General Crack
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| General Crack (1930) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Alan Crosland |
| Produced by | Ned Marin |
| Written by | J. Grubb Alexander Walter Anthony based on the novel by Joseph Shearing |
| Starring | John Barrymore Philippe De Lacy Lowell Sherman Marian Nixon Armida |
| Music by | Rex Dunn |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio (Technicolor) |
| Editing by | Harold McLernon |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | January 25, 1930 |
| Running time | 97 Minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
General Crack (1930) is an All-Talking historical costume drama film with Technicolor sequences which was produced by Warner Bros. in 1929 and released early in 1930.
[edit] Synopsis
The gallant General, played by John Barrymore, adopts the nom de guerre of Crack from the initials of his string of names—Prince Christian Rudolph Augustus Christopher Ketlar. He plays a mercenary who will serve anyone who pays him. When compelled by Leopold II (Lowell Sherman) to offer his services, Christian demands a high price in gold and the hand of the Archduchess Maria Luisa (Marian Nixon). Back at his headquarters and within the deadline of 3 days, the Emperor agrees to General Crack's terms. His mission is to abscond with the crown of the Holy Roman Empire. En route, the hero marries a gypsy (Armida) and leaves her to await his return in Vienna. While he is off doing the king's bidding, the Austrian ruler begins dallying with his wife. This enrages the mercenary who upon his return, seeks to dethrone the king. And, in the end, the indomitable General walks away with the dainty Maria Luisa.
[edit] Trivia
- This was John Barrymore's first full-length all-talking feature.
- The Technicolor sequence took place during a coronation scene in a lavish royal palace in Brussels.
[edit] Preservation
The silent version of this film (with Czech subtitles) survives but it does not have any color sequences. No prints of the sound version are known to exist. The complete soundtrack survives on Vitaphone disks. Unfortunately, the silent version was either a B negative or an alternate take with intertitles. So while this is a valid version, it doesn't match up with the Vitaphone soundtrack at all.
