The Last Command (1928).

If you only think of William Powell in his “Thin Man” or “My Man Godfrey” type roles, you will be astonished at his dramatic performance in Josef Von Sternberg’s “The Last Command.” But the main character of “The Last Command” is played by German actor Emil Jannings who won Best Actor in Oscar’s very first year for this portrayal. He is also famous for his Prof. Rath in Sternberg’s “Der Blaue Engel.” After the advent of sound, Jannings worked mainly in his native Germany. He spent the war years making propaganda movies for the Third Reich. According to celebrity scandal author Anthony Holden in his book “Beyond The Oscar” (1993), when U.S. Army intelligence officers visited Jannings at his home in 1945, the first thing Jannings showed them was his Oscar. Another account of this incident has Jannings answering his door holding his Oscar. Except for just a few fleeting moments, all of the acting in this film is what we would think of as “modern.” That is, looking natural and true without the silent era stereotype of wild gestures and bugging eyes.

But there is no doubt that the real creative force behind this knockout is the director. Visually and dramatically it is apparent who is in charge. It is easy to see from this why some regretted the end of the silent era and dreaded the coming of talkies. Because of the primitive technology in the early sound era, this kind of visual sweep and punch wasn’t possible with talking pictures at the time of the transition. Some insiders feared that visual poetry in movies was at an end. “The Last Command” is a great film. Highly recommended.