The Primitive Lover

Description

Constance Talmadge was one of the most popular stars of the 1920s, but her reputation today has slipped, simply because her films are now hard to find. "The Primitive Lover" shows why she was so popular! It's a lively romantic comedy (scripted by Frances Marion), in which the fevered prose and unlikely plots of Connie's favorite romance novels are brought to life. While roughing it in the California mountains, she gets to choose between her dull husband and a rugged man of adventure, setting the stage for an amusingly romantic adventure of her own.

This film was made right around the peak of her stardom, and it really shows off the personality, beauty and talent that nade her an audience favorite in the silent days. She was clearly a natural comedienne, and it's a shame that so few of her films are in circulation today. Look for an appearance by Big Joe Roberts, who's best known for his work in the films of Connie's brother-in-law Buster Keaton. Organ score by Bob Vaughn.

Customer Reviews:

A nice and light romantic comedy.......2005-05-28

It's nice to see another rarely-seen silent era star on the Unknown Video label (other big stars rarely seen and who have appeared on recent Unknown Video releases are G M Anderson and Colleen Moore, also Jack Pickford as Tom Sawyer) and in this good quality comedy it's a pleasure to watch Constance Talmadge - sister of Norma Talmadge - give a sample of the kind of the nice romantic comedies she was famous for in the 1910s and especially 1920s. An extra bonus feature of "The Primitive Lover" is that the screenplay was written by Frances Marion, one of Hollywood's most revered writers whose work includes scripts for some of Mary Pickford's films, among many others. It's a clever story with a lesson drawn from real life: a young woman with unrealistic expectations of romance and marriage reads too many trashy romance novels and feels unhappy with her husband. When her former fiancé who was believed dead suddenly reappears, poor hubby is forced to devise a scheme to win her back, as well as teach her a lesson about real life and romance. There are some original ideas, albeit unrealistic ones, but certainly entertaining and amusing enough to make enjoyable viewing. Constance has a pleasant, vibrant nature, and this kind of comedy story suits her well. Add to all that very good picture quality and a lively organ score, a lovely photo gallery of Constance and a comedy short ("Splash Yourself") about a Swedish migrant hired to fix some plumbing but ends up causing a disaster. This short slapstick comedy makes some good-natured fun of Swedish migrants, while "The Primitive Lover" tends to put Native American Indians in a rather negative light, but no doubt also meant only in jest.

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