John Barrymore at the peak of his matinee-idol powers, swashbuckling
through Borgia-era Italy as the legendary lover. Directed by Alan
Crosland for Warner Bros., it's a lavish silent spectacle — duels,
dungeons, and Lucrezia Borgia herself — but its place in history is
technical: Don Juan was the first feature released with a synchronized
Vitaphone musical score and sound effects, the experiment that led
directly to The Jazz Singer a year later. Mary Astor and a young Myrna
Loy are among the women pursued through its nearly two hours. As a
work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United
States.
Adventure · Romance · Silent
