Glorious Betsy (1928)

Dolores Costello (Betsy) is really quite mesmerising in this otherwise straightforward love story. She comes from wealthy Southern states plantation stock and takes a shine to her teacher. Needless to say, there is a bit of a gap in the social standing between them, until he - really Jerome Bonaparte (Conrad Nagel), brother to Napoleon - the First Consul of France, is invited to a ball hosted by her father. There, his true identity is revealed and their love and desire to marry can be publicly announced. Their joy is tempered, however, by a command from his now Imperial brother to return to France for an arranged wedding with a minor European princess. Determined not to lose her man, she returns with him in the hope that she can persuade the new Emperor to allow them to live out their lives happily. Sadly, not to be - he does the persuading, and she doesn't even get off the ship. Will brother Jerome acquiesce to his brothers desires...? It's not just that Costello is beautiful, for that she is, it is her expressions - she conveys emotions of joy, sadness and mischief like a natural in front of the camera. There is a dearth of action - swashbuckling it isn't - but Nagel serves adequately; even managing a short duel with the rather out-of-his depth "Preston" (John Miljan) and the settings and costumes are lavish and top drawer. On this rare occasion. I could have done with a few more inter-titles to help me through some of the more extended dialogue scenes (my lip reading isn't quite what is could be) and maybe a few less lingering close-ups of the pair, but it is an interesting topic for a story that I rather enjoyed.