The Guilty Man

Last updated
The Guilty Man
Directed by Irvin Willat
Based onThe Guilty Man
by Charles Klein
Starring William Garwood
Vivian Reed
Gloria Hope
Distributed by Famous Players–Lasky Corporation
Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • February 18, 1918 (1918-02-18)
Running time
5 reels
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

The Guilty Man is a lost [1] 1918 American silent drama film directed by Irvin Willat and starring William Garwood, Vivian Reed, and Gloria Hope. The film was based on a play by Charles Klein. [2]

Contents

Plot

As described in a film magazine, [3] Marie Dubois (Reed), deserted by her lover before the birth of her child, marries Flambon (French), who is cruel and heartless. When her daughter Claudine (Hope) reaches womanhood, Flambon forces her to sing in his cafe and then endeavors her to marry one of his creditors. Marie interferes and Flambon takes hold of her by the throat. Claudine, fearing for her mother's safety, kills him. She is arrested and taken before the grand prosecutor, who discovers that Claudine is really his own child. During the trial he enforces the same rigidity which have characterized his other trials, but in the end confesses that he is the girl's father, resigns his position, and places himself at the mercy of the public. He is allowed to go free and solemnly promises to make up to his wife and daughter what they have missed.

Cast

Reception

Like many American films of the time, The Guilty Man was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors issued the film an Adults Only permit and required cuts of three intertitles "There is something you must do", "I have no right to bring a nameless child into the world", and "I must obey the law — I cannot sanction immorality", and the actual shooting scene. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Squaw Man</i> (1918 film) 1918 film

The Squaw Man is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is a remake of DeMille's 1914 film of the same name, which is based upon a 1905 play by Edwin Milton Royle. The film was reportedly made as an experiment to prove DeMille's theory that a good film is based on a good story. It cost $40,000 to make and grossed $350,000. It would be remade again by DeMille in 1931. The 1918 The Squaw Man is a lost film with only the last reel extant.

<i>The Great Love</i> (1918 film) 1918 film

The Great Love is a 1918 American silent war drama film directed and written by D. W. Griffith who, along with scenario writer Stanner E.V. Taylor, is credited as "Captain Victor Marier". The film stars George Fawcett and Lillian Gish. Set during World War I, exterior scenes were shot on location in England. The Great Love is now considered to be a lost film.

<i>The Brass Bullet</i> 1918 film

The Brass Bullet is a 1918 American silent adventure film serial directed by Ben F. Wilson. It is now considered to be a lost film.

<i>The Bulls Eye</i> (serial) 1917 film

The Bull's Eye is a 1917 American film serial directed by James W. Horne. It is now considered to be a lost film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivian Reed (actress, born 1894)</span> American actress (1894–1989)

Vivian Reed, also known as Vivian R. Green, was an American silent film actress. She appeared in 36 films between 1914 and 1938, and was described in news reports during her early years as "the girl-with-the-million-dollar-smile" and a "screen beauty" who was "one of the most beautiful young women in motion pictures."

The Lion's Claws is a 1918 American adventure film serial directed by Harry Harvey and Jacques Jaccard and starring Marie Walcamp and Ray Hanford. The serial, which had 18 chapters, is considered to be a lost film.

<i>The Deciding Kiss</i> 1918 film

The Deciding Kiss is a 1918 American comedy film directed by Tod Browning. The film was considered a lost film for decades. A print was discovered at the French archive Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée in Fort de Bois-d'Arcy.

<i>The Forbidden Path</i> 1918 film

The Forbidden Path is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered lost.

<i>Her Decision</i> 1918 film

Her Decision is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Jack Conway and starring Gloria Swanson. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it may be a lost film.

<i>Station Content</i> 1918 film

Station Content is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Arthur Hoyt and starring Gloria Swanson. The original, five reel feature is presumed to be lost, but a one reel abridgment created in 1926 does survive and has been released on video.

The Bride's Awakening is a 1918 American silent drama film released by Universal Pictures and produced by their Bluebird production unit. Robert Z. Leonard directed the film and his then-wife Mae Murray was the star. A print of the film is housed at the EYE Institute Nederlands.

Face Value is a 1918 American silent drama film starring Mae Murray and directed by Robert Z. Leonard. It was released by Universal Film and produced by their second tier production unit Bluebird.

<i>The Only Road</i> (film) 1918 film

The Only Road is a 1918 American silent Western film starring Viola Dana. It was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures and directed by Frank Reicher.

<i>Little Miss Optimist</i> 1917 American film

Little Miss Optimist is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Robert Thornby and written by Gardner Hunting. The film stars Vivian Martin, Tom Moore, Charles West, Ernest Joy, Charles K. Gerrard, and Helen Bray. The film was released on August 26, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Wild Youth</i> (film) 1918 film by George Melford

Wild Youth is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and written by Beulah Marie Dix. The film stars Louise Huff, Theodore Roberts, Jack Mulhall, James Cruze, and Adele Farrington. It is based on a novel by Gilbert Parker. The film was released on March 18, 1918, by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film.

Tyrant Fear is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Roy William Neill, written by R. Cecil Smith, and starring Dorothy Dalton, Thurston Hall, Melbourne MacDowell, William Conklin, Lou Salter, and Carmen Phillips. It was released on April 29, 1918, by Paramount Pictures. A print of the film is held by the Library of Congress.

<i>Viviette</i> 1918 American film

Viviette is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Walter Edwards, written by Julia Crawford Ivers and William J. Locke, and starring Vivian Martin, Eugene Pallette, Harrison Ford, Kate Toncray, Clara Whipple, and Donald Blakemore. It was released on June 9, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Law of the North</i> 1918 American film

The Law of the North is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Irvin Willat, and written by Ella Stuart Carson, John Lynch, and R. Cecil Smith. The film stars Charles Ray, Doris May, Robert McKim, Gloria Hope, Charles K. French, and Manuel R. Ojeda. The film was released on September 29, 1918, by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives.

<i>The Sunset Trail</i> (1917 film) 1917 film by George Melford

The Sunset Trail is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by George Melford, written by Beulah Marie Dix and Alice McIver, and starring Vivian Martin, Henry A. Barrows, William Elmer, Harrison Ford, Charles Ogle, and Carmen Phillips. The picture was released on October 13, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Panther Woman</i> 1918 American film

The Panther Woman is a 1918 American drama film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Olga Petrova. It was written by Mary Murillo based upon the 1895 novel Patience Sparhawk and Her Times by Gertrude Atherton and released in October 1918 by First National.

References

  1. The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:..The Guilty Man
  2. The AFI Catalog of Feature Films:..The Guilty Man
  3. "Reviews: The Guilty Man". Exhibitors Herald. New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company. 6 (7): 26. February 9, 1918.
  4. "Official Cut-Outs by the Chicago Board of Censors". Exhibitors Herald. 6 (8): 29. February 16, 1918.