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Rating: 5 out of 5
During my quest to watch every film that won the Academy Award for Best Actor, I have come across some AMAZING films. One of those films is The Last Command. It is a fantastic silent movie that is thrilling and makes you a little sad for the main character. Have you ever met someone elderly and had no idea who they were or what their story was? They seem like a simple person who gets in the way and tells a fantasy. If you look them up, you find out they were a big shot back in the day, but have fallen on extremely hard times. That is what this film is about. A person who was a big shot who had to escape and start over, only to meet some he had mistreated years later.
The Last Command is a silent drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and written by John F. Goodrich and Herman J. Mankiewicz, based on a story by Lajos Bíró. The story is awesome and thrilling, and it’s one of the best films I have ever seen, with Emil Jannings winning the first-ever Academy Award for Best Actor.
The story starts in 1928 Hollywood, one year before the world goes to shit from the Great Depression. Director Leo Andreyev is sitting with his production crew, looking at photos of actors, contemplating who he wants for his next movie. As he quickly flips through the photos, he lands on the photo of an old man named Sergius Alexander, played by Emil Jannings. Leo pauses for a second and tells his casting director that he wants to hire Sergius for a role. When Sergius arrives at the studio, he is given a general uniform. As he is dressing, another actor comments on his constant head twitching and how it is getting on his nerves. Sergius apologizes and explains that it was from a major shock in his life.
The film flashes back ten years to Czarist Russia during the height of the Russian Revolution. We are introduced to a slightly younger Sergius Alexander, who is a Grand Duke, the Czar’s cousin, and the commander of all the armies. This dude is BIG TIME! Sergius is informed that two troops who are entertaining the troops have been identified as dangerous and revolutionists. Sergius decides that the best way to handle this situation is to toy with them. One of the “spies” is none other than Leo himself. Leo becomes insolent, and Sergius brings the wrath of God down with his whip, striking homeboy before throwing him in jail.
The story actually has a Romeo and Juliet feel to it. We all know how this is going to go. Sergius sees Leo’s companion, the lovely and beautiful Natalie Dabrova, and thinks she is FOINE! Sergius completely forgets about the danger she poses and decides that she needs to be his side piece. Dude gifts her a pearl necklace to show he means business. She comes to realize that he’s not that bad, and a man who loves his country deeply. One night when she asks him to her room, he spots a pistol and turns his back to her. She draws the weapon but can’t fire because she has fallen in love with him, even though they are on opposite ends of the political spectrum. When the Bolsheviks capture the train, shit goes down, and this is where Sergius gets his head twitch as he is beaten and watches in horror as his train tumbles off the bridge with Natalie in it.
The film comes full circle in the end with Sergius. Sergius is reduced to poverty and makes a living as a Hollywood extra. Far cry from his glory days. Leo wants to humiliate him further by casting him as a Russian general during an intense battle scene. This is where Emil wins the Academy Award. Sergius is directed to give a speech to the dispirited men. Sergius loses his mind, giving a rousing speech as he urges his men to fight for Russia. As reality slips, Sergius believes he is surrounded by enemies of Russia and dies after the speech. His last and final command is complete.
As stated, the film has a Romeo and Juliet feel, with a man who also loses everything. It is fantastic to watch because silent films are all about actors’ expressions and actions. The scene when the train goes over the bridge is harrowing to watch, but the terror that Sergius shows will be etched in your brain. It is a true fight. Honestly, when the train is taken over, you get a real view of how the revolution went. People were pissed off and beat the shit out of Sergius. The Russian Revolution was insane. This was a small taste of what happened during it.
This story was propelled by the excellent performance of Emil Jannings as Grand Duke Sergius Alexander. Jannings went full speed ahead with this role, showing how life and trauma affected him in the present with his head twitch. Dude made Sergius look like a bum, but when you see him in the past, Jannings made Sergius larger than life. He showed a man who controlled armies and was extremely proud of himself and Russia. This film wouldn’t have been that good without Jannings performance.
The Last Command is a fantastic film if you want to learn about the Russian Revolution. It is a story with a Romeo and Juliet vibe, where two characters from opposite ends of the political spectrum fall in love only to be torn apart. Emil Jannings deserves all the credit in the world for his performance. He will forever live in movie history as the first-ever Best Actor winner.
