ve buried the lede. Perhaps I should’ve concentrated more on the film’s actual place in history: the manner in which it elevated its lead actor to fame.
Daughters came three years into Crawford’s film career. However, it turned into the movie that boosted her to her eventual status as a Hollywood legend.
When I review older movies, I try my best to view them through “period eyes”. However, the farther back in time we go, the more difficult this becomes.
I encounter particular difficulty when it comes to silent movies. The best of these hold up well, but many look unnatural and clunky today.
In my view, movies that emphasize visuals survive the silent era best. Spectacles like Wings or horror films like Phantom of the Opera or comedies like The Gold Rush still remain engaging and enjoyable all these decades later.
Essentially a romantic melodrama, Daughters falls into none of those categories. As such, it doesn’t surprise me that I find little of merit here.
While the smoochy-smoochy scenes work fine without chit-chat, Daughters relies pretty heavily on character interactions and development, and these domains suffer without the presence of speech. Of course, the movie includes the expected dialogue cards to convey remarks, but like most silent flicks, it lacks many of these.
Which I get, as a film that paused for text too often would become a chore to watch. Nonetheless, a character drama really needs the connections that come mainly via conversations, so the largely dialogue-free approach of Daughters damages its dramatic potential.
Not that I feel confident the filmmakers would churn out a more compelling tale even with the benefit of audible dialogue. Did sappy melodrama like this feel fresh in the late 1920s?
Perhaps, but I doubt it. I suspect this sort of generic love triangle tale has existed for millennia, and Daughters finds nothing creative to do with it.
I admit I can’t figure out why Daughters ignited Crawford’s career, though she does seem fine in the part within the constraints of the era. She displays a solid screen presence and doesn’t overdo the role like so many other silent performers might have.
Crawford doesn’t come across as especially magnetic or charismatic here, though. While I find she offers a more than competent turn, her work never feels particularly impactful.
Again, I admit that I might feel differently if I enjoyed a much stronger background in silent films. While the few dozen I’ve watched puts me a few dozen up on most people, it means I lack the fluent familiarity with the format necessary to accurately judge the movies.
Nonetheless, I can firmly say that I find Daughters to offer a bore. I’ve enjoyed plenty of other silent flicks but this one just feels tedious and uninspired.
