"Redemption" is Dreadful

 

by Daniel White

MGM's Redemption (1930) concludes with John Gilbert shooting himself, which can only have been in response to his having watched this dreadful film. Why MGM would have allowed one of its most valuable properties to appear in such an inferior product and look so ridiculous in it remains a mystery. The studio that took such pains to make sure Greta Garbo's debut in the talkies (Anna Christie) was a success, did not give the same courtesy to her lover and frequent co-star, Gilbert.

Initially directed by Fred Niblo (with some scenes subsequently helmed by Lionel Barrymore), the movie opens in a gypsy camp outside of Moscow where a cast of MGM extras are cavorting exuberantly. Into this merry crew of vagabonds rides our hero, Fedya (Gilbert), a good-for-nothing rascal who encounters his friend, Victor (Conrad Nagel), and Victor's fiancee, Lisa (an equally bad Eleanor Boardman). Also on hand is chief gypsy wildcat, Masha, played by Renee Adoree, who would be dead from tuberculosis several years after the release of Redemption. Gilbert and Adoree starred together in one of the greatest silent films of all time, The Big Parade (1925), but would not be able to repeat that success in the sound era.

A turgid, predictable potboiler, Fedya steals Lisa away from Victor, marries her and proceeds to make both their lives miserable. Gambler, drinker, a dissolute party boy, the movie painfully shows Fedya's decline and death. It's the longest 65 minutes in movie history and Gilbert's suicide is an act of mercy- as much for him as it is for us!

John Gilbert has a lovely speaking voice; there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. What is wrong is his use of that voice. Florid, phony, over-enunciating every syllable, it's a type of acting that went out with the death of Little Nell. I'm sure these problems could have been corrected if MGM wished to do so, but apparently they did not. Too bad, because John Gilbert could have had a long, interesting career in sound if things had been handled differently.

Based on a play by Leo Tolstoy, Redemption was the first "talker" Gilbert made but not the first released (that dubious honor goes to His Glorious Night, another howler that helped seal his fate). MGM knew it was a stinker and shelved the movie for a while before reluctantly releasing it in the Spring of 1930. Again, why the studio went forward with these two bombs, knowing they would destroy John Gilbert's reputation, is a question I haven't been able to answer adequately.

In 1932, Gilbert made a very good film, Downstairs, where he gives an excellent performance as a cad. A year later, Garbo herself would intercede on his behalf and have him cast in Queen Christina, a prestige picture that was quite successful. But it was too late, the damage was done, Gilbert himself had stopped caring, and had taken to the bottle for solace. He would be dead from a heart attack at the age of 38 in 1936. Dark Star, indeed.

One of the most fascinating figures in the history of film, John Gilbert was a tremendous star who didn't deserve the fate MGM doled out for him.

With Claire MacDowell and Tully Marshall, Redemption is available on YouTube.