The Spanish Dancer (1923)

A beautiful gypsy dancer (Pola Negri) is popular among the poor people she lives with. But she attracts the attention of an impoverished nobleman (Antonio Moreno) and they fall in love. But she also attracts the attention of a lecherous King Philip IV of Spain (Wallace Beery), who concocts an elaborate plot to seduce her. Directed by Herbert Brenon (PETER PAN), this rather convoluted costume romance allows us to see the screen presence of the exotic Pola Negri, one of the most popular silent film stars of the 1920s ..... and that's about it. With the exception of one sequence which has severe visual damage, it looks quite nice and provides another opportunity to admire the craftmanship of James Wong Howe. The new contemporary jazz underscore composed expressly for this restoration seems out of sync with what we see on the screen. Still, of you're a fan of silent cinema (as I am), there's much to appreciate. With Adolphe Menjou, Kathlyn Williams, Gareth Hughes and a five year old Anne Shirley playing Beery's son (sic).