Beverly of Graustark Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Beverly of Graustark Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 30, 2023

One of the sad ironies of fame and/or fortune is that you can be the Number One box office star in the world at one point, and then consigned to being remembered (if you're remembered at all, that is) as the supposed basis for a famous fictional character in one of the most iconic films of all time. Marion Davies is just such a star, one who was unbelievably popular in her heyday, either due to or in spite of promotional efforts by her longtime lover William Randolph Hearst. That name may immediately alert folks to the fact that Davies ostensibly inspired the character of Susan Alexander Kane in Citizen Kane, though Orson Welles himself went to some lengths to distance himself from that thesis. For anyone thinking that Davies' fame was only the result of Hearst, they might be downright shocked by how winning she is in Beverly of Graustark, a kind of fun silent from 1926 that offers Davies a chance to strut herself as a sort of early cinema take on Victor/Victoria.

The gender bending aspect of the story comes into play as Beverly (Marion Davies) is alerted to the fact that her cousin, Prince Oscar (Creighton Hale), is about to ascend to the throne of Graustark despite the nefarious activities of chief nemesis General Marlanax (Roy D'Arcy). When the Prince is temporarily indisposed, Beverly is pressed into service as his stand in, something that's made possible due to the fact that Oscar has been in exile since he was a baby. That then sets a typically farcical chain of events into motion, where Beverly has to survive in a court fairly bursting with intrigue, something that ultimately introduces her (as Oscar) to a goat herder named Dantan (Antonio Moreno), who ends up being her (his?) bodyguard.

Beverly of Graustark Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beverly of Graustark is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Undercrank Productions and the Library of Congress with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.32:1. The closing credits roll includes the following information:

Beverly of Graustark is presented here in a new digital restoration by the film lab of the Library of Congress' National Audio Visual Conservation Center. The restoration was made from a 4K scan of a nitrate 35mm print in the Library's Marion Davis Collection, which contains the film's original 2 color Technicolor ending.

The element utilized for this transfer is in considerably more ragged shape than was seen in the recently reviewed Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian from Undercrank, with pretty recurrent issues including scratches, unstable frames, wobble in intertitles and what even looks like some mold spores on a couple of occasions. As such, there is definitely damage that has to be tolerated, but overall this is certainly still heads and shoulders above some other less successfully curated silents I've personally reviewed. A lot of the black and white material features secure contrast and decent black levels despite any passing damage, and the blue tinted interstitials that crop up a couple of times are rather beautifully suffused, even if the grading can erase a bit of fine detail. As can be seen in the first screenshot I've uploaded to accompany this review, the short Technicolor coda is not in the best shape, but it's fun to see nonetheless. Per Undercrank's business model, this is a BD-R.

Beverly of Graustark Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Beverly of Graustark offers another fun organ score from Undercrank's Ben Model. This one traffics in some quasi-military motifs as Beverly (as Oscar) attempts to blend in with his (her?) troops. Again, per my own personal longstanding preference, lossless audio would be preferred.

Beverly of Graustark Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on the disc.

Beverly of Graustark Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Beverly of Graustark provides a wonderful showcase for Marion Davies, who traipses through the comedic aspects of the story without a misstep, but who is also to occasionally provide a moment or two of sweetness and vulnerability. The Library of Congress print has some age related wear and tear, some of which can be spotted in some of the screenshots accompanying this review, and audio is lossy Dolby Digital, but for a chance to see Marion Davies shine this way, and at least for diehard fans of silent cinema, Beverly of Graustark comes Recommended.