The Red Lantern

Last updated
The Red Lantern
The Red Lantern.jpg
Sheet music cover to the film's theme song
Directed by Albert Capellani
Written by June Mathis
Edith Wherry (novel)
Starring Alla Nazimova
Noah Beery
Cinematography Tony Gaudio
Distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation
Release date
  • May 4, 1919 (1919-05-04)
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The Red Lantern is a 1919 American silent drama film starring Alla Nazimova, who plays dual roles, and directed by Albert Capellani. It is notable today for being Anna May Wong's screen debut. A single print survives in Europe with rumors of a copy at Gosfilmofond, Moscow. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

As described in a film magazine, [3] Mahlee (Nazimova) is a half-Chinese and half white woman, which makes her an outcast. After her grandmother dies, she goes to a Christian mission in Peking where she is converted and becomes a missionary. There she falls in love with Andrew Templeton (Foss), the son of the mission leader Reverend Alex Templeton (Hall), but the son's admiration is tempered by her mixed race. Dr. Sam Wang lives at the mission as well but is secretly a Boxer leader. Dr. Wang loves Mahlee but she spurns his advances.

The full movie

One day Blanche Sackville (Nazimova) visits the mission, and Mahlee realizes that she is the daughter of the Englishman her grandmother told her about and is her half-sister. Although Mahlee initially feels an attachment to Blanche, she soon becomes jealous when she realizes that Sir Philip Sackville (Currier) favors a suite between Blanche and Andrew Templeton. Capitalizing on the disdain in Mahlee's heart, Sam Wang convinces her to join him and impersonate the Goddess of the Red Lantern, a mystic personage that presides over the Chinese New Year, to convince the superstitious revolutionaries that victory is near if they follow Wang. While she serves the Boxer cause, she still cannot bear to have those she loves hurt, so she goes to the mission to warn them of an attack. She meets Philip Sackville and pleads for him to acknowledge her as his daughter and take her away from China, but Sackville refuses. She returns to Wang and celebrates the Feast of the Lanterns. Although the Boxers are suspicious of her, Wang saves her. Armed conflict between the Boxers and Allies results in the rout of the Chinese. Mahlee goes to the Boxer Palace and while on her throne, she drinks the poison Wang gives her. Philip Sackville, Blanche, and Andrew come to the palace and discover Mahlee dead.

Cast

Alla Nazimova Nazimova in The Red Lantern.jpg
Alla Nazimova

Production

Advertisement for the film Red Lantern ad.jpg
Advertisement for the film

The Red Lantern, filmed during the 1918 flu pandemic, was the debut of Anna May Wong, who played a lantern bearer. [4] To meet the casting requirements which required 300 extras for the film, the Chinese American extras were paid $7.50 per day ($101.32 in 2015 dollars), which was $1.50 more than the other extras. [4]

Related Research Articles

Camille may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna May Wong</span> American actress (1905–1961)

Wong Liu Tsong, known professionally as Anna May Wong, was an American actress, considered the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, as well as the first Chinese American actress to gain international recognition. Her varied career spanned silent film, sound film, television, stage, and radio.

The Lady of the Camellias, sometimes called in English Camille, is a novel by Alexandre Dumas fils. First published in 1848 and subsequently adapted by Dumas for the stage, the play premiered at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris, France, on February 2, 1852. It was an instant success. Shortly thereafter, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi set about putting the story to music in the 1853 opera La traviata, with female protagonist Marguerite Gautier renamed Violetta Valéry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Wang Yu</span> Taiwanese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (1943–2022)

Jimmy Wang Yu was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring role in One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and its sequels, and was one of the first major stars of martial arts and wuxia cinema. At the height of his fame in the 1970s, he was the highest-paid martial arts actor in the world. According to The New York Times, Wang was "the biggest star of Asian martial arts cinema until the emergence of Bruce Lee."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blanche Yurka</span> American actress and director (1887–1974)

Blanche Yurka was an American stage and film actress and director. She was an opera singer with minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera and later became a stage actress, making her Broadway debut in 1906 and established herself as a character actor of the classical stage, also appearing in several films of the 1930s and 1940s.

<i>Anna Christie</i> (1923 film) 1923 film

Anna Christie is a 1923 American silent drama film based on the 1921 play by Eugene O'Neill and starring Blanche Sweet and William Russell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Sten</span> Ukrainian-born American actress

Anna Sten was a Ukrainian-born American actress. She began her career in stage plays and films in the Soviet Union, then traveled to Germany, where she starred in several films. Her performances were noticed by film producer Samuel Goldwyn, who brought her to the United States with the aim of creating a screen personality to rival Greta Garbo. After a few unsuccessful films, Goldwyn released her from her contract. She continued to act occasionally until her final film appearance in 1962.

<i>Once Upon a Time in China IV</i> 1993 Hong Kong film

Once Upon a Time in China IV is a 1993 Hong Kong–Chinese martial arts film and the fourth installment in the Once Upon a Time in China film series. It was directed by Yuen Bun in his directorial debut and produced by Tsui Hark, who directed the first three films. Vincent Zhao starred as Chinese martial arts master and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung, who was portrayed by Jet Li in the first three films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna May Wong on film and television</span>

Anna May Wong was an American actress of Chinese heritage, who grew up in a culturally diverse neighborhood adjacent to Chinatown, Los Angeles. Her father believed in exposing his family to the creative arts, and often took them to see traditional Chinese stage productions. Young Anna, however, was fascinated by the emerging film industry in the area, and would fantasize herself as a movie actress like Pearl White or Mary Pickford. Her daydreams began to look like an achievable goal when local Baptist minister James Wang, who often worked with the film productions, recommended her as an extra in the Alla Nazimova silent production of The Red Lantern. Wong was only 14 years old, and eventually left school before graduating. While still a teenager, she was cast in the lead role of Lotus Flower in The Toll of the Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Bryant (actor)</span> British actor and film director

Charles Bryant was a British actor and film director.

Red Lantern may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Capellani</span> French film director

Albert Capellani was a French film director and screenwriter of the silent era. He directed films between 1905 and 1922. One of his brothers was the actor-sculptor Paul Capellani, and another, film director Roger Capellani.

<i>His Supreme Moment</i> 1925 film by George Fitzmaurice

His Supreme Moment is a 1925 American silent drama film with sequences filmed in Technicolor, starring Blanche Sweet and Ronald Colman, directed by George Fitzmaurice, and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. Anna May Wong has a small role as a harem girl appearing in a play. The film is now considered lost.

<i>Eye for Eye</i> (film) 1918 film

Eye for Eye is 1918 American silent drama film directed by Albert Capellani. It was produced by Richard A. Rowland and Alla Nazimova and distributed by Metro Pictures. Nazimova is also the star in a production scripted by June Mathis. A trailer of the film is currently held in the Library of Congress, and evidence has arisen that a copy may exist in Gosfilmofond in Russia.

<i>The Brat</i> (1919 film) 1919 film by Herbert Blaché

The Brat is a 1919 American silent drama film produced by and starring Alla Nazimova and directed by Herbert Blache. The film was released by Metro Pictures, who had Nazimova under contract, and is based on Maude Fulton's 1917 Broadway play in which she starred. It was remade as the 1931 film The Brat with Sally O'Neil in the lead role. The film is lost.

<i>A Dolls House</i> (1922 film) 1922 film by Charles Bryant

A Doll's House is a 1922 American silent drama film produced by and starring Alla Nazimova and directed by her husband Charles Bryant. The couple released the film through United Artists. It is based on the 1879 play A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen with the scenario written by Nazimova under the pseudonym Peter M. Winters. The film was the fourth silent version filmed of the play, being preceded by a 1918 Paramount film directed by Maurice Tourneur. The film is classified as being lost.

<i>Revelation</i> (1918 film) 1918 American film

Revelation is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by George D. Baker and starring Alla Nazimova. The film was produced and distributed through Metro Pictures.

<i>The Flame of Love</i> 1930 English-language film

The Flame of Love, also known as The Road to Dishonour and Hai-Tang, is a 1930 British drama film, a love story between an Imperial Russian army officer and a Chinese actress. Directed by Richard Eichberg and Walter Summers, it stars Anna May Wong and John Longden. It was made at Elstree Studios by British International Pictures. The film's art directors were Clarence Elder, Willi Herrmann, and Werner Schlichting (uncredited).

<i>Anna Karenina</i> (1920 film) 1920 film

Anna Karenina is a 1920 German silent historical film, directed by Frederic Zelnik and starring Lya Mara, Johannes Riemann, and Heinrich Peer. It is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's 1877 novel Anna Karenina. It premiered at the Marmorhaus in Berlin.

<i>My Son</i> (1925 film) 1925 film by Edwin Carewe

My Son is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Edwin Carewe and starring Alla Nazimova. Carewe produced with First National who distributed the film.

References

  1. "Silent Era : Progressive Silent Film List". Silentera.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  2. "Red Lantern". Lcweb2.loc.gov. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  3. Sargent, Epes Wintrop; Hill, Walter K. (May 10, 1919). "The Red Lantern Stars Nazimova". Moving Picture World. New York City: Chalmers Publishing Company. 40 (6): 920–21. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  4. 1 2 Chan, Anthony B. (2003). Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong (1905-1961). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 30–33. ISBN   0-8108-4789-2.

Bibliography