The Valiant (1929 film)
| The Valiant | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | William K. Howard |
| Produced by | William K. Howard |
| Screenplay by |
Tom Barry (adaptation) John Hunter Booth & Tom Barry (dialogue) |
| Based on | play by Halworthy Hall & Robert Middlemass |
| Starring |
Paul Muni Marguerite Churchill John Mack Brown |
| Cinematography | Lucien Andriot |
| Edited by | Jack Dennis |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
|
Release date
|
May 19, 1929 |
|
Running time
|
66 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Valiant is an American drama film released by Fox Film Corporation in the Fox Movietone sound-on-film system on May 19, 1929. It is produced and directed by William K. Howard (his first sound film) and stars Paul Muni (in his film debut), Marguerite Churchill and John Mack Brown. Although described by at least one source as a silent film containing talking sequences, synchronized music and sound effects, The Valiant has continuous dialogue and is a full "talkie", made without a corresponding silent version.
The credits (accompanied by organ music endemic to silent films), segue into title card: "A city street-----where laughter and tragedy rub elbows." A crowded block lined with tenement buildings, on Manhattan's Lower East Side, comes into view, followed by a look into the hallway of one of those buildings, then a shot is heard, a door to one of the apartments opens and a man holding a gun (Paul Muni) backs out, closes the door, puts the gun in his pocket, then walks down flights of stairs and into the busy street. While he passes along sidewalks teeming with human activity, an Irish American policeman berates a driver for parking in front of a hydrant, but when the driver removes his scarf, revealing a clerical collar, the abashed officer apologizes and offers to accompany the priest to the beat of "that cop on the next corner, he's not one of us". At that point, the shooter approaches and makes a gesture to speak, but the priest has already started to drive off, with the officer standing on the car's running board. Continuing to walk, the shooter reaches a police precinct and goes inside. Approaching the desk lieutenant (Clifford Dempsey), who asks, "Well, what's on your mind?", he replies, "I killed a man", explaining that the victim lived at 191 East 8th Street, was named John Harris, and "deserved to die". Asked for his own name, he hesitates and, spotting a wall calendar (showing May 1928) with a large ad for "Dyke & Co., Inc.", says "Dyke... James Dyke". To "Why are you giving yourself up?", he answers "It was the only thing to do".
...
Wikipedia