West of Zanzibar (1928)

Director:

Tod Browning

Writers:

Elliott J. Clawson (writer)
Chester De Vonde (play)

Release Date:

24 November 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Magician Phroso's wife Anna leaves him for another man, named Crane, who fights with Phroso and leaves him paralyzed...

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Ivory | Brothel | Africa | Magician

Cast

Lon Chaney	...	Phroso 'Dead-Legs'
Lionel Barrymore	...	Mr. Crane
Mary Nolan	...	Maizie
Warner Baxter	...	Doc
Jacqueline Gadsden	...	Anna
Tiny Ward	...	Tiny (as Roscoe Ward)
Kalla Pasha	...	Babe
Curtis Nero	...	Bumbu

Also Known As:

À l'ouest de Zanzibar (France) [fr]
Das Gesetz des Kongo (Austria) [de]
Em Plena Selva (Portugal) [pt]
La serpe di Zanzibar (Italy) [it]
Le talion (France) [fr]
Los pantanos de Zanzíbar (Spain) [es]

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (MovieTone) (musical score and sound effects) | Silent

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The crew encountered no major setbacks, although on five days they worked from nine a.m. until after midnight - one night shooting until 4:50 am (no doubt shooting the night exteriors).

Quotes:

Mr. Crane: Come on! What's this all about? What are you wrecking that girl for?
Phroso 'Dead-Legs': You'll find out. That's why I brought you here.
Phroso 'Dead-Legs': That's Anna's child! YOUR DAUGHTER!
Phroso 'Dead-Legs': When I found Anna... she was dead! And that brat of yours was with her!
Phroso 'Dead-Legs': I had her raised in the lowest dive in Zanzibar... so you could be proud of her!
Phroso 'Dead-Legs': And now I've got a real treat comin' for her... and her father!
Mr. Crane: You're her father... not ME! She's... your daughter! YOURS!
Mr. Crane: Now listen! Your wife never went away with me... Do you hear? She never went away with me!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "TCM Underground: West of Zanzibar/The Unholy Three (#1.10)" (2006)

Chaney gives one of the most powerful acting performances ever seen

This film can be discounted as unacceptable by many modern audiences. It is filmed in black and white. It is silent and it shows African blacks in a stero-typic manner that would not be accepted today.

Saying all that, it is a must-see film for any serious student or fan of drama. Chaney gives in this film one of the most powerful and convincing acting performances of any actor in any film. Without a single spoken word he shows anger to the point of madness, sly intelligence and overwhelming remorse and sorrow.

There is no feel of "miming emotions " or "mugging for the camera" about this film. The emotions that Chaney display feel so authentic that at times this viewer feels a discomfort for intruding into the personal torment of the character.

The director has used the talents of Chaney and to a lesser extent those of the other actors to relay most of the story with minimal use of "Text Cards", which otherwise would have disrupted the flow of action.