Garden Of Eden, The

1478. THE GARDEN OF EDEN (1928-usa). With corinne Griffith, louise dresser, charles RAY, LOWELL SHERMAN. Art director: WILLIAM CAMERON MENZIES. A charming combination comedy- drama-romance, deftly directed by the Academy Award-winning filmmaker, LEWIS MILESTONE. This Cinderella fable, one of the first credits in Milestone’s filmography stars delicately beautiful Corinne Griffith as Toni Lebrun, a humble but talented Viennese girl who craves for a career as an opera singer. She travels to Budapest with the promise of a jobÑand quickly finds herself as a scantily clad chorus performer in a shady cabaret run by a sarcastic, manipulative dragon lady. What’s more, smarmy Lowell Sherman attempts to seduce her. Toni is befriended by Rosa, once a baroness, but now the club’s wardrobe mistress. Despite her plight, Rosa proves to be Toni’s unlikely fairy godmother the pair soon finds themselves in Monte Carlo where Toni, her past safely hidden, is wooed by wealthy Richard DuPont. There’s a quartet of attractive performances. Griffith makes a lovely ingŽnue; Ray rekindles the boyish charm that made him a star a decade before; Sherman is perfectly cast as the self-satisfied seducer; and, most impressive of all. Dresser offers a touching character performance as the stately baroness/ seamstress. Silent film with original organ score, correct projection speed. 115 minutes. ÒSilentÓ Drama