Old Ironsides (1926)

It's the year 1798 and a farm boy (Charles Farrell) wants to join the Navy but he's shanghaied by a boatswain (Wallace Beery) who gets him liquored up and put on a merchant ship. But when the ship reaches the Mediterranean, they are attacked by Barbary pirates who capture them and take them to Tripoli to be sold as slaves. All except the pretty girl (Esther Ralston) on board who'll be given as a gift to the Sultan. Directed by James Cruze (THE COVERED WAGON), this ambitious sea epic silent would benefit by having some of the fat trimmed off it. The battle scenes are impressive and the production values are first rate. Curiously, the normally appealing Charles Farrell comes off as rather anemic here, not much of a dashing hero type but Esther Ralston as his love interest is lovely. Notable for its time, the film features a strong black character (George Godfrey) who plays the ship's cook. He's not played as a stereotype or used for comic relief and he's an active participant in the action. The transfer I saw had a tinny sounding piano score while the film needed a lush orchestral underscore. With George Bancroft and Johnnie Walker.