Two Arabian Knights
Starring: William Boyd, Mary Astor, Louis Wolheim, Ian Keith, Michael Vavitch, Michael Visaroff, Boris Karloff, DeWitt Jennings
Directed by: Lewis Milestone
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
1927

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two American soldiers (William Boyd, Mary Astor) escape from a German camp during World War I and go on a series of adventures.

Review:

Tim: I sought out Two Arabian Knights (and believe me, it was not easy to track down) primarily because it won the Academy Award for Best Director- Comedy at the very first Academy Awards. Interestingly enough, it's the only film to ever win that specific award because the following ceremony, they combined the two awards into one. I have to admit, I haven't seen a ton of films from the 1920s. 1927 really seemed like a remarkable year, as two of my favorite silent movies, The General and Wings were both released then. You can add Two Arabian Knights to that list. While it might not be quite as good as those two films, this is a great movie and deserves acclaim.

It's a little hard for me to explain this movie because it feels so epic, which is impressive, considering it's only 92 minutes long. Lewis Milestone directs a fast-paced, exciting adventure that has a bit of romance and a lot of comedy thrown in. The film begins with two American soldiers facing almost certain death on a World War I battlefield. The younger soldier uses this opportunity to seek revenge on his brutal sergeant. The Germans break up the fight by capturing both men. At this point, I thought I had a sense for what the movie was- a war movie buddy film. While some of those elements are accurate, the movie takes so many unexpected twists and turns. There's some entertaining attempts at escaping the prisoner of war camp before finally succeeding, dressed as Arabs. This moves them onto a train bound for Constantinople. From there, they board a ship bound for Arabia. They have a series of adventures there, as well. It was fun to watch the changing settings- battlefield, POW camp, train, ship, Arabia. It just felt like the movie kept the characters moving, entertaining and making us laugh along the way.

I really enjoyed the cast. William Boyd does a great job in the lead role. He feels like the prototypical silent film actor. I thought he gave a good performance and was able to balance and convey drama, action, romance, and comedy through his performance. Louis Wolheim makes a terrific foil turned friend. He's gruff and distinct from Boyd. The relationship between these two men is fantastic and it feels like it laid down the blueprint for so many future "buddy" movies. The two men couldn't be more different and have a love/hate relationship with each other. That makes for great comedy and entertainment and it's a big reason why this movie works so well. I also loved the casting of Mary Astor. While it's a little uncomfortable to see such a blatant case of whitewashing, you have to acknowledge this film was released in 1927 and it was a different world with different acceptable behavior back then (and to be honest, this still happens in 2019). Still, Astor gives a strong performance. It was fun seeing Boris Karloff in a small supporting role.

I know this film isn't as remembered as some of the landmark films from the 1920s, but this is a great movie. It's a silent film that effectively tells a great adventure story. It's a wonderful example of what the medium of film was capable of- in this case, delivering a thrilling adventure story peppered with a lot of comedy and some decent romance. I will say that I laughed multiple times throughout this film. It's legitimately funny. Lewis Milestone deserves a great deal of credit for directing such a fun, enjoyable film. I'm glad he won the Academy Award for Best Director- Comedy.

Two Arabian Knights is a great film and one that I'm so glad I tracked down. It's a reminder that I need to seek out more films from the 20s. It also cements 1927 as an essential year in film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The General, Wings