The Man Without a Country (1917 film)

Last updated
The Man Without a Country
The Man Without a Country-ad-1917.jpg
Advertisement
Directed byErnest C. Warde
Written by Lloyd Lonergan (scenario)
Based on The Man Without a Country
by Edward Everett Hale
Starring Florence La Badie
Holmes Herbert
J. H. Gilmour
Cinematography George Webber
Production
company
Distributed by Jewel Productions [1] : 24  [2]
Release date
  • 1917 (1917)
Running time
6 reels
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)
The Man Without a Country

The Man Without a Country is a 1917 American silent film adaptation of Edward Everett Hale's short story of the same name . The film was directed by Ernest C. Warde, and starred Florence La Badie, Holmes Herbert, and J. H. Gilmour, and released by Thanhouser Film Corporation. [3]

Contents

The film follows closely to the storyline of Hales's text and its production and success in film theaters may be related to the historical context of the period. The original story, with its strong patriotic theme, was written during the American Civil War in order to increase public support for the Union cause. The film had a like function with regard to the First World War, which the United States had joined a few months prior to the film's release.

The film was released on September 9, 1917, and was the last film role of Florence La Badie, who would die in October 1917 from injuries sustained in an automobile crash in August 1917, just days before the film's premiere. [4]

Plot

As described in a film magazine, [5] Barbara Norton (La Badie) and her brother Tom (Marlo), orphaned children of a veteran who gave his life for his country, go to live with their uncle Phineas (Howard) and aunt (Hastings) in the city. It is just before the entrance of the United States into the European war and the uncle is a pacifist. He holds meetings at home where Barbara assists him. Barbara's brother is a loyal American and is greatly troubled by the uncle's expectations to count on him. Barbara meets John Alton (Herbert), who wins her promise to be his wife. They are very happy until war is declared and Barbara cannot bear the thought of her future husband not doing service for his country. His "Peace at Any Price" button is the last straw and she gives him a choice of either joining the "colors" or breaking the engagement. John declares that he is a true pacifist and Barbara, believing that a man who cannot support his country is that country's enemy, breaks the engagement publicly. Her fiance becomes very unpopular at his club because of his views and is taken to task by one of his father's friends. Having lost Barbara and his popularity makes him resent the constant references to the United States and his debt to his country, and he curses his native land. Barbara enlists as a Red Cross nurse and her brother as a soldier. Later, an old friend of John's family, Pop Milton (Dundan), gives him a copy of The Man Without a Country and asks him to read it and rise above his treasonous views. He does so, and as he reads the immortal story the patriotic spirit of Barbara comes to him in a vision of Columbia who tells him that in a previous life he was the Philip Nolan of the story. She takes him back to historic times and shows him a succession of scenes from the book. The man of today sees with horror the famous court martial in which he was sentenced to never hear of the United States again, the tragedy of the careful carrying out of the sentence, and the pitiful death of the man, made easier by the humanity of Captain Danforth (Gilmour), who gives him a brief history of the land he learns to bless before he dies. John's spirit returns from the allegorical journey and he responds to the new and vigorous manhood within and enlists at once, thereby winning Barbara, who was at home on sick leave from her nursing work in France.

Cast

Related Research Articles

1917 in film was a particularly fruitful year for the art form, and is often cited as one of the years in the decade which contributed to the medium the most, along with 1913. Secondarily the year saw a limited global embrace of narrative film-making and featured innovative techniques such as continuity cutting. Primarily, the year is an American landmark, as 1917 is the first year where the narrative and visual style is typified as "Classical Hollywood".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence La Badie</span> American actress

Florence La Badie was an American-Canadian actress in the early days of the silent film era. She was a major star between 1911 and 1917. Her career was at its height when she died at age 29 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Man Without a Country</span> Short story by Edward Everett Hale

"The Man Without a Country" is a short story by American writer Edward Everett Hale, first published in The Atlantic in December 1863. It is the story of American Army lieutenant Philip Nolan, who renounces his country during a trial for treason, and is consequently sentenced to spend the rest of his days at sea without so much as a word of news about the United States.

<i>Carry On, Jeeves</i> 1925 short story collection by P.G. Wodehouse

Carry On, Jeeves is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 9 October 1925 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 7 October 1927 by George H. Doran, New York. Many of the stories had previously appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, and some were rewritten versions of stories in the collection My Man Jeeves (1919). The book is considered part of the Jeeves canon.

<i>Divorce and the Daughter</i> 1916 film by Frederic Richard Sullivan

Divorce and the Daughter is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Frederic Richard Sullivan. The film stars Florence La Badie, Edwin Stanley, Ethelmary Oakland and Kathryn Adams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethyle Cooke</span> American actress

Ethyle Cooke was an American silent film actress of the 1910s. In 1915, she married another prominent silent film actor of the time, Harry Benham. Cooke starred in many popular films, such as A Small Town Girl, Stronger than Death, and The Fugitive.

The Country Girl is a 1915 American short silent romantic comedy-drama film starring Florence La Badie and directed by Frederic Richard Sullivan. The film is based on David Garrick's 1766 play The Country Girl.

<i>Old Wives for New</i> 1918 film

Old Wives for New is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Prints of the film survive at the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House.

<i>The Secret of the Storm Country</i> 1917 American film

The Secret of the Storm Country was a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Charles Miller and starring Norma Talmadge. The film is described as not a direct sequel but a "continuation" of the 1914 film Tess of the Storm Country, starring Mary Pickford. The film is now considered lost.

<i>My Own United States</i> 1918 American film

My Own United States is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by John W. Noble and starring Arnold Daly, Charles E. Graham, and Duncan McRae. It is based on the short story The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale. It was distributed by Metro Pictures.

<i>Gentle Julia</i> (1923 film) Silent film by Rowland V. Lee

Gentle Julia is a 1923 American silent romantic drama film based on the popular novel Gentle Julia by Booth Tarkington. Directed by Rowland V. Lee, the film starred Bessie Love. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation, and is considered a lost film.

Too Many Women, also known as Girl Trouble and Man Trap, is a 1942 American film directed by Bernard B. Ray.

<i>The Auction Block</i> (1917 film) 1917 film

The Auction Block is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Laurence Trimble and starring Rubye De Remer. The film was produced by Rex Beach, upon whose novel, The Auction Block, the film is based. It is not known whether the film survives. The film was remade as a comedy in 1926 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Charles Ray and Eleanor Boardman.

<i>The Woman in White</i> (1917 film) 1917 American film

The Woman in White is a 1917 American drama film directed by Ernest C. Warde and starring Florence La Badie, Richard R. Neill, and Gertrude Dallas. It comprises five reels of 4,627 feet and had its premiere on July 1, 1917. Length: 1 hour 8 minutes. The film was originally distributed by Pathé. In the 1920s it was re-released under the title The Unfortunate Marriage.

<i>War Brides</i> (1916 film) 1916 film by Herbert Brenon

War Brides is a lost 1916 American silent war drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Alla Nazimova. The film marked Nazimova's debut in motion pictures.

<i>After His Own Heart</i> 1919 film

After His Own Heart is a 1919 American silent comedy-drama film based on a 1919 short story of the same name by Ben Ames Williams. It was adapted for the screen by Albert Shelby Le Vino and directed by Harry L. Franklin. The film stars Hale Hamilton and Naomi Childers and was distributed by Metro Pictures Corp., a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A copy of the film is archived at the Cinémathèque Française under the title Une Cure Merveilleuse.

<i>Rough Riding Romance</i> 1919 film

Rough Riding Romance is a lost 1919 American silent Western film directed by Arthur Rosson and starring cowboy Tom Mix. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation.

<i>The Man Without a Country</i> (1925 film) 1925 film

The Man Without a Country is a 1925 American drama film directed by Rowland V. Lee and written by Robert N. Lee. It is based on the 1863 short story The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale. The film stars Guy Edward Hearn, Pauline Starke, Lucy Beaumont, Richard Tucker, Earl Metcalfe, and Edward Coxen. Originally titled As No Man Has Loved, the film was released on February 11, 1925, by Fox Film Corporation.

The Business of Love is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Irving Reis and Jess Robbins and starring Edward Everett Horton, Barbara Bedford, and Zasu Pitts.

Her Life and His is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Frederick Sullivan and starring Florence La Badie, Holmes Herbert and Ethyle Cooke.

References

  1. ↑ Hirschhorn, Clive (1985) [1983]. The Universal Story. New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN   0-7064-1873-5.
  2. ↑ "The Man Without a Country". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  3. ↑ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1911-20 published by The American Film Institute, c.1988
  4. ↑ Progressive Silent Film List: The Man Without a Country at silentera.com
  5. ↑ "Reviews: The Man Without a Country". Exhibitors Herald. New York: Exhibitors Herald Company. 5 (14): 28. September 29, 1917.
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.