That was an excellent one.

Fantastic!

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

In this digital jungle, it's hard to pick an old movie because by definition, I lack my familiar faces : my loved cast, directors, stories may not still be born yet so it's really about luck and discovering new roads: when i saw the title of this one, i was caught : a movie about Harvard ! Today, this institution is still essential in american legend so it would be great to get into its past !So this movie is interesting because it seems that we are indeed in the campus but 1 century before : Back then, the big difference with French higher education was already clear : sports are inside the program while in France, they are outside (that's why our sports idols are dumb and our grey matter physically unfit !) ; A bit like the Harry Potter movies, the sports events are exciting traditions for all students, the families and outside. The Harvard stadium is totally amazing and breathtaking and this single university beats all French stadiums, even today !Paradoxically, the movie is silent about teachings and lessons because we pick up about students lives. And that's when i pick my 2nd bird because the american icon John Wayne is playing : 1st movie for him - OK i didn't see him as a Yale Player but he is really in. I didn't know as well the hero, William Haines but he looks like a very young Russel Crowe as physically as in the loose, cool attitude. I'm sure that today this movie would be not put in production because this Brown has a aggressive manner of seduction but that doesn't implies that today society is much better ! At last, my last bird was his attraction, the cute Mary Brian : she was so candid, so polite that she motives me to see more of her and that's how i pick my future 1924 movie : Peter Pan ! So finally, i start to map this faraway country of silent movies era !

The chief significance of "Red Headed Woman" director Jack Conway's sports saga "Brown of Harvard" now is the uncredited appearance of John Wayne as one of the Yale football players. You'll have to search very hard to spot the Duke, because he is terribly difficult to distinguish from the remainder of the team. Otherwise, this 85-minute opus qualifies as an entertaining, sometimes unpredictable, chronicle of a college student's life during his freshman and sophomore years. Tom Brown (William Haines of "Navy Blues") doesn't treat either life or college as seriously as his closest friend Jim Doolittle (Jack Pickford of "Burglar by Proxy") does. Not only does this prove to be Jim's misfortune, but also Tom's fortune. Fitting into Harvard College comes with trials and tribulations for our easygoing protagonist who quickly makes enemies of another student, Bob MacAndrew (Francis X. Bushman, Jr. of "Never Too Late"), as well as Bob's girlfriend Mary Abbott (Mary Brian of "College Rhythm"), the pretty daughter of a Harvard professor. Tom competes with Bob in virtually everything, including Mary, and Mary seems to find Tom annoying despite the time that she spends with it. Tom has other enemies, too. One of the worst is Hal Walters (Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams of "Santa Fe Trail") because he blocks Tom's entry into the Harvard Honor Society. Tom pursues Mary, but she rebuffs him, primarily because he behaves in such an obnoxious manner. Meantime, the rivalry between Tom and Bob escalates as Bob is chosen over Tom to row for the Harvard regatta team. Miraculously, Bob injures his hand, and Tom is tapped to replace him. Unfortunately, Tom learns too late about this sudden change of plans, and he is too "stewed" to handle his share of work. Consequently, Harvard loses to Yale in the regatta race. During his sophomore year, Tom tries out for the Harvard varsity football team, where he encounters Bob again. During the big game between Harvard and Yale, Tom's parents (David Torrence and Mary Alden) show up to root for their son. After enduring loud shouts about their son's 'quitter's' attitude, the parents reconcile with the other fan after Tom proves himself on the football field and Harvard manages an eleventh-hour victory out of the game. Moreover, although Tom got Harvard into scoring position, he changes his mind about carrying the pigskin into the end zone because he suspects that Yale will follow his moves too closely. Instead, Tom suggests that Hal hand the ball over to Bob, and Bob rushes into the end zone with little difficulty. Throughout the ball game, Tom has been anxious about the status of his Jim because his friend braved inclement weather conditions to notify him about his status with the football team. Incredibly, Jim dies and Jim's death finally convinces Mary that Tom is a decent, caring human being and she falls in love with him. At fade-out, not only are Tom's parents appreciative of his efforts, but also he has won over both Bob and Hal. This silent movie is an above-average movie, primarily for its sudden twists and turns and the changes that occur in Tom's character. Nevertheless, I had a tough time trying to spot the Duke.

This is apparently the second remake of this film, having been filmed before in 1911 and 1918. And, in so many ways it reminds me of the later film, A YANK AT OXFORD. Both films concern a conceited blow-hard who arrives at one of the top schools in the world and both, ultimately, show the blow-hard slowly learning about teamwork and decency. In this film, William Haines is "Tom Brown" and his main rival, "Bob" is played by Frances X. Bushman. And, in a supporting role is Jack Pickford--always remembered as the brother of Mary. Of these three, Pickford comes off the best, as the sympathetic loser who becomes Tom's pal--he actually has a few decent scenes as well as a dramatic moment just before the Big Game! All the standard clichés are there and the movie, because it was done so many times before and since, offers few surprises. However, it is pleasant film and is enjoyable viewing.In my opinion, for a better silent college film, try Harold Lloyd's THE FRESHMAN--it's football scenes are frankly more exciting and Harold is far more likable and sympathetic than the annoying Tom Brown. THE FRESHMAN is probably the best college picture you can find from the era. Another reason why BROWN AT HARVARD is a lesser picture is that William Haines played essentially the same unlikable and bombastic character with the same plot again and again and again (such as in WESTPOINT and THE SMART SET, among others)--and if you've seen one of these films, you've seen them all. Well made, but certainly NOT original! And, because it is just a rehash of his other films, anyone giving the film a score of 10 is STRONGLY advised to see these other films.4/25/08==I just checked and saw this this small film was the highest rated film on IMDb from the 1920!! Talk about over-rated! There are dozens and dozens of better films--how this film got to be #1 is anyone's guess.

I found it difficult to watch this film with a critical eye, as I have limited experience with the silents. However, it was interesting to think that I was watching the heart throbs of the time, in one of the most popular movies of the time. The story of the relationship between Brown and his bookish roommate was, uh, interesting, but overall the story seemed so unrealistic (a partying slacker who happens to be accomplished at all sports, mysterious and unnamed life-threatening illnesses) that I wondered how such a storyline was accepted in 1926, or anytime. Tips from anyone who knows how to appreciate or analyze a silent despite the hamminess would be appreciated.