The Black Watch from 1929, is John Ford's first totally talking movie, and is film 55 I have seen of Myrna Loy, and the earliest one I have seen where she plays a major role. It takes a half hour for her to show up, but when she does, she is as beautiful as ever. She plays Yasmani who is a direct descendant of Alexander The Great who is basically a Joan of Arc type out to lead her people ( it takes place in India) to defeat the British. For those who are not that familiar with her early work, she has played all kinds of interesting characters. Yasmani was actually one of the better characters she played. The person who is out to stop her and prevent a war is Captain Donald King ( Victor McLaglin), of the Black Watch ( a Scottish Military Regiment). Spoilers ahead: Yasmani and Donald do fall in love and she decides to change but she gets killed by one of her own people. McLaglin usually plays characters ( often Irish) who are messed us and love whiskey but here he plays the British Officer he was in real life. Is The Black Watch the best film of Ford, Loy or McLaglin? No but considering when it was made, I would certainly recommend it. 9/10 stars.
Review of The Black Watch
