Cheap Don Juan (1926) (Video) (Alan Crosland) Price

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Customer Reviews of Don Juan (1926)

Another Must-Have Classic!
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!

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Two words: John Barrymore. Isn't that enough?
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! <
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>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! <
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>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!