User reviews

Finally broadcast by Turner Classic Movies on December 15, 2004. The best feature of this comedy-drama is in fact the directing. Unusual overhead shots, clever arrangements of actors to later reveal a different situation than first seen, make this film stand out. Director Lewis Milestone would go on to do "All Quiet on the Western Front," "The Front Page," "Of Mice and Men," and the 1962 "Mutiny on the Bounty." The plot is a bit convoluted (war in the trenches to a prison camp, to the high seas, and finally in Arabia) and there is some problems with continuity, but a synopsis is that boy meets girl and boy gets girl. The writing appears to have been above average but are we looking at the original titles or was the text altered and updated during the restoration? William Boyd (AKA Hopalong Cassidy) is actually believable as a carefree World War I doughboy as is Louis Wolheim as his buddy the Sergeant. Michael Visaroff is excellent as the lecherous ship's captain. The film also features a twenty-one year old Mary Astor and Boris Karloff. New music provides a pleasant accompaniment. Film quality is not great, but it is apparently all that we can get. Recommended.

TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS has been restored by Flicker Alley and TCM after being unavailable for decades. The film is the only recipient of the "Best Direction of a Comedy Film" Academy Award that was only given out in 1927-1928. William Boyd and Louis Wolheim are two feuding G.I.s that are both captured by the Germans in World War I. The film is more of an adventure/comedy rather than a straight comedy. They have a suspenseful escape from their prison camp, only to be recaptured and sent to Turkey. They end up being stuck on a train, and a ship, as well as well as being marked for death by an Arab suitor. A very young and beautiful Mary Astor is a veiled woman who boards the ship and is a target of romantic advances by both men. Look fast to spot a very young Boris Karloff as the ship purser. Louis Wolheim has a face only a mother could love, but he is perfect in his part as the gruff sergeant.

I'm not sure how this film could have beaten out Chaplin's THE CIRCUS, Keaton's STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. and Harold Lloyd's SPEEDY for the "comedy direction" Oscar. Still, it is a fun, sophisticated, and exciting film that is well written. I particularly liked the scene where they escape from a jam with a little help from God (or Allah). If you like silent films, you won't be disappointed.

TCM came through by acquiring this wonderful, silent, comedy/drama for television. Until recently it had been locked away in an achieve somewhere. It premiered on TV for the 1st time since its theatrical release in 1927. Two Americans fighting in World War I (William Boyd and Louis Wolheim) are hiding in a defensive position with German soldiers advancing. They however are fighting with each other and working the nerve of one-an-other. They of course are caught, but after an inventive escape they are taken on a whirlwind adventure in Arabia, with all the humor you might find in an Abbott and Costello movie. Very funny and sometimes even touching. A great silent picture and winner of an Academy Award for "Best Comedy Direction". Directed by Lewis Milestone.

The third movie produced by Howard Hughes, this gem was thought to be lost. It was recently restored and shown on TCM (12/15/04). The plot is a familiar one - two WW I soldiers escape from a German prison camp (guarded by an extremely lethargic German shepherd, who practically guides them out of the camp), stow away on a ship, and end up in "Arabia", where they rescue the lovely Mary Astor. The restoration is very good overall, although there are two or three very rough sequences. The production is very good, and there are some very funny scenes. And did I mention that Mary Astor is in it? The film won an Academy Award for the now-defunct category of "Best Direction of a Comedy".

"Two Arabian Knights" has the distinction of winning one of the first two Oscars given for Best Direction. In the Academy's first year, 1927-28, the Best Director award was split between dramatic and comedy categories, and "Two Arabian Knights" won the latter. Indeed, it's only the first of two films in Oscar history -- the second being "The Divine Lady" the following year -- to win a Best Director Oscar without being nominated for Best Picture, but since that first year was the only one in which two directing awards were given, it isn't an apples to apples comparison with other years. Lewis Milestone, who certainly deserved to win an Oscar for something and would become the first person to win two directing Oscars when the Academy awarded him the prize two years later for "All Quiet on the Western Front," beat Ted Wilde ("Speedy") to win the one for this film, and I have to say the Academy got it wrong. "Two Arabian Knights" is enjoyable, at times very funny, and features a very fetching Mary Astor (this was the first silent performance I'd ever seen her in), but it doesn't hold a candle to Harold Lloyd's hysterical comedy.

If all had gone originally according to plan, we would be saying that both "Two Arabian Knights" and "Speedy" were bested in this category by Charles Chaplin's "The Circus." But the Academy decided to yank Chaplin's film from competitive consideration and instead give it a special award.

Grade: B+

William Boyd and Louis Wolheim are the "Two Arabian Knights" referred to in the title, humorously. The pair start out as U.S. POWs trying to escape from the Germans during World War I. Eventually, they find themselves on board a ship bound for Arabia. While tripping out to the Middle East, they rescue an Arab woman, Mary Astor, who turns out to be a Princess; and, of course, becomes a romantic interest for the "Two Arabian Knights". No points for guessing who wins the veiled Ms. Astor!

The film is very well photographed and directed; Lewis Milestone has wonderful sets, and stages scenes beautifully. Of the performances, Mr. Wolheim stands out - he creates a character so understandable you can almost hear him speak, trough the film is silent. The story isn't as strong as it could be - there are some events and sequences which had me wondering how and why the characters' locale changed. The last looks, exchanged between one of the stars and an extra, is an example of something I didn't understand. Perhaps these were comic bits which had a particular appeal for the time.

The film is damaged in several places; but there is enough preserved, in even these scenes, to allow your mind to fill in the visual blanks. Boris Karloff appears as the "Purser"; watch for his big scene on ship, when Wolheim goes into a room with him for some money (what actually happens is a mystery). Early in the film, there is a long scene with a lot of naked men shown from the waist up (or, thereabouts); they are POWs being herded to the showers. Director Milestone uses parades of soldiers moving to great effect; this "shower" scene is different in that several of the men don't look as Caucasian as you might expect.

******* Two Arabian Knights (9/23/27) Lewis Milestone ~ William Boyd, Louis Wolheim, Mary Astor

Turner Classic Movies showed this silent, B&W flick today (Aug 29, 2007) on TV.

Solid classic adventure story, complete with all of the key ingredients: exotic plot locations, a beautiful woman in peril, a pair of dauntless and resourceful heroes (one of them handsome, the other colorful) grossly outnumbered by badguys, sprinkled with comic relief. Great costumes and sets; as good or better than those of current movies. Surprising variety of camera craft and directorship; pans and zooms including overhead angles, and closeups of key characters and objects. In this regard again it seems like a modern movie! Actions convey the story very well; without the benefit of a soundtrack. Of course, this entails a considerable degree of live type acting (similar to that seen in plays), but I did not get a feeling of melodrama like is all too common in most silent films and early sound movies.

The most enjoyable performance is played by Louis Wolheim as the rough edged but colorful Sgt. Peter O'Gaffney, who was *perfectly* casted for the role; considering both appearance and skill.

There were at least a few peculiar facts about Muslim society that I had previously learned over the past several years, which added to my appreciation of the story in the area of historical accuracy.

My favorite scene was when the heroes are fleeing a swarm of dangerous, sword wielding Arabs through the narrow streets of a busy Muslim city. Suddenly though the chase is interrupted by an oblivious imam who pops out onto an exterior balcony to announce that it's time for afternoon prayer. Everyone out on the streets (except for the heroes) religiously obeys Islamic law and momentarily kneels down, which allows the heroes to escape. That scene was just one example of the film's many expressions of originality.

After seeing this movie I better realize how extensively modern movies contain rehashed ideas that were pioneered decades earlier.

I was just 8 years old when I started following the Oscars ceremony in 1985 – when AMADEUS (1984) swept the board – and I used to pore endlessly over Roy Pickard's book "The Oscar Movies From A-Z" (which tackles all the winners of Oscar's first 50 years) so much so that Dad's copy is now all worn out. Taking a leaf out of the U.S. branch of TCM, as from this February, I will be having my own "31 Days of Oscars" marathon and will be concentrating on that very period. One of the titles therein which had always intrigued me was the only film ever to be awarded the "Best Comedy Direction" Oscar on the very first ceremony held back in May 1929; it was also the film's sole Academy Award nod. This was impossible to see for decades until Flicker Alley's Jeff Masino restored it in 2004 but, curiously enough, this has yet to make it onto DVD or BluRay; in fact, the copy I have acquired was culled from a screening on TCM itself and, while perfectly watchable for most of its running time, still suffers from a handful of sequences which displays a severe state of decomposition!

Anyway, to get back to TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS proper: despite the exotic title, this early Howard Hughes production and "buddy-buddy" movie is set not in a fairy-tale Baghdad but during the aftermath of WWI in Constantinople. In fact, director Milestone – one of Hollywood's premier chroniclers of men in war and best-known for his Oscar-winning classic adaptation of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) – opens the film with a wonderful sequence in the trenches where the hierarchical friction between handsome private William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd and his rugged sergeant Louis Wolheim is cut short by a shell exploding around them and soon they are completely surrounded in a foxhole by the enemy, captured and imprisoned in a German P.O.W. camp. A sure measure of the movie's "Pre-Code" status here are the gratuitous scenes of P.O.W.s undressing completely for showering purposes – the protagonists, awaiting their turn, are seen having a conversation as the lengthy parade of men passes behind them!

Forgetting their differences, they eventually manage to escape by disguising themselves as Arabs and end up being shipped off to Turkey; the scene where they sport white robes which have been bent into dresses by the snow and the dripping, melting flakes make them look they are urinating is hilarious. Aboard ship, they bond in one front against the shady Greek crew (including purser Boris Karloff) and engage in friendly rivalry while attracting the attentions of exotic shipwrecked princess Mary Astor, whom they had saved when her boat capsizes. The latter is unwillingly betrothed to Turkish Bey Ian Keith and our central odd couple decide to follow her to Constantinople and alter the fate that had been planned for her since childhood; the closing shot of Wolheim mimicking the serious countenance of Astor's eunuch is again priceless.

Having now watched it, on this one preliminary viewing, I cannot say that the film is a masterpiece or even a lost gem – especially knowing that it competed directly against Ted Wilde's SPEEDY (1928; one of Harold Lloyd's best-ever vehicles) and Charles Chaplin's THE CIRCUS (1928; a nomination which was subsequently retracted) – as was Chaplin's one for Best Actor, in lieu of the Academy bestowing an Honorary Award on the British comic "For versatility and genius in acting, writing, directing and producing THE CIRCUS"!

I admit, the great majority of films released before say 1933 are just not for me. Of the dozen or so "major" silents I have viewed, one I loved (The Crowd), and two were very good (The Last Command and City Lights, that latter Chaplin circa 1931).

So I was apprehensive about this one, and humor is often difficult to appreciate (uh, enjoy) decades later. I did like the lead actors, but thought little of the film.

One intriguing sequence. Early on, the guys are supposed to get "de-loused" and for about three minutes, fully dressed, do some schtick. In the background, perhaps three dozen men pass by, all naked, white and black (WWI ?), and for most, their butts, part or full backside, are shown. Was this an early variation of beefcake courtesy of Howard Hughes?

A pair of US Marines, Sergeant Louis Wolheim and future Hopalong Cassidy William Boyd are captured during action in World War I and then escape. But it isn't back to the western front. No these two head a little southeast into the Ottoman Empire which was a Central Power though by the time America got into World War I it was breaking up and pretty much out of action.

The only reason these two are walking around in their Marine uniforms with little notice by anyone. There's also a bit of romance involved for Boyd who if this sound and he could sing would warble a tune like Bing Crosby with Louis Wolheim doing the heavy lifting for the comedy.

The romance comes with Arabian princess Mary Astor, but she has herself Ian Keith of the Turkish army interested and besides that it's dad who negotiates the marriage deals.

The recent troubles stemming from the Middle East kind of puts a damper on a film like Arabian Knights. The film also plays a lot like the Errol Flynn World War II era film Desperate Journey where the Nazis are so colossally stupid it's pathetic as well as a Bing&Bob road fest.

The humor is the rough house kind and Wolheim is a master of it. Boyd is your All American hero with the firm jawline. It did get an Oscar nomination for director Lewis Milestone in that first year of the Oscars.

A good opportunity to get acquainted with Louis Wolheim who died too young and to see Bill Boyd as something other than Hopalong Cassidy.

Turner Classic Movies is showing 'Two Arabian Nights' on December 15, 2004, as part of their salute to Howard Hughes, subject of the new movie "The Aviator." TCM's web site states that their 'salute coincides with this month's theatrical release of The Aviator, Martin Scorsese's film biography of Hughes. Part One includes three silent films from Hughes' early career as a producer that have not been seen since their initial release, along with two key Hughes movies from the early sound era. The silent films are part of an extensive collection of memorabilia donated by the Hughes estate and the Howard Hughes Corporation to the Film Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and digitally restored through TCM funding by special arrangement with Flicker Alley. Each has a new score by composer Robert Israel.'

Lewis Milestone's first war film (a genre he was to regularly return to for the next thirty years) has all the low humour and high production values one already expected from a Howard Hughes production; but Milestone's direction was graceful enough to see off competition at the very first Oscars from Chaplin's 'The Circus'.

Only in the movies would a dusky Arab maiden remove her veil to reveal a chic, fully made-up young Mary Astor; and ninety years after his death Louis Wolheim is still stealing scenes as the beast to her beauty. As a bonus Boris Karloff appears fleetingly (at least in the version recently rediscovered) as a ship's purser.

German aristocrats are famous for their stiff Teutonic humour, but at least once a year-no more than one or two days of course-the German mood lightens and it is time for frivolity. One seeks out the company of a rich and fat heiress and when the planets are in rare alignment it is also good to watch an entertaining though unimportant silent film.

But that it is not an easy matter to achieve because, besides classic Teutonic gravitas, there are no insignificant silent films in Germany. Thus it is necessary to turn to developing cultures, particularly Amerika, where there are many light hearted films that can occasionally be enjoyed even by a strict German count.

"Two Arabian Knights" is one such Amerikan film and was directed in the silent year of 1927 by Herr Lewis Milestone. The film tells of the complicated relationship between two Amerikan soldiers as they travel across Europe; an enmity and rivalry that will traverse frontiers and take those strange comrades from France to Northern Germany and then to Turkey and finally to Arabia. In this latter place they will, after being rescued from a shipwreck, fight each other for the favours of Dame Mirza, a mysterious Arabian lady.

As this German count mentioned before, the only purpose of the film is to entertain and certainly that intention is achieved in this conventional adventure silent film that includes the necessary ingredients of those commercial and popular films; that is to say, exotic settings, some action and funny situations. Herr Milestone has not made a milestone silent film though there is some clever camera-work, particularly at the beginning of the film where, from different angles ( up and down ), we see the two men battling each other in a foxhole while astonished German soldiers look on.

The film intertwines World War I sequences (light hearted rather than dramatic)as well as exotic adventures in the East, an East of course that is seen through Western eyes and one that is deliberately frivolous and cliché ridden. It is the perfect fictional setting for these two strong personalities who, in spite of their rivalry, can't live without each other ( or Dame Mirza, natürlich!.)

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must continue with the exclusive and aristocratic art of being bored.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

Nice attempt at comic adventure humor in the vein of GUNGA DIN is this silent film that has been missing for decades but is now restored enough to be shown on TCM.

Louis Wolheim and William Boyd have the kind of chemistry on display decades later in buddy films like BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID--and it is this element of the film that makes it watchable today.

Otherwise, much of it is pretty dreary stuff--the high point for me being the prison camp scenes in the mud. Surprising to find that this light romp was directed by the heavy-handed Lewis Milestone who later did grim war films like A WALK IN THE SUN.

Only fanatic silent film fans will thoroughly enjoy this one. Photography is surprisingly good considering how vintage the whole production is. Mary Astor makes a wide-eyed ingenue and was indeed a youthful beauty at the time.

Acting honors go to the two leads--especially William Boyd's carefree soldier who shows a real flair for "buddy" comedy.

I thought the musical score became a bit irritating after awhile. Hard to picture this in the Best Film category when today it seems like no more than a pleasant trifle.

Like TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS, a couple of American soldiers attempt the daring rescue of a Middle Eastern princess from a loveless betrothal.

Producer Howard Hughes became a Hollywood power with the very successful release of this, his third motion picture. Thought lost for decades, this wonderful silent comedy has recently been rediscovered & restored and given a splendid orchestral score by Robert Israel. Directed with verve by Lewis Milestone and greatly benefiting from William Cameron Menzies' art direction, the high jinks & high adventure of this antique buddy film are once again ready to delight the viewing audience.

Clean-cut private William Boyd and plug-ugly sergeant Louis Wolheim battle Germans, Arabs and each other across Europe, the Mediterranean and into Palestine. They make a terrific comedy duo, constantly involved in one-upmanship and dangerous exploits whether in a POW camp, on a prisoner train, aboard a tramp steamer, or in a Moslem souk and emir's palace. Wolheim, with his hilariously expressive face, has a slight advantage in the scene stealing category, while Boyd has the upper hand in the romantics department.

Mary Astor, as the endangered princess, is the willing recipient of Boyd's attentions. Her role doesn't give her a great deal to do except look lovely & alarmed, but these she carries off admirably.

In the supporting cast, Michael Visaroff is the black hearted ship's captain who comes into conflict with Boyd & Wolheim; look fast for Boris Karloff as his purser. Dashing Ian Keith nicely plays the young Arab chieftain who will stop at nothing to make Astor his bride.

At various points throughout the movie the viewer will notice the deterioration of the film stock, showing that TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS was indeed rescued, like the princess, just in time.

Not very many movies come to my mind that covered as much geography as this one.

Naturally, being a Hollywood product, there is not a whole lot of realism here, but there is a whole lot of entertainment, and a whole lot of talent.

Louis Wollheim apparently never became a household name, but his performance in this film would indicate he should have.

In one priceless scene, when, without inter-titles, the Bill Boyd character whispers the explanation of a word (often found in the Bible), Wollheim's expression almost makes the whole movie worthwhile.

Lewis Milestone's direction is another plus. This was still early in his career, but his use of inventive angles and a moving camera showed brilliance.

Ian Keith made a superb suave villain in one of his best roles.

Being a silent film, "Two Arabian Knights" probably won't be shown even on Turner Classic Movies very often, but I urge film fans to grab any opportunity to watch it.

Enjoyed viewing this 1927 Silent Film from the past and seeing great Classic actors like Mary Astor, William Boyd and Boris Karloff. The film depicts two soldiers fighting in the trenches of WWI and wearing gas masks against the Mustard Gas that the Germans were using to kill the American Forces in Europe. William Boyd,(Pvt W. Dangerfield Phelps),"Hopalong Cassidy",'49 TV Series, was a green horn to fighting in the muddy trenches and meets up with a veteran soldier, Louis Walheim,(Sgt.Peter McGaffney),"The Sin Ship",'31, who gave Pvt. Dangerfield a very hard time during half of the picture. The two soldiers meet up with Mary Astor,(Anis bin Adham/Miraz),"Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte','64, who wears a veil over her face and charms the two soldiers into paying for her fare on their voyage. If you look real close, you will see Boris Karloff,(Purser)"Targets",'68, who was the purser on the ship and was just starting his career with a minor role in this Army life comedy, at the age of 40 years. Howard Huges produced this picture for UA and was the first film to win an Academy Award for its direction. If you want to see a great Silent Film from 1927, you will definitely enjoy this CLASSIC!

Lewis Milestone tightly directed this picture packing the film with plenty of gags and jokes without piling it with extra fluff. It breezed by fast and everything included in the film was either funny or helped moved the plot along. Mary Astor's character only looked Arab when she covered her face but we have Hollywood whitewashing to blame even though it was a fine performance. William Boyd and Louis Wolheim had amazing chemistry that ran throughout the whole film and was showcased in the opening sequence as Boyd's character starts a fight with his Sergeant. It was interesting, fun, and a bit different to see a good silent comedy whose humor wasn't derived mainly from slapstick but a variety of plot points and excellent direction. Definitely one not to miss!

Two Arabian Knights is a film about escape from a prisoner of war camp, but it is a comedy. The title of this silent film from 1927 is the first clue that it's a comedy.

This restored film has some spots where the images are grainy or damaged, but not enough to be annoying. And other parts of the film display really excellent image quality.

I found this film delightful. The two protagonists, who conspire and escape together, are not really friends. They rub each other the wrong way and they do not hide that fact. Still, they have a common goal and work together to escape. They tunnel, they disguise themselves, they hide. It seems like they will never achieve ultimate freedom, as something always goes wrong for them.

Along the way, they meet an Arab princess (Mary Astor) who provides some diversion from their objective.

I love the way the director framed this picture. He had a knack for zooming in close when the actors' faces are most important, and holding back when the action is most important, sometimes allowing the actors to be off-screen. The stunts are well-designed and satisfying, as if the director adhered to a strict policy of design quality. In a film from the 20s, this is a trait to be appreciated.

The humor in Two Arabian Knights is timeless, just as enjoyable today as when it was filmed.