most of the silent film i have see have be serious in nature and so it be fun to see one with a comic touch . the setting and some of the scene for the beloved rogue be reminiscent of 1923 the hunchback of notre dame relative to the paris street scene and the celebration of the king of fool . john barrymore portrays france great poet francois villon in a characterization that range quite broadly from virtual slapstick to romantically tender while that water into wine bit early in the picture be rather amuse . it seem that time never change and and it interest to see the movie make a cogent observation nearly a century ago paris have it fool to reign for one night and while everywhere else have one all the time . how true . the appearance of conrad veidt in the film be a little surprising for this viewer and i have only see him a major strasser in casablanca and oddly one of his very last movie . a king louis xi and he a monarch obsess with astrology and crafty but suspicious and and it be a bit unnerving to see how closely he resemble brad dourif wormtounge character from the final chapter of the lord of the ring trilogy . not exactly exude the confidence a king of france might be expect to bear . which be why the ascendancy of burgundy duke ( lawson butt ) seem all the more plausible and until villon rise to the occasion to put one over on both ruler . i find it interest that the use of inter title card be exceedingly spare and use only when absolutely necessary to advance the story . without them though and one would have miss a curious nugget . it seem villon carry out his exile from paris at the hostel of the lame flea . the print i view be of exceptional quality and the very first film present in a one hundred action and suspense movie dvd set from mill creek entertainment and that say something for a film that now eighty year old . it great that movie from the silent era be now find a wider distribution in this type of commercial format and make them accessible to an entirely new generation of movie lover . one question do it seem like conrad veidt king louis pick his nose on purpose and or a an inadvertent gesture that simply remain safe from the cutting room .