I understand that this "original" version was actually a remake of a silent version made the previous year (with one cast change... Paul's mother was originally played by Zasu Pitts but replaced by a stage actress, Beryl Mercer).
Does anyone know if the silent version still exists?
Actually, this wasn't exactly a remake of a silent film. All Quiet was made in 1930 as a talkie, but a silent version was prepared for theaters that hadn't yet been wired for sound. That version still exists, and was shown at Film Forum in NYC about a month ago. There are brief scenes in the silent version that are not found in the talkie, but otherwise they're essentially the same. (I was present at the screening at Film Forum and found the silent version very powerful, but I haven't seen the talkie in years so I can't say exactly how they differed.)
Beryl Mercer was the mother in the silent version. ZaSu Pitts played the role first, but at the preview audiences laughed because they were accustomed to seeing her in comedies, so her scenes were re-shot with Mercer. Except for the preview screening audiences never saw Pitts' performance as the mother. However, those of us at the FF screening had a rare treat: they also showed a trailer prepared before the film was released, and it included about 30 seconds of ZaSu from the film. Apparently that's the only surviving footage of her in the role.
That's very interesting, Thank You.
I was under the impression that they made the silent film and then reshot the entire thing as a talkie because sound had just come in. Was it simply just the scenes with the mother which were reshot? Was the soundtrack just added to the silent version or the silent version is a 'dumbed down' (in the non-spoken sense) of the sound one?
From what I gather the film was made as a talkie. The silent version was secondary, and basically consisted of stripping off the soundtrack and adding intertitles. (Plus, we were told at the Film Forum screening that there were a few additional shots here and there, takes that weren't used in the sound release, etc.) To the best of my knowledge the scenes with the mother were the only ones reshot, but that had nothing to do with the technology: the filmmakers realized that audiences were going to laugh when they saw ZaSu Pitts.
shareThat's really very interesting. Thanks so much for letting me know.
I hope I'll get a chance to see the silent one some time too.
Leonard Maltin is the guest programmer on TCM tonight, and I've read that the version of All Quiet that will be shown at 12:30 PM is the silent version. The TCM website isn't clear about that, but we'll see . . .
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