Reviews of silent film releases on home video. Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

The Temptress (1926)

This romantic drama, directed by Fred Niblo (with uncredited direction by Mauritz Stiller), stars Greta Garbo and Antonio Moreno, with support from Roy D’Arcy, Marc McDermott, Lionel Barrymore and Virginia Brown Faire.

Argentinian engineer Manuel Robledo (Moreno) is in Paris where he meets and falls in love with a beautiful Elena (Garbo) not knowing that she is the wife of a silly and philandering marquis (Armand Kaliz). McDermott is vile in his brief role as the ruined banker Monsieur Fontenoy, who seeks to blame his misfortune on the temptress Elena. The insanity of deceit and shame drives Manuel back to Argentina where vaqueros joyously sing and play guitars.

Robledo throws himself into his work on a new dam project until his friend the marquis arrives to start anew in the wake of the Parisian scandal. Manuel is distressed to see that Elena has arrived as well.

So out-of-place in the Argentine wilderness, enchanting Elena nonetheless seeks Manuel’s love and attention — always the temptress.

Heavy-lidded and smouldering in her second Hollywood film, Garbo finds here the screen persona and acting technique that will make her a star, Moreno is effective in his role as the romantic lead and Roy D’Arcy is wonderfully hiss worthy as the smarmy Manos Duras, antagonist of Robledo.

Whether it is the work of Niblo or Stiller, we are impressed by the dissolving introductory shot of McDermott at his dinner party and by the subsequent tracking shot down a long and boisterous dinner table that is followed immediately by a humorous tracking shot under the table. Look for them.

The sometimes oppressive seriousness of film adaptations of Vicente Blasco-Ibáñez novels is offset here with humorous observations on the silliness of Parisian society and by the almost clownish villainy of D’Arcy’s character. The pleasing balance of tone feels like the work of director Fred Niblo (rather than Stiller). We must say though that the intertitles written by Marian Ainslee are a bit over the top and may evoke sniggers in some modern audiences.

— Carl Bennett

This DVD-R edition in the Warner Archive Collection is virtually identical in quality to the Warner DVD edition noted below. The Temptress has been prepared from a full-frame, natural-speed video transfer from a very-good to excellent 35mm print. There is the usual amount of dust and speckling to be seen, with some emulsion scuffing and chipping, schmutz, and other print damage. The overall presentation is pleasing, with a broad, controlled greyscale range and reasonable image detail. The lower video bit rate of this DVD-R disc, compared to the earlier Warner DVD edition noted below, shows no discernable difference in picture quality.

The film is accompanied by a fine modern orchestral music score by Michael Picton. The music strikes a satisfying balance in turns between pathos and mirth that is appropriate to the film’s storyline.

This is our enthusiastically recommended home video edition of the film.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Our first look at this DVD edition of The Temptress reveals a full-frame, natural-speed video transfer from a very-good to excellent 35mm print.

The film is accompanied by a fine modern orchestral music score by Michael Picton. The music strikes a satisfying balance in turns between pathos and mirth that is appropriate to the film’s storyline.

This edition also features two other Garbo MGM silents (now available separately), alternate endings to Flesh and the Devil and The Temptress, audio commentary on Flesh and the Devil by Barry Paris, on The Temptress by Mark A. Vieira, and on The Mysterious Lady by Tony Maietta and Jeffrey Vance, with documentaries.

This DVD home video edition is now out-of-print.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
This Region 1 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued and is . . .