See John Barrymore fall apart in 'Beau Brummel' (1924) on Sunday, Aug. 20 at Town Hall Theatre

Mary Astor and John Barrymore, lovers on-screen and off, in 'Beau Brummel' (1924).

One reason we're doing the "Not Known To Be Shown" series at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H. is because it gives me a chance to work with films that rarely screen anywhere, and which I might not ever have a chance to accompany.

And that's a good thing, because I doubt I would have otherwise discovered 'Beau Brummel' (1924), which at first glance seems to be one of those static time-wasters—the kind of slow-paced drama about the 18th century aristocracy exchanging knowing glances that give all silent drama a bad name.

And for the first half-hour of 'Beau Brummel' (1924), that's what I saw: John Barrymore and Mary Astor making goo-goo eyes, plus plenty of what I imagine was cutting edge 19th century fashion displayed on screen. Yawn!

Things changed, however, when Brummel's downfall begins a little more than half-way through the picture. From that point, the film practically turns into a remake of the silent 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,' which Barrymore starred in a few years earlier. 

For my money, no one does transformation like Barrymore, who had a talent for portraying educated aristocrats who become drooling madman. (He certainly had  a lot of practice, doing it many times as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde both on stage and in the screen version.)

In 'Beau Brummel,' it's not a back and forth thing, but one long slow descent into poverty and senescence, which we get to see (and savor) close-up.

In both roles, Barrymore did not go for subtlety. No—he puts his whole body into the transformation, hunching his spine, stiffening his walk, immobilizing his neck. Makeup aids somewhat, but in both films it's hard to believe the same actor is playing all phases of the transformation.

It's as good as anything Lon Chaney did, I think. 

You really have to see it for yourself. And I hope you will by joining us on Sunday, Aug. 20 for a rare theatrical screening of 'Beau Brummel' (1924), one of the prestige releases of that year from Warner Bros. 

Show time is 2 p.m. And if you'd like more info about the screening or the film, just check out the press release below.

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An original release poster for 'Beau Brummel' (1924).

 

TUESDAY, AUG. 1, 2023 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Rare feature film 'Beau Brummel' (1924) to screen with live music at Town Hall Theatre

Drama featuring iconic actor John Barrymore to be shown on Sunday, Aug. 20 as part of 'Not Known To Be Shown' series

WILTON, N.H.—A seldom screened picture featuring iconic silent-era megastar John Barrymore will return to the silver screen in August for a rare revival.

'Beau Brummel' (1924), a period drama produced  by Warner Bros., will be shown on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10. Live music will be provided by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.

The screening is part of a series of early films that never played at the Wilton venue when originally released.

The 'Not Known to be Shown' series runs through October and features obscure dramas, comedies, and adventure flicks from the silent era.

"In putting together this series, we wanted to give audiences a chance to see some rarely screened titles from the first years of motion pictures," Rapsis said.

"Also, they're all movies I've never scored before," Rapsis added. "So it's also a chance to work with 'new' material, although the films themselves are about 100 years old," Rapsis said.

'Beau Brummel,' is an historical drama set in the 18th century starring John Barrymore (right) as George Bryan Brummel, a British military officer. Brummel loves Lady Margery (played by Mary Astor), the betrothed of Lord Alvanley. 

 

Despite her own desperate love for Brummel, she submits to family pressure and marries Lord Alvanley. Brummel, broken-hearted, embarks upon a life of revelry. He befriends the Prince of Wales and leaves the army, becoming subsequently the best-known rake and decider of fashion in Europe. 

 

As his affairs flourish, he falls out of favor with his benefactor, the Prince. Only Lady Margery has any chance of helping him—but will she? 

 

Barrymore, known as The Great Profile and heralded as “the foremost English-speaking actor of his time,” first achieved fame on the stage, later moving into motion pictures. He starred in more than 60 feature films, during both the silent and sound era, before succumbing to alcoholism at age 60 in 1942. 

 

Shooting on 'Beau Brummel' began in September 1923, with Barrymore and Astor conducting an affair throughout the production. 

 

Barrymore and Willard Louis, who played the Prince of Wales, frequently told off-color jokes during camera takes rather than say their lines, since it was a silent film. 

 

However, they did not take into account deaf audience members who could lip read what they were saying. Many patrons wrote to Warner Bros. to complain about the actors' antics.

The picture wasa remake of a 1913 version and was in turn remade in 1954 with Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Turner, and Peter Ustinov. 

Upcoming films in the Town Hall Theatre's 'Not Known to be Shown' series include:

• Sunday, Aug. 27, 2 p.m.: 'The Divine Lady' (1929) starring Corrine Griffith. Frank Lloyd won the 'Best Director' Oscar for this romantic melodrama about British naval hero Horatio Nelson's romantic adventures.

• Sunday, Sept. 17, 2 p.m.: 'Eagle of the Night' (1928) starring Frank Clarke, Shirley Palmer. An inventor creates a new muffler for noisy airplane engines, but the bad guys are out to steal the breakthrough and put it to evil use.

• Sunday, Oct. 8, 2 p.m.: 'The Red Kimona' (1925). A small-town girl finds escape from her cruel home life in the arms of a handsome stranger, a situation that leads her to work as a prostitute in New Orleans.

'Beau Brummel' (1924), a drama starring John Barrymore, will be shown on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10. For more information, call (603) 654-3456. 

Below: an original release poster featuring "the Great Profile."