The Jockey Of Death - 1915 - Italy

The Jockey Of Death - 1915 - 6/10
AKA - Il Jockey Della Morte

 
Henri de Castelroc makes his way to the family estate, to find it owned by another.
He also had a cousin, who, as a young girl, had been stolen by gypsies 15 years before.
Had the owner of the castle and estate not overplayed his hand … well, there would be no movie.
And once underway, this hurtles, especially in one lengthy, outstanding chase sequence.
Through sewers, railroad tracks, across rooftops, down cable lines, and cycling on a power line!
Clearly, some reels are lost, yet the narrative holds, and this is like an cascade of cliffhanger thrills.

I made some subs here = https://subscene.com/subtitles/the-jockey-of-death/english/2609865

The Captive - 1915 - USA

The Captive - 1915 - 6/10

 
Set in Montenegro during the Montenegrin–Ottoman War of the late 1870’s.
While Montenegrin men are off fighting the Turks, the state allows Turkish prisoners to be used as farm labor.
Thus, a Turkish noble now works as servant for a peasant girl.
This is not so much a romance, as an accommodation.
He grows accustomed to the work, as well as the girl, her little brother, and the farm animals.
Brief spells of see-saw fighting serve to enliven dull domesticity.
Early Cecil B. DeMille film is well composed and lacks his later over-indulgences.
The Olive Films version is well restored, nicely tinted, with a fine score.