The Gentle Intruder | |
---|---|
Directed by | James Kirkwood |
Written by | Clifford Howard |
Starring | Mary Miles Minter |
Distributed by | Mutual Film |
Release date |
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Running time | 5 reels |
Country | United States |
Languages | Silent English intertitles |
The Gentle Intruder is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by James Kirkwood and starring Mary Miles Minter. The film was Minter's sixth production with Mutual Film. [1] It is one of approximately a dozen of Minter's films known to have survived; a copy is held by the Dutch Filmmuseum. [2]
As described in film magazines, [3] [4] [5] Sylvia (Minter) is the niece of a wealthy man who, unbeknownst to her, wills her his entire fortune. Her uncle's attorney, Baxter (Clark), appropriates the money to fund his family's lavish social life, and employs Sylvia in his house as a servant, whose role is to act as a companion to his sister.
The Baxter family's ill-gotten fortune has a negative effect upon their son Arnold (Fisher), who turns to gambling and to drink. While trying to hide the worst of his excesses from his father, Sylvia comes to realise that she loves Arnold. Arnold, in turn, discovers that his family's wealth is truthfully Sylvia's, and confronts his father about this.
The family are horrified at the thought of losing their lavish lifestyle, and Baxter begs Sylvia for forgiveness. Sylvia is content without the fortune, having found something far preferable to her than the money, and she and Arnold are married.
The December 20, 1916 issue of Reel Life had a news item describing an element of the film's production: "George Periolat, who plays an important role in the first scenes of The Gentle Intruder, the new Mary Miles Minter feature being directed by James Kirkwood, is having an easy time this week at the Santa Barbara studio of the American company. All he has to do is to lie in bed all day while the camera records his failing health and death. After three or four days of it, however, Periolat says he doesn't wish to see a bed for a week." [6]
In the February 3, 1917 issue, Reel Life also observed that The Gentle Intruder was Minter's first film "with her hair done up." [7]
The Moving Picture World said on February 24, 1917 that the film "will be a fit companion piece to the preceding pictures in which the young American star [Minter] has appeared, and affords her a wide opportunity in a difficult role." [8]
Motion Picture News said on March 3, 1917 that the film "is a typical Mary Miles Minter-Cinderella production. By this we mean that the diminutive star has the same tribulations that she has encountered so many times in the celluloid... These plot high-lights have been incorporated into nearly every picture starring Miss Minter. They will probably continue to form the foundation of Minter releases, because these circumstances are ideal for displaying the star's youth, wistfulness, and engaging mannerisms. The public would probably resent seeing Miss Minter in a different kind of role, just as it wants Maude Adams to play nothing but Peter Pan." [9]
Proving the Motion Picture News critic correct, the Dayton, Ohio Journal review objected to Minter's hairstyle: "Give us back our Mary. In The Gentle Intruder, Mary is no longer the laughing care-free child. She has her hair done up. Lord! fancy Mary Miles with done up hair. We refuse to stand for it. Of course Mary is gentle and wistful and awfully nice, but we want her with her hair down." [10]
Wives and Other Wives is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Mary Miles Minter, based on a story by Jules Furthman. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Dulcie's Adventure is a 1916 American silent drama film, directed by James Kirkwood, and starring Mary Miles Minter and Bessie Banks. The script for the film was adapted by William Pigott from a novel written by R. Strauss. The film is notable for being the first time that Allan Forrest appeared as Minter's leading man; the two would make a further 19 features together, ending with The Heart Specialist. As with many of Minter's features, it is believed to be a lost film.
Melissa of the Hills is a 1917 American silent film directed by James Kirkwood and starring Mary Miles Minter. As is the case with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Periwinkle is a 1917 American silent film directed by James Kirkwood and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was based on a story written by William Farquhar Payson. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
The Innocence of Lizette is a 1916 American silent comedy-drama film directed by James Kirkwood and starring Mary Miles Minter. It is one of approximately a dozen of Minter's films which are known to have survived. The film was restored in the Netherlands in 2004 and was shown at several European film festivals along with A Dream or Two Ago, another Minter feature from 1916.
Environment is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by James Kirkwood and starring Mary Miles Minter. As with many of Minter's features, it is believed to be a lost film. It is one of ten Minter films to also feature her older sister Margaret Shelby in a supporting role.
Annie-for-Spite is a 1917 silent film directed by James Kirkwood and starring Mary Miles Minter. The film is based upon the story Annie for Spite by Frederick J. Jackson. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Her Country's Call is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Mary Miles Minter, along with George Periolat and Allan Forrest. The film is the final instalment in a series a films written by Abraham Lincoln impersonator Benjamin Chapin, who also appeared in the film as Lincoln. It was one of many films of the time that catered to the vogue for patriotic pictures after America joined World War 1, with ample shots of soldiers and the American flag. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
The Mate of the Sally Ann is a 1917 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Beauty and the Rogue is a 1918 American silent comedy crime drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was filmed under the working title of "Mademoiselle Tiptoe," based on a story by Arthur Berthelet and adapted for the screen by Elizabeth Mahoney, who was the screenwriter for many of Minter's Mutual Film features. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Powers That Prey is a 1918 silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter, with whom King stated that he enjoyed working. The film is based on a story called Extra! Extra! by Will M. Ritchey, which was also the working title of the film. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
The Eyes of Julia Deep is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film starring Mary Miles Minter and directed by Lloyd Ingraham. The film is based on the short story by the same name, written by Kate L. McLaurin. It is one of the few films starring Minter which are known to have survived, and one of even fewer readily available for the general public to view.
Judy of Rogue's Harbor is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by William Desmond Taylor and starring Mary Miles Minter. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Grace Miller White, with a scenario by Clara Beranger. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Realart and Paramount Pictures. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Social Briars is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. The story was by Jeanne Judson, and it was filmed under the working title of "The Greater Call." As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Nurse Marjorie is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by William Desmond Taylor and starring Mary Miles Minter. It is based on a 1906 play, Nurse Marjorie, by Israel Zangwill, with a scenario by Julia Crawford Ivers. It is one of approximately a dozen of Minter's films know to survive today, and one of even fewer readily available for the general public to view.
The Amazing Impostor is a 1919 American silent comedy film starring Mary Miles Minter and directed by Lloyd Ingraham. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Jenny Be Good is a is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by William Desmond Taylor and starring Mary Miles Minter, based on a novel by William Finley Fauley and adapted for the screen by Julia Crawford Ivers. It is the last of Minter's films to also feature her older sister Margaret Shelby in a supporting role. As with many of Minter's features, it is believed to be a lost film.
Rosemary Climbs the Heights is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Mary Miles Minter, Allan Forrest and Margaret Shelby. It is the only one of Minter's feature films not listed in the Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Database, making its survival status difficult to ascertain.
The Intrusion of Isabel is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Mary Miles Minter, J. Parks Jones, Allan Forrest and Lucretia Harris. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
The Ghost of Rosy Taylor is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film starring Mary Miles Minter and directed by Edward Sloman. The film is based on a Saturday Evening Post story of the same name, written by Josephine Daskam Bacon. It is one of approximately a dozen Minter films which are known to have survived - a print was found in New Zealand in the 1990s which is in possession of the BFI National Archive - and one of even fewer readily available for the general public to view.