Satan Synne

On display in The Affairs of Anatol is the familiar silent story of a man with a good woman/wife that falls for a vamp, then in the end learns from his mistake and gets his wife back.

The first part of this movie is quite routine, the husband is screwing himself over by being too curtious to women who are not his wife. I thought that the wife, Gloria Swanson was the most interesting character early on and she just doesn't get enough screen time.

However, when Bebe Daniels scene comes (toward the end) the film gets much more exciting or at least more memorable. The reviewer who summarized the film saw this scene as rediculous but for me it is masterfully executed. Bebe Daniels never looked more beautiful, named appropriatley, Satan Synne. The scene is heavily tinted in dark red and the viewer is taken into the bedroom of Satan's abode. Satan is dressed in a crazy cape with an octopus stiched on the back, she is also wearing pearls in her hair, something I've never seen, which are quite beautiful. The drapery in the background is constantly flowing and one gets the impression that the poor husband is really being tempted by evil. The kind of evil which is beautifil on the eyes and horrible for the soul.

So despite the film's weaknesses, if you like eye catching imagery it is worth watching.





The way I see it, is that we weren't retreating, we were just attacking in a new direction.