Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.
Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Space_Mafune Russian lieutenant Vladimir Dubrovsky (Rudolph Valentino) vows vengeance against a man named Kyrilla (James A. Marcus) after Kyrilla used treachery to steal Dubrovsky land, which left his father a dying, ruined man. Eventually hiding his face under a mask and assuming the identity "The Black Eagle", he and his band of followers set out to bring down Kyrilla. However Dubrovsky has even more reason to hide his face because having offended the Czarina of Russia by spurning her affections, she has issued a warrant for his arrest dead or alive for desertion from his regiment. Further complicating Dubrovsky's plans is he unexpectedly winds up falling in love with Kyrilla's daughter Mascha (Vilma Bánky).Well it's certainly unpredictable, you have to say that. This one certainly has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing what might befall our hero next. Valentino it cannot be denied is excellent in the lead role as an heroic bandit with irresistible charm. This does deliver romance and some tense moments for our ill-fated lovers. The problem here is that really "The Black Eagle" never quite seems to deliver the goods when it comes to action, his most impressive moments firing a shot at a key moment and as expected coming to the rescue of his damsel in distress time and time again. Also the ending doesn't quite seem to ring true given previously established events in our story. Still certainly not bad of its type, just a straightforward romantic adventure, almost fairytale-like, in a fashion.
Snow Leopard This is a very good period melodrama that also features one of Rudolph Valentino's best roles. The Robin Hood-like story combines drama, excitement, revenge, romance, and more in a well-crafted movie that is entertaining to watch. Vilma Banky and Louise Dresser head up a good supporting cast that works well with Valentino.The story setup has Valentino's character on the run from an angry Czarina, even as he is cheated out of his family possessions by a dishonest nobleman. He turns outlaw to avenge his family name, only to have everything complicated by romance. It's a good story, though a largely familiar one, and the cast and director Clarence Brown make it enjoyable.It's a good role for Valentino because it plays to his strengths and doesn't ask him to do much more. Banky is sympathetic as the daughter of the crooked Kyrilla, and Dresser does a very good job as Empress Catherine, bringing out her personal desires and her ruthless use of power. Albert Conti and James Marcus also give good performances, while Brown keeps things moving at a good pace and tells the story effectively, with an occasional lighter moment to keep things from being taken too seriously. "The Eagle" combines a good story, cast, and production values, and it works quite well.
loza-1 I would say that United Artists spared no expense in bringing Imperial Russia to Hollywood. The costumes and sets are superb. The story of a young officer who becomes an outlaw after spurning Catherine the Great is excellently portrayed.In my opinion, this is the best of Valentino's films (although I liked Blood and Sand too).I need not say that Valentino is excellent. Good too is Vilma Banky, one of the best silent actresses about at the time...BUT...Earlier in the film she makes the sign of the cross the Roman Catholic way, but later, during the wedding scene, she blesses herself the Russian Orthodox way.Oversight or conversion?
Danusha_Goska Save Send Delete This isn't the best Valentino; for this viewer, that would be "Son of the Sheik.""The Eagle"'s plot is a mess. The hero is not given a chance to use his own wits or cunning or skill or strength to rescue himself. Rather, he is rescued by a moment of sentiment in a person in power. He has vowed to avenge his father and depose Kyrilla, but he never does. While "The Sheik" movies worked to create atmosphere, showing how Valentino and his women were far, far away, in a world surrounded by sand dunes, "The Eagle" interior shots do a fair enough job of creating a convincing czarist Russia, but its exterior shots are obviously California. There's never any snow, which could have made this world as exotic and distant as Arabia's sands. But this *is* a Valentino movie, and that is a very good thing. He was wonderful, unique, and he made too few movies. So, you watch it for him. Vilma Banky is very fetching here, with the intelligence and spunk of an "It-Happened-One-Night"-era Claudette Colbert. The shot of the heavily laden banquet table is something to see; the special arrangements that had to be made for the camera for that shot are something to ponder. All in all enjoyable, but not the very best Valentino.
