The Monkey Talks

(Raoul Walsh, US 1927, 63 min., 35mm)

Silent Tuesdays | Museum Treasures. Legendary Hollywood auteur Raoul Walsh (White Heat, High Sierra) directs this late-period silent film featuring a bizarre love triangle among the performers of a decrepit wagon circus rambling through the French countryside. Olive Borden stars as Olivette, a beautiful tightrope acrobat with would-be suitors Sam the animal trainer (Don Alvarado) and Jocko the monkey man (Jacques Lerner) vying for her affections. Lerner’s mesmerizing performance as Jocko is further enhanced by the astonishing chimpanzee makeup effects crafted Jack Pierce, who would later gain fame for creating the iconic makeup for Frankenstein’s monster and the Wolf Man. Special presentation by Gordon Nelson, digital technician, Moving Image Department. Live piano by Makia Matsumura. Special support provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.