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''The Last Moment'' is a 1928 American drama film conceived and directed by Paul Fejos. The film starred
Otto Matieson Otto Matieson (27 March 1893 – 19 February 1932) was a Danish actor of the silent era. He appeared in 45 films between 1920 and 1931. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and died in a car accident in Safford, Arizona. Filmography * '' ...
and Georgia Hale. Fejos made ''The Last Moment'' on a budget of US$13,000. The film told its story without intertitles, which was very unusual for a silent film, and used double- and triple-exposures and expressionistic editing, giving it a style that was not common for commercial releases of that period. Charlie Chaplin saw the film in a private screening and arranged for it to be theatrically released by
United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...
. No print of ''The Last Moment'' is known to exist in any archive or private collection, and it is considered a
lost film A lost film is a feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing char ...
.


Plot

A man drowns himself in lake. As he is dying, he recalls the crucial moments of his life and the incidents that led to his final, fatal decision. His unhappy childhood, his tumultuous decision to leave home and stow away on an ocean freighter, his unsuccessful attempts to become an actor, and his two tumultuous attempts at married life are relived. The film ends with the man walking towards the lake and wading deeper and deeper into its waters until he is no longer visible from the shore.Merritt, Greg. “Celluloid Mavericks.” Pages 53-54.Thunder’s Mouth Press.


Reception

''The Last Moment'' received supportive reviews. Welford Beaton, writing in the ''Film Spectator'', announced: “Introducing to you Mr. Paul Fejos, Genius.” Beaton added Fejos’ film was “one of the most outstanding works of cinematic art that was ever brought to the screen.”
Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', stated the film displayed “a wonderful aptitude for true cinematic ideas” and “an enviable fund of imagination.”


See also

* List of lost films


References


External links

* * 1928 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Paul Fejos Lost American drama films Silent American drama films 1928 drama films 1928 lost films 1920s American films {{silent-drama-film-stub