The Common Cause (film)

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The Common Cause
The Common Cause 1919.png
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Directed by J. Stuart Blackton
Produced byJ. Stuart Blackton
Written by Anthony Paul Kelly
Based onplay, Getting Together, by Ian Hay, J. Hartley Manners, and Percival Knight
Starring Effie Shannon
Irene Castle
Marjorie Rambeau
CinematographyGeorge Brautigan
Production
company
J. Stuart Blackton Feature Pictures
Distributed by Vitagraph Company of America
Release date
January 5, 1919
Running time
7 reels
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

The Common Cause is a lost [1] 1919 American silent comedy film directed and produced by J. Stuart Blackton and distributed by Vitagraph Company of America. [2] It is based on a play, Getting Together, by Ian Hay, J. Hartley Manners, and Percival Knight. [3]

Lost film feature or short film that is no longer known to exist

A lost film is a feature or short film that is no longer known to exist in any studio archives, private collections, or public archives, such as the U.S. Library of Congress.

J. Stuart Blackton American filmmaker and cartoonist

James Stuart Blackton was a British-American film producer and director of the silent era. One of the pioneers of motion pictures, he founded Vitagraph Studios in 1897. He was one of the first filmmakers to use the techniques of stop-motion and drawn animation, is considered a father of American animation, and was the first to bring many classic plays and books to the screen. Blackton was also the commodore of the Motorboat Club of America and the Atlantic Yacht Club.

J. Hartley Manners British actor and playwright

John Hartley Manners was a London-born playwright of Irish extraction who wrote Peg o' My Heart, which starred his wife, Laurette Taylor, on Broadway in one of her greatest stage triumphs.

Contents

Plot

As described in a film magazine, [4] Helene Palmer (Breamer) is estranged from her husband Orrin (Rawlinson) due to the attentions paid to her by a man about town. After the United States enters World War I, she takes up war work and pleads with men from all walks of life on the steps of the New York City public library to enlist. Her husband joins his company and goes abroad, and she induces her male friend to also join the colors. She then goes to France where she ministers to the sick and destitute. The Germans invade the town and she remains behind with those too ill to be moved. A German officer goes to her room and is about to assault her when the American troops arrive, and she is saved by her husband. There is a reconciliation between them. The film has a prologue where actresses representing Britannia, Italy, and the United States answer the call of Belgium and France, and the film ends with an epilogue with a "league of nations" tableau.

World War I 1914–1918 global war originating in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

<i>Tableau vivant</i> static scene containing one or more actors or models

A tableau vivant, French for 'living picture', is a static scene containing one or more actors or models. They are stationary and silent, usually in costume, carefully posed, with props and/or scenery, and may be theatrically lit. It thus combines aspects of theatre and the visual arts.

Cast

Effie Shannon American actress

Effie Shannon was an American stage and silent screen actress.

Violet Heming British actress

Violet Heming was an English stage and screen actress. Born Violet Hemming in Leeds, Yorkshire, she was the daughter of Alfred Hemming who appeared in silent films and Mabel Allen. She began a stage career in 1908 while in her early teens and also appeared in her first motion picture, a short film for Thanhouser Film Company, in 1910. In 1913, she appeared with George Arliss in the play Disraeli.

Julia Arthur Canadian actress

Julia Arthur was a Canadian-born stage and film actress.

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References

  1. ↑ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Common Cause
  2. ↑ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Common Cause
  3. ↑ Progressive Silent Film List: The Common Cause at silentera.com
  4. ↑ "Reviews: The Common Cause". Exhibitors Herald. New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company. 7 (24): 34. December 7, 1918.


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