Humoresque (1920)

US 71m, B&W, Silent
Director; Frank Borzage; Cast: Gaston Glass, Vera Gordon, Bobby Connelly, Alma Rubens

As chosen by the readers of Photoplay magazine, Humoresque was the first film to win its Medal of Honor for best picture. A melodrama in every respect, this is the story of a poor Jewish family living on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Though little Leon’s mother prays that her son will become a great musician when he grows to be a man, the events of WWI threaten her dreams. The film’s heavy reliance on inter-titles requires continuous cutting which distracts from the overly emotive performances to tell a story that was better suited for sound (Klaus Ming February 2016).