The Last Command

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The Last Command

1928,

1h 52m,

Drama/

History/

Romance

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Watchlist

95%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Tsarist general Sergius Alexander is basking in the glory of imperial Russia. After sending the revolutionary Lev Andreyev to prison, he starts romancing Andreyev's girl. But when the Bolsheviks seize power, the tide turns for Alexander, and he flees Russia. Years later, Alexander, broke and working as a bit player in Hollywood, bumps into Andreyev, who is now a director. Andreyev casts his old nemesis as a Russian general, intending to humiliate him on set.

Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Oct 28, 2019

Sternberg examines each agonized detail of the onetime commander's humiliation in Hollywood with piercing discernment.

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David Thomson

The New Republic

Feb 27, 2013

Sternberg is a true master.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Mar 26, 2009

Plenty of direction and as much photography. There doesn't appear to be a miss or skip either.

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Robert Herring

Close Up

Dec 9, 2021

Though it is concerned with the Russian revolution, not once does it get any spirit of that Revolution across.

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Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

Oct 7, 2021

It is a grand opportunity for Emil Jannings to do his best -- and, as might be expected, he does just that.

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Ellie Lucas

From the Front Row

Nov 16, 2019

3.5/4

Jannings' performance is filled with both fire and humanity - he's a tyrant brought low, paying penance for a life of abusing those under him, and yet somehow we feel sorry for this man.

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Harry L

May 18, 2018

A powerful movie, and I'm not even sure where its power lies: whether in the provoking sympathy towards the general, a figure who loved his country, or in the rightful show-casing of the mob, which took the upper-hand, those communists, an uneducated blob of human bodies. Emil Jannings is mesmerizing in the main role, his acting is so over-powering, he literally dominates every scene of the film; a true mastodont of the silent era. I'd say this film is one of those rare examples of being more close to the truth in depicting of historical events. Outstanding movie, shot by a German director.

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Ron R

Sep 9, 2017

The Last Command is a very uneven movie with a troublesome middle section, but the first act is great and the ending is of course magnificent and so powerful in emotion. The flashback structure is not well utilized, but it was intriguing and the storyline is very interesting and quite original in a way. It is most famous for being Emil Jannings' vehicle. He is absolutely marvelous here, unforgettable and his performance is so superb that he thoroughly deserved the first ever Academy Award for Best Actor.

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Josef von Sternberg

Director

Emil Jannings

Gen. Dolgorucki

Evelyn Brent

Natalie Dabrova

William Powell

Lev Andreyev

Nicholas Soussanin

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Synopsis

Tsarist general Sergius Alexander is basking in the glory of imperial Russia. After sending the revolutionary Lev Andreyev to prison, he starts romancing Andreyev's girl. But when the Bolsheviks seize power, the tide turns for Alexander, and he flees Russia. Years later, Alexander, broke and working as a bit player in Hollywood, bumps into Andreyev, who is now a director. Andreyev casts his old nemesis as a Russian general, intending to humiliate him on set.

Director: Josef von Sternberg
Screenwriter: John F. Goodrich
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 22, 1928, Original
Release Date (DVD): Apr 1, 2014
Runtime: 1h 52m

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