Peter Pan

1924

Action / Adventure / Family / Fantasy

10
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 84% · 42 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 84% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.1/10 10 1466 1.5K

peter pan

Plot summary

Peter Pan enters the nursery of the Darling children and, with the help of fairy dust, leads them off to Never Never Land, where they meet the nefarious Captain Hook.

Director

Herbert Brenon Photo
Herbert Brenon

Top cast

Mary Brian Photo
Mary Brian as Wendy Moira Angela Darling
Ernest Torrence Photo
Ernest Torrence as Captain James Hook
Mickey McBan Photo
Mickey McBan as Slightly
Esther Ralston Photo
Esther Ralston as Mrs. Darling
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
828.23 MB
978*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 45 min
Seeds 2
1.52 GB
1456*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 45 min
Seeds 11

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by springfieldrental 8 / 10

Cinema's First Peter Pan Movie

The competition for the part of cinema's first version of Peter Pan was fierce. Superstars Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson, yearning for the treasured role, heavily lobbied for the part of the primary resident of Never, Never Land. Author J. M. Barrie, the author of the original Peter Pan as well as the playwright for the 1904 play based on his novel, was given the rights to select the performer for the lead role. After nine months of research and screen tests, he made a surprising choice: a little known New Jersey 18-year-old actress who recently relocated to California to play bit parts. Betty Bronson was suddenly rocketed from obscurity to the limelight when she became the lead in December 1924's "Peter Pan."Barrie was contacted by several movie studios for the rights of his novel and play. He ultimately agreed with Paramount Pictures, under the direction of veteran Herbert Brenon. The silent movie director had a reputation of handling difficult, temperamental actors with success. His ability to handle Barrie during the pre-production was especially deft. The author wanted to incorporate additional scenes into the film, but Brenon, an admirer of the 1904 play, wanted to stick to the stage's plot where Wendy, the oldest child in the Darling household, is attracted to Peter Pan. But the flying boy who never wants to grow up instead thinks of her as his mother. "Peter Pan" is also the first work of Barrie's, which were his plays, to show Tinker Bell (Virginia Browne Faire) as a person.The 1924 film has been praised especially for its cinematography. Under James Wong Howe, previously an assistant for the young director Cecil B. DeMill before going on his own, his photography, in particular in the Never Land scenes, are striking, especially when Peter tests his shadow. Howe earned two Academy Awards for Cinematography in 1955 for 'The Rose Tattoo' and in 1963 for 'Hud' with Paul Newman.One highlight of "Peter Pan" was the work of George Ali, playing the dual role of Nana, the Darling's family dog, and the Crocodile, the culprit who had earlier bit Captain Hook's hand off. Ali's ability to slide into an animals' costumes and realistically act out their characteristics is striking in its believability. It's rare a person can make a living out of specializing as an animal impersonator, but Ali made a career of it."Peter Pan" was so successful at the box office that Brenon and Barrie decided to take on the adaptation of the author's 1916 stage play, "A Kiss for Cinderella." premiering in December 1925. Betty Bronson earned the lead as Cinderella in the film that saw 15-year-old actress Anita Page debut on the screen in an uncredited role. Unfortunately for Bronson, the picture proved to be a major flop. The young actress' career sputtered after that. Despite an appearance as Mary in 1925's 'Ben-Hur,' nothing in her acting resume approached the spotlight she received as cinema's first Peter Pan.For Anita Page, however, it launched a relatively successful livelihood in film, especially in the 1920s and early 1930s, where she was labeled "the girl with the most beautiful face in Hollywood." She retired in the mid-1930s, only to appear in front of the camera in the late 1990s, with her last posthumous movie in 2010. Living until she was 98 in 2008, Page was one of the last adult silent movie stars still around in the 2000s.
Reviewed by ericstevenson 8 / 10

I say it holds up!

This very early version of "Peter Pan" which happens to be the first feature length version may in fact be the best version out there. I appreciate how faithfully it tells the story. Then again, there are some pretty weird problems. The animal costumes are quite bad and you can easily tell it's just someone in a costume. I mean, a dog is an animal very easy to train, so why do you even need someone to dress up as one? I admit it was also pretty odd how Peter Pan was played by a woman. I mean, his entire character is that he's one of the Lost Boys.Still, this movie still had a lot going for it. I actually think the ending is the best part because they actually have the parents adopt the Lost Boys! Peter Pan still leaves to be with the fairies, though. I don't think that was in the original book version. I read a watered down version of it once. Although before sound pictures, there's one point where Captain Hook and his men yell out "Whoo! Whoo!". It certainly seems as though it's the actual actors making the sounds. The drum beat seems authentic too. It's nice how a lot holds up. ***
Reviewed by gbill-74877 8 / 10

Whimsical and entertaining

There's probably something deeply psychological about J.M. Barrie's story about a boy who doesn't want to grow up, doesn't want to define the relationship he and a girl who's attracted to him have, and seeks a mother figure who will clean up after him. Barrie was 44 when he wrote it, but maybe it's too simplistic to say he was going through a midlife crisis. Regardless, this is a pretty endearing telling of his classic story, as part of the fun is just how comical the costumes are, e.g. Nana the dog and the Crocodile clearly being played by a guy in a suit. You get a mix of that kind of thing with some actually pretty cool effects, such as Tinker Bell, the kids flying after thinking "wonderful, lovely thoughts," and the miniature fairies, so that even though the story is well known, it's nice to see how it was rendered in 1924.However, what made the film for me was Betty Bronson, who plays Peter Pan with so much flair and energy. Everything about her facial expressions and body language is true to the part, and she's often on tiptoes while striking a dramatic pose. I can just imagine the audience in the theater at the time clapping when she breaks the fourth wall to get their help to save Tinker Bell. I have to say though, her beautiful legs make it pretty obvious that's she's not a boy (she was 18), and I have to believe this added an element of titillation to her kissing scenes with Wendy (Mary Brian) even at the time. She's well supported by the rest of the cast, including Brian and Ernest Torrence (Captain Hook), but if you're watching the film primarily for Anna May Wong you'll probably be disappointed, because her part is small and she's in the problematic role of appearing as the "redskin" Tiger Lily (ugh, and the depiction of this tribe obviously is the low point of the story/film).The film lags a little in the beginning, where we suffer through some boorish behavior on the part of the father (giving his medicine to the dog?!) and at the end (perhaps because we know how it ends), so there are several reasons why this kids film from nearly 100 years ago might no longer appeal to an adult today. I liked its whimsy though, and found myself entertained.
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