File:The Eagle (1925).webm
The Eagle is a 1925 American silent film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Rudolph Valentino, Vilma Bánky, and Louise Dresser.< name="nytimes"></> Based on the novel Dubrovsky (novel) by Alexander Pushkin,< name="silent-era"></> the film is about a lieutenant in the Russian army who catches the eye of Czarina Catherine II. After he rejects her advances and flees, she puts out a warrant for his arrest, dead or alive. When he learns that his father has been persecuted and killed, he dons a black mask and becomes an outlaw. Prints currently exist in the film holdings of EmGee Film Library and in private film collections.< name="nytimes"/>< name="silent-era"/>

Plot

Vladimir Dubrovsky (Rudolph Valentino), a Cossack serving in the Russian army, comes to the notice of the Czarina (Louise Dresser) when he rescues Mascha (Vilma Bánky), a beautiful young lady, and her aunt trapped in a runaway stagecoach. He is delighted when the Czarina offers to make him a general but horrified when she tries to seduce him. He flees and the Czarina puts a price on his head.
Soon afterwards he receives a letter from his father informing him that the evil nobleman Kyrilla Troekouroff (James A. Marcus) has taken over his lands and is terrorizing the countryside. Hurrying home, Vladimir learns that his father has died. Vowing to avenge his father and help the victimized peasantry, he adopts a black mask and becomes the Black Eagle, a Robin Hood figure. Discovering that Kyrilla is Mascha's father, he takes the place of a tutor who has been sent for from France, but not previously seen by anyone in the household. Vladimir is thus able to become part of Kyrilla's household.
As Vladimir's love for Mascha grows, he becomes more and more reluctant to continue seeking revenge against her father, and the two eventually flee the Troekouroff estate. Vladimir is captured by the Czarina's men, but the Czarina, once determined to have him Execution (legal), has a last minute change of heart, and she allows Vladimir, given a new French name, and Mascha to leave Russia for Paris.

Cast

• Rudolph Valentino as Lt. Vladimir Dubrovsky
• Vilma Bánky as Miss Mascha Troekouroff
• Louise Dresser as The Czarina, Catherine 2nd
• Albert Conti as Captain Kuschka
• James A. Marcus as Kyrilla Troekouroff
• George Nichols (actor) as Judge
• Carrie Clark Ward as Aunt Aurelia
• Michael Pleschkoff as Capt. Kuschka of the Cossack Guard (uncredited)
• Spottiswoode Aitken as Dubrovsky's Father (uncredited)
• Agostino Borgato as Priest (uncredited)
• Mario Carillo as Marcel Le Blanc, French Tutor (uncredited)
• Gary Cooper as Masked Cossack (uncredited)
• Jean De Briac as Small Role (uncredited)
• Otto Hoffman as Man Who Gets Purse Stolen (uncredited)
• Eric Mayne as Official Asking for Signature (uncredited)
• Russell Simpson (actor) as The Eagle's Lieutenant (uncredited)
• Mack Swain as Innkeeper (uncredited)
• Gustav von Seyffertitz as Court Servant at Dinner (uncredited)< name="nytimes"/>< name="silent-era"/>

Reception

Valentino's previous few films had not been particularly well received, but The Eagle proved a strong comeback for him, getting good reviews from the critics, doing well at the box office and proving popular with both male and female fans. The Eagle is also notable in cinematic history for its famous extended tracking shot of the food laden table in the banquet scene.

See also

List of American films of 1925

Category:1925 films
Category:American films
Category:American silent feature films
Category:Black-and-white films
Category:American comedy-drama films
Category:Films based on works by Aleksandr Pushkin
Category:Films directed by Clarence Brown
Category:Films set in Russia