The Fortieth Door

Last updated

The Fortieth Door
Fortieth Door lobby card 1924.jpg
Lobby card
Directed by George B. Seitz
Written byFrank Leon Smith
Based onThe Fortieth Door
by Mary Hastings Bradley
Produced byC. W. Patton
Starring Allene Ray
Bruce Gordon
CinematographyVernon L. Walker
Distributed by Pathé Exchange
Release date
  • May 25, 1924 (1924-05-25)
Running time
10 episodes
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

The Fortieth Door is a 1924 American adventure film serial directed by George B. Seitz and starring Allene Ray and Bruce Gordon. The film is considered to be lost. [1] The Library of Congress includes the film among the National Film Preservation Board's updated 2019 list of "7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films" produced between 1912 and 1929. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, [4] this desert story concerns Jack Ryder, an American archeologist in Egypt, and Aimee, who is believed to be a Mohammedan. Jack falls in love with Aimee at a dance in a Cairo hotel. Her father agrees to betroth her to a swindling nobleman to keep from being arrested for trading in narcotics. In the ruins of the Egyptian tombs, Jack finds proof that Aimee is a young French woman whose parents had been captured by bandits and had then fallen into the hands of an Egyptian nobleman. All ends well, however, and everyone lives happily thereafter.

Cast

Reception

While the serial consisted mainly of adventures and escapes in the Egyptian desert, its plot also involved archaeological excavations. A contemporary archaeological journal, noting how producers had recently promoted historical accuracy as a feature of their films, stated that The Fortieth Door attempted to bring an overall ancient Egyptian look to scenes with the exterior of a tomb, but the interior lacked any authenticity in its furnishings or jewelry. [5] The article recommended that films employ an Egyptologist for accuracy. [5]

Chapter titles

  1. The Secret Portal
  2. Two Lockets
  3. The Wedding
  4. Buried Alive
  5. Desert Trails
  6. Tomb of the King
  7. Claws of the Vulture
  8. Held for Hostage
  9. The Rack
  10. The Temple of the Forty Doors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George B. Seitz</span> American film director

George Brackett Seitz was an American playwright, screenwriter, film actor and director. He was known for his screenplays for action serials, such as The Perils of Pauline (1914) and The Exploits of Elaine (1914).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allene Ray</span> American actress

Allene Ray was an American film actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Miller (actor)</span> American actor

Walter Miller was an American actor of the silent era and the early sound era. He appeared in nearly 250 films between 1911 and 1940.

Haunted Island is a 1928 American silent action film serial directed by Robert F. Hill. The serial was released in 10 chapters of two reels each, with the first episode released on March 26, 1928. Each episode featured a lurid title, such as "The Phantom Rider," "The Haunted Room," "The Fires of Fury," or "Buried Alive." The serial was a remake of the 1918 Universal serial The Brass Bullet, which was based on the story "Pleasure Island." As of October 2009, Haunted Island is considered a lost film. A trailer survives in the Library of Congress collection.

<i>Galloping Hoofs</i> 1924 film

Galloping Hoofs is a 1924 American silent Western film serial directed by George B. Seitz and starring Allene Ray and Johnnie Walker. The film is now considered to be lost.

Ten Scars Make a Man is a 1924 American adventure film serial written by Phillip Barry and directed by William Parke. The film is considered to be lost.

<i>The Way of a Man</i> 1924 film

The Way of a Man is a 1924 American silent Western film serial directed by George B. Seitz. Pathé Exchange also released it as a 9-reel film later in 1924. Both the serial and the film version are considered to be lost.

<i>The Green Archer</i> (1925 serial) 1925 film

The Green Archer is a ten part 1925 American mystery film serial directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet. It is based on Edgar Wallace's bestselling 1923 novel of the same name. The filmmakers moved the setting of the novel from England to the United States. The story was remade in the sound era as another serial The Green Archer by Columbia Pictures.

<i>Sunken Silver</i> 1925 film

Sunken Silver is a 1925 American film serial directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and George B. Seitz. The serial is preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

<i>Hawk of the Hills</i> (1927 serial) 1927 film

Hawk of the Hills is a 1927 American silent Western film serial directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet.

<i>The Sky Ranger</i> (1921 film) 1921 film

The Sky Ranger is a 1921 American 15-episode/chapter silent film serial. Directed by George B. Seitz who also starred with June Caprice, the film serial was an adventure film with locales as exotic as Tibet. The plot staple of an inventor of aviation technology having to contend with conspirators who wish to steal the invention, often appeared in aviation films. The Sky Ranger is considered to be lost.

<i>Hoodman Blind</i> 1923 film

Hoodman Blind is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by John Ford. It is a remake of a 1913 film of the same name directed by James Gordon and a 1916 William Farnum Fox feature titled A Man of Sorrow and based on the play Hoodman Blind.

<i>The Heritage of the Desert</i> (film) 1924 film

The Heritage of the Desert is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Irvin Willat and based on the novel of the same name by Zane Grey. It stars Bebe Daniels, Ernest Torrence, and Noah Beery. The film was released by Paramount Pictures with sequences filmed in an early Technicolor process.

<i>Big Timber</i> (1917 film) 1917 film

Big Timber is a 1917 American silent film Northwoods/drama produced by the Oliver Morosco Company and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by William Desmond Taylor and starred Kathlyn Williams and Wallace Reid. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it may be a lost film.

<i>Men</i> (1924 film) 1924 film by Dimitri Buchowetzki

Men is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki and starring Pola Negri that was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Love Insurance</i> 1919 film by Donald Crisp

Love Insurance is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp, produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the novel of the same name by Earl Derr Biggers, Love Insurance.

<i>Something to Do</i> 1919 film by Donald Crisp

Something to Do is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp and written by Maximilian Foster and Will M. Ritchey. The film stars Bryant Washburn, Ann Little, Robert Brower, Charles K. Gerrard, Adele Farrington, and Charles Ogle. The film was released on April 13, 1919, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Ridgeway of Montana</i> 1924 film directed by Clifford Smith

Ridgeway of Montana is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Clifford Smith and starring Jack Hoxie, Olive Hasbrouck, and Herbert Fortier.

<i>Pagan Passions</i> 1924 film

Pagan Passions is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Colin Campbell and starring Wyndham Standing, June Elvidge, and Barbara Bedford.

<i>The Dancer of the Nile</i> 1923 film

The Dancer of the Nile is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by William P.S. Earle and starring Carmel Myers, Malcolm McGregor, and Sam De Grasse. The film was produced in response to the public fascination following the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in November 1922.

References

  1. ↑ "Progressive Silent Film List: The Fortieth Door". silentera.com. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  2. ↑ "7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films (1912-29) National Film Preservation Board", running updated list (current as of October 23, 2019), "Fortieth Door, The (1924), George B. Seitz", p. 1, film number 41. National Film Preservation Board, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  3. ↑ "American Silent Feature Film: Database From the report 'The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912-1929'", searchable database that includes nearly 11,000 complete or partial titles. Library of Congress. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ Morgan, Len (May 17, 1924). "Box Office Reviews: The Fortieth Door". Exhibitors Trade Review. New York: Exhibitors Review Publishing Corporation: 29–30. Retrieved December 12, 2022.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  5. 1 2 Bryan, Bruce (October 1924). "Movie Realism and Archaeological Fact". Art and Archaeology. Washington, D.C.: Archaeological Institute of America. 18 (4): 131–144. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
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.