General Crack
| General Crack (1930) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Alan Crosland |
| Written by | J. Grubb Alexander Walter Anthony based on the novel by Joseph Shearing |
| Produced by | Ned Marin |
| Starring | John Barrymore Philippe De Lacy Lowell Sherman Marian Nixon Armida |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio (Technicolor) |
| Edited by | Harold McLernon |
| Music by | Rex Dunn |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date | January 25, 1930 |
Running time | 97 Minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
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.
Synopsis
The gallant General, played by Mr. 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. He makes and unmakes kings, wins wars between love bouts and, were it not for the soft, dark eyes of the Archduchess Maria Luisa (Marion Nixon), Leopold II (Lowell Sherman), of Austria, recently crowned ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, might have perished in an ignoble fashion on the gallows, constructed for his execution at the command of the vengeful Crack. He is currently working for the Austrian Emperor. 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.
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.
Preservation
The silent version of this film (with Czech subtitles) survives but it does not have any color sequences. The sound version does not survive. The complete soundtrack survives on Vitaphone disks. Unfortunately, the silent version was either B negative or alternate takes with intertitles. So while this is a valid version, it doesn't match up with the Vitaphone soundtrack at all.