Jim-328

I was lucky enough to find a tinted 35MM nitrate print of this film at the local flea market. The head and tail were missing, but it was sent to George Eastman House and identified using the notes of the late assistant curator George Pratt. The film stars Florence Lawrence, the first actress to have her name publicized, beginning the "star" system. The print has been preserved by George Eastman House. The plot centers around an American girl visiting cousins in England. She is a bit of a "tom boy" but captivates the very proper young Englishmen she meets.

Long considered lost, the final reel of Blazing Barriers was found by the Film Archive of Canada and presented at the Northeast Historic Film Silent Film festival in Bucksport, Maine on July 17, 2002. The reel consists of the climax where the forest is ablaze, and can only be saved if the covered bridge over the river is blown up. The film was produced in Maine and the spectacular "special effects" were achieved by actually light a forest on fire. Northeast Historic Film is an archive located in Bucksport Maine that specializes in films relating to the northeastern region of the United States, primarily Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Rita and I enjoyed this film very much. It is obviously an attempt in the 1930's to make opera style music popular by mixing it with comedy. Nino Martini has a great voice, and with his Italian accent, reminded us a little of Roberto Benigni. The plot revolves around Nino, who is traveling to Hollywood in search of fame. He falls in with a gang of crooks who use his talent to distract everyone at a party while they steal the jewels. There are many great character actors doing their routines, such as Billy Gilbert with his sneezing, Alan Hale as an opera loving cop, Ward Bond as a thug, Alan Mowbray as the stuffy conductor, and co-starring Joan Fontaine as the love interest. There is also a great unbilled musical bit by Romo Vincent (I had never heard of him before) as a singing truck driver.