Life's Shop Window

Last updated

Life's Shop Window
Life's shop window still.jpg
Lydia Wilton's baby is presented to the Anderson farm
Directed by
Screenplay by Mary Asquith
Based onLife's Shop Window
by Victoria Cross
Produced by William Fox, Box Office Attraction Company
Starring
Cinematography Harry Fischbeck
Distributed byBox Office Attraction Film Company
Release date
  • November 19, 1914 (1914-11-19)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States

Life's Shop Window is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Claire Whitney and Stuart Holmes. It is a film adaptation of the 1907 novel of the same name by Annie Sophie Cory. The film depicts the story of English orphan Lydia Wilton (Whitney), and her husband Bernard Chetwin (Holmes). Although Wilton's marriage is legitimate, it was conducted in secret, and she is accused of having a child out of wedlock. Forced to leave England, she reunites with her husband in Arizona. There, she is tempted by infidelity with an old acquaintance, Eustace Pelham, before seeing the error of her ways and returning to her family.

Contents

Life's Shop Window was the first film produced by both William Fox and his Box Office Attraction Film Company, the main corporate predecessor to Fox Film. [1] Several reviewers approved of the film's expurgated treatment of the novel's plot, although opinions of the quality of the film itself were mixed. It proved very popular upon its initial release in New York, and that success was used to advertise the film elsewhere. Like many of Fox's early works, it was likely lost in the 1937 Fox vault fire.

Plot

Bernard Chetwin is a boarder at John Anderson's farm in England. He is unimpressed by Anderson's spoiled daughter Bella, but is attracted to their orphaned servant, Lydia Wilton. She tells him of her dreams for a happier life, and they fall in love. Wilton also meets Eustace Pelham, who introduces her to his philosophy of "life's shop window": that many people make life decisions on purely superficial grounds. Chetwin marries Wilton in a secret ceremony.

Intending to establish a farm to support his new family, Chetwin leaves the English countryside for Arizona. Concerned about the dangers of frontier territory, he travels without his newlywed wife, intending to send for her later. When she gives birth to Chetwin's child, Anderson's wife refuses to accept evidence of her marriage, and throws her out of the farm for having a child out of wedlock. She takes the infant with her to Arizona and reunites with Chetwin at his ranch.

The demands of managing the ranch consume all of Chetwin's time, leaving Wilton to feel neglected and unloved. One day, a traveler is injured near the ranch, whom she recognizes as Pelham. Pelham courts her, taking advantage of her loneliness. Although she admits she does not love him, he convinces her to abandon her family and run away with him. As she is preparing to depart, she is confronted by Starlight, an Indian woman who works as a servant on the ranch, who reminds Wilton of the needs of her child. She spurns Pelham and returns to her family. Eventually, Chetwin forgives her and devotes more of his time to her. Pelham may have been killed by Starlight, although his ultimate fate is left unclear. [2] [3]

Cast

Herald
LSW-Herald-Front.jpg
Exterior of a herald, a type of brochure, advertising the film
LSW-Herald-Back.jpg
Interior, describing the film's success in New York

Production

Annie Sophie Cory, writing as Victoria Cross, was a popular but controversial British New Woman novelist. [6] [7] Adultery and female sexuality are common themes in her works, [6] [8] which often reversed the expected gender roles of the time, permitting female desire to motivate the plot. [8] Elizabeth Bisland described Lydia, the main character of Cory's 1907 novel Life's Shop Window, as "a very modernist heroine", comparing her to a more socially successful Hester Prynne. [9] Like many of Cross's novels, it attracted controversy, and was banned for a time by the Circulating Libraries Association in the United Kingdom. [8] Life's Shop Window had already become the basis of a successful play, [10] based on an expurgated version of the novel's plot. [11]

In 1914, William Fox was operating the successful film distributor Box Office Attraction Film Company. Box Office purchased films from studios such as Balboa Amusement Producing Company, showing them in Fox's New York area theaters and renting prints to exhibitors elsewhere in the country. [12] Life's Shop Window may have originally been considered for production in this manner. [13] However, Fox decided he was unwilling to depend on others for the products his business required, and instead prepared to produce his own films under the Box Office Attraction Film Company name. He purchased the Éclair film studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey and property in Staten Island, [14] [15] arranged for actors and crew, and began production with an adaptation of an established work, as was common at the time. [16]

Rights to the film adaptation were purchased for $100. [lower-alpha 1] [16] Like the theatrical adaptation, Mary Asquith's screenplay removed much of the book's controversial sexual elements, [16] censorship intended to make Fox's nascent studio appear more respectable to the industry. [15] Fox selected J. Gordon Edwards to direct, [16] in what may have been his directorial debut; credit for the earlier St. Elmo is disputed, with sources disagreeing whether Edwards or Bertram Bracken directed. [18] [19]

Filming for Life's Shop Window took place at a farm on the Staten Island property, and possibly in the Fort Lee studio. [20] [21] The budget for this five-reel feature film was small, [22] with the cost of production reported as $4,500 [lower-alpha 2] [21] or $6,000; [lower-alpha 3] [16] [14] Fox would exaggerate the cost of production to over thirty times its true value in later advertising. [23] At the time, films of comparable length generally required between $20,000 and $30,000 to produce. [lower-alpha 4] [24] Film historian Terry Ramsaye reported that Fox was not pleased with the completed film and initially declared: "Let's burn the damn thing", before being convinced to allow its release. [21] Life's Shop Window premiered at the Academy of Music in New York on October 20, 1914, [3] [25] although it did not receive its official release until November 19. [22]

Reception and legacy

Michelena and Whitney in a publicity still LSW-MichelenaWhitney.jpg
Michelena and Whitney in a publicity still

Contemporary reviews were mixed. Moving Picture World 's film critic W. Stephen Bush called the film "first-class" despite problems with the plot, cinematography, and the "unbelievably poor" music accompaniment at the Academy of Music. He also remarked on the censorship of the novel's plot, stating that "not even the sternest of moralists can find anything objectionable" in the film. [3] Fox's response was published the following week, in which he praised Bush's review and committed to avoiding "the salacious or the sex drama". [26] Peter Milne of Motion Picture News also praised the decision to make a "clean" adaptation of the novel, as well as the film's realism. [27] However, Variety gave the film a negative review that criticized its editing, its direction, and Whitney's acting ability, suggesting that the film would profit solely on the name of the book it adapted. [28]

Despite some critical reviews, the film was popular, especially with women, and financially successful. Double-file lines over a block long were reported for opening-week showings at the Audubon Theatre in New York. [16] [29] After the incorporation of the Fox Film Corporation, [30] distribution of this film continued under the new company's name. [31] The success of the initial New York showings featured in subsequent advertising, [5] [32] as did Fox's greatly inflated claims of the cost of production. [23]

The 1937 Fox vault fire destroyed most of Fox's silent films, [33] probably including Life's Shop Window. [34] The Library of Congress is not aware of any extant copies. [35]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ equivalent to $2,922in 2022 dollars [17]
  2. ↑ equivalent to $131,472in 2022 dollars [17]
  3. ↑ equivalent to $175,296in 2022 dollars [17]
  4. ↑ equivalent to between $584,319 and 876,478 in 2022 dollars [17]

Related Research Articles

The Fox Film Corporation was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attraction Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Chatterton</span> American actress

Ruth Chatterton was an American stage, film, and television actress, aviator and novelist. She was at her most popular in the early to mid-1930s, and in the same era gained prominence as an aviator, one of the few female pilots in the United States at the time. In the late 1930s, Chatterton retired from film acting but continued her career on the stage. She had several TV roles beginning in the late 1940s and became a successful novelist in the 1950s.

The year 1914 in film involved some significant events, including the debut of Cecil B. DeMille as a director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theda Bara</span> American actress (1885–1955)

Theda Bara was an American silent film and stage actress.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1911 film) 1911 film

A Tale of Two Cities is a 1911 silent film produced by Vitagraph Studios, loosely based on the 1859 novel by Charles Dickens.

<i>The Man Who Played God</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

The Man Who Played God is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by John G. Adolfi. George Arliss stars as a concert pianist embittered by the loss of his hearing, who eventually finds redemption by helping others; it also features a then little-known Bette Davis as the much younger woman engaged to the protagonist.

<i>Camille</i> (1917 film) 1917 film by J. Gordon Edwards

Camille is a 1917 American silent film based on the play adaptation of La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, first published in French as a novel in 1848 and as a play in 1852. Adapted for the screen by Adrian Johnson, Camille was directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starred Theda Bara as Camille and Albert Roscoe as her lover, Armand.

<i>The Trail of the Lonesome Pine</i> (1923 film) 1923 film

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is a 1923 American silent Western film directed by Charles Maigne and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was adapted by Will M. Ritchey from the play and novel of the same name by John Fox Jr. This was the second time that Maigne had directed Minter in an adaptation of a Fox novel, the first being 1920's A Cumberland Romance. This was Minter's final film; her contract with Paramount Pictures was not renewed, and she stated that she was "through" with films. As with many of Minter's features, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is thought to be a lost film.

<i>Irene</i> (1926 film) 1926 film

Irene is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film starring Colleen Moore, and partially shot in Technicolor. The film was directed by Alfred E. Green, produced by Moore's husband John McCormick, and based on the musical Irene written by James Montgomery with music and lyrics by Harry Tierney and Joseph McCarthy.

<i>Riders of the Purple Sage</i> (1918 film) 1981 film

Riders of the Purple Sage is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring William Farnum, Mary Mersch, and William Scott. The film is about a former Texas Ranger who goes after a group of Mormons who have abducted his married sister. This Frank Lloyd silent film was the first of five film adaptations of Zane Grey's 1912 novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Gordon Edwards filmography</span>

J. Gordon Edwards (1867–1925) was a Canadian American film director, screenwriter, and producer of the silent era. His oeuvre consists of over fifty feature films made between 1914 and 1924. He is perhaps best known for directing twenty-four films starring vamp actress Theda Bara—including Cleopatra, her most famous role— and also the 1921 epic The Queen of Sheba. Edwards was born in Montreal and educated at a military academy with the expectation that he would pursue a career as a British Army officer. He decided against a life in the military in favor of a future in theater. At the time, the Canadian theater and film industry was limited primarily to repertory theatre, so Edwards became one of many to emigrate to the United States to work in the field. He had a short career as an actor before becoming a stage director. By 1910, he was working for American motion picture producer William Fox, who sent him to Europe to study film production.

<i>East Lynne</i> (1925 film) 1925 film

East Lynne is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring Alma Rubens, Edmund Lowe, and Lou Tellegen. The film is based on the bestselling 1861 Victorian novel of the same name by Ellen Wood. The scenario was written by Lenore Coffee and the film's director, Emmett J. Flynn.

<i>St. Elmo</i> (1914 film) 1914 film

St. Elmo is a 1914 American silent drama film produced by the Balboa Amusement Producing Company and distributed by William Fox's Box Office Attractions Company. It was the first feature-length film adaptation of Augusta Jane Evans's 1866 novel of the same name. The story follows the life of the title character, who kills his cousin over the love of Agnes, falls from grace, and eventually finds redemption and love with Edna. It is disputed who directed the film; many sources credit Bertram Bracken, while others list St. Elmo as J. Gordon Edwards's directorial debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1937 Fox vault fire</span> Fire at 20th Century-Fox film storage facility in New Jersey

A major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Fox film-storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, United States, on July 9, 1937. Flammable nitrate film had previously contributed to several fires in film-industry laboratories, studios, and vaults, although the precise causes were often unknown. In Little Ferry, gases produced by decaying film, combined with high temperatures and inadequate ventilation, resulted in spontaneous combustion.

<i>It Is the Law</i> 1924 film by J. Gordon Edwards

It Is the Law is a 1924 American silent mystery film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Arthur Hohl, Herbert Heyes, and Mona Palma. It is a film adaptation of the 1922 Broadway play of the same name by Elmer Rice, itself based on a novel by Hayden Talbot. The film depicts the story of Ruth Allen (Palma), who marries Justin Victor (Heyes) over competing suitor Albert Woodruff (Hohl). Seeking revenge for this slight, Woodruff fakes his own death by killing a drifter who resembles him, and frames Victor for the murder. Woodruff attempts to renew his courtship of Allen by using an assumed identity, but she sees through his disguise. Once Victor is freed from prison, he kills Woodruff and goes free because a conviction would constitute double jeopardy.

<i>Trilby</i> (1915 film) 1915 silent film

Trilby is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Wilton Lackaye, Clara Kimball Young, and Paul McAllister. It is an adaptation of the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier. The film's sets were designed by art director Ben Carré.

<i>Gerald Cranstons Lady</i> 1924 film

Gerald Cranston's Lady is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring James Kirkwood, Alma Rubens, and Walter McGrail. It is based on the novel of the same title by Gilbert Frankau published the same year as the film was released.

<i>The Net</i> (1923 film) 1923 American silent film

The Net is a 1923 American silent melodrama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Barbara Castleton, Raymond Bloomer, and Albert Roscoe. It is a film adaptation of the 1919 Broadway play of the same name, itself based on the novel The Woman's Law by Maravene Thompson. The film depicts the story of Allayne Norman (Castleton) and her husband Bruce (Bloomer). Bruce commits murder and convinces Allayne to help him blame the crime on a man suffering from amnesia (Roscoe). After Bruce dies and the man recovers, he marries Allayne.

<i>The Right to Be Happy</i> 1916 film

The Right to Be Happy is an American silent film from 1916 that draws inspiration from Charles Dickens' 1843 Novella, A Christmas Carol. This film was Universal's first attempt at making a Feature film based on Dickens' novella. Throughout the silent era, it stood as the first and only feature film adaptation of A Christmas Carol by an American or foreign film company. The movie was directed by Rupert Julian and supported by a cast of Universal Bluebird players, including Rupert Julian, Claire McDowell, and Harry Carter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet Horner</span>

Violet Horner was an American silent film actress. She had several starring roles including in one of the Lena Rivers films released in 1914 and a series of films made with Billy Quirk for Gem Motion Picture Company including Billy's Adventure.

References

  1. ↑ Solomon 2011, p. 13.
  2. ↑ "Life's Shop Window". Catalogue of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Bush, W. Stephen (November 14, 1914). "Life's Shop Window". The Moving Picture World. 22 (7): 944.
  4. ↑ "Questions and Answers". Photoplay. 10 (3): 149–152, 165, 167–170. 1916.
  5. 1 2 "William Fox Presents Life's Shop Window" (herald). Box Office Attractions Company. c. 1914.
  6. 1 2 Forward 1999, p. 159.
  7. ↑ Nelson 2000, pp. 3–4, 70.
  8. 1 2 3 Wilson 2013, p. 63.
  9. ↑ Bisland, Elizabeth (1908). "The Morals of the Modern Heroine". The North American Review. 188 (633): 226–236.
  10. ↑ "Box Office Engages Array of Broadway Stars". Motion Picture News. 10 (20): 24. November 21, 1914.
  11. ↑ "'Life's Shop Window' Mild". Variety. 28 (1): 11. October 6, 1912.
  12. ↑ Slide 2001, pp. 26–27.
  13. ↑ Jura & Bardin 2007, p. 70.
  14. 1 2 Golden 1996, p. 30.
  15. 1 2 Shepherd 2013, p. 197.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Solomon 2011, p. 14.
  17. 1 2 3 4 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  18. ↑ "St. Elmo [motion picture]". American Silent Feature Film Database. Library of Congress. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  19. ↑ "St. Elmo". Catalogue of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  20. ↑ Koszarski 2005, p. 198.
  21. 1 2 3 Ramsaye 1964, p. 701.
  22. 1 2 Solomon 2011, p. 227.
  23. 1 2 "'Life's Shop Window' To-day". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Vol. 71, no. 342. December 8, 1914. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  24. ↑ Finler 2003, p. 41.
  25. ↑ "More Stars". Variety. 36 (6): 22. October 10, 1914.
  26. ↑ "Fox Agrees with Bush". The Moving Picture World. 22 (8): 1097. November 21, 1914.
  27. ↑ Milne, Peter (November 21, 1914). "Life's Shop Window". Motion Picture News. 10 (20): 40.
  28. ↑ "Life's Shop Window". Variety. 36 (11): 25. November 14, 1914.
  29. ↑ "Notes of the Trade". The Moving Picture World. 22 (8): 1098. November 21, 1914.
  30. ↑ Solomon 2011, p. 19.
  31. ↑ "Fox Film Company Formed in Milwaukee". Motion Picture News. 10 (21): 33. November 28, 1914.
  32. ↑ "At the Galax Today". Asheville Gazette-News . Vol. 20, no. 149. Asheville, NC. September 5, 1915. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  33. ↑ Slide 2000, p. 13.
  34. ↑ Tarbox 1983, pp. 188, 208.
  35. ↑ "Life's Shop Window / Claire Whitney [motion picture]". American Silent Feature Film Database. Library of Congress. Retrieved January 9, 2015.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.