The Undesirable (1915) Review

Title: The Undesirable
Year: 1915
Director: Michael Curtiz
Country: Hungary
Language: N/A

Michael Curtiz was best known for being the director of classic studio films, like Casablanca (1942) & Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) during the "Golden Age of Hollywood". He was invited to Hollywood by Warner Bros in 1926 where he would serve a long career and win many awards, Many, at least nowadays,  are not aware about his life before Hollywood, where he was known in Hungary as Kertész Mihály and directed dozens of films. The Undesirable (1915) is one of his earliest successful ventures. 

Betty (Lili Berky, a young woman living in the country, is told by her dying father that he is really her uncle. Alone, she travels to the city where she finds employment, love, and hopefully her mothers' wherabouts. 

Previously thought lost due to time (it's thought 90% of silent films are lost) a print was found in New York City and the restored picture is available to the public. Due to being 105 years old, the acting in The Undesirable may come across as hammy and over-the-top. The stage veterans present in this picture were used to conveying their emotions in an extremely large venue & struggled to adapt their style. To fully enjoy the film, one has to take a step back & adjust their expectations. 

The Undesirable is a great blend of the comedic & dramatic in terms of story, in addition to the authentic and the aritficial in terms of production. We are treated to genuine Hungarian locations, extras, and costumes, but Curtiz does rely a bit to much on sets, that 100+ years later, look fairly cheap. The melodrama comes off strong, but it is fairly entertaining. 

During the production of this film Michael Curtiz & Mari Jászai found each other at odds, their feud making papers in Hungary. This publicity, in addition to it being a fun film at the time, helped The Undesirable become a hit. The picture is a worthwhile, albeit dated, viewing.