whataboutbobbed
for all the love we have of Colleen Moore, we’ve sadly barely seen any of her movies, and especially on the big screen
three years ago, we were lucky enough to see her in 1922’s Come On Over, which was pretty good, despite her being bob-less
But thanks to our beloved home away from home – Film Forum – we got to see another – 1929’s Synthetic Sin – and oh my – it was beyond BOB-tastic!!!! Colleen played a small town ingenue looking to make it big on Broadway. And while her character, Betty Fairfax, may be low on actual talent, lil Ms Fairfax is beyond large on ambition, energy, eye-rolling, and awesomeness!!! GO COLLEEN!!!
The film, along with Colleen’s Why Be Good?, were once considered lost, but then were found in an Italian film archive!!!
Thanks to the fine folks at the The Vitaphone Project + Warner Bros – the films have been restored, and Sin is a sight to be seen… and sorta heard. It’s silent, and only one of the Vitaphone disks for Sin still exists, so the film was mostly accompanied by a pianist. (Sadly we were out of town for the Why Be Good? screenings. Praying we get a 2nd chance some other time!)
Colleen Moore utterly dazzles on the screen, making me so so so sad and depressed that so many of her other movies are lost or are barely screened. She’s the female equivalent of Buster Keaton (no joke), and perhaps the most under-loved and under-appreciated actress of the first half of the 20th Century
LONG LIVE COLLEEN MOORE!!!!
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