| The Shielding Shadow | |
|---|---|
 Advertisement. | |
| Directed by | Louis J. Gasnier Donald MacKenzie |
| Written by | Randall Parrish George B. Seitz |
| Starring | Grace Darmond Ralph Kellard |
| Distributed by | Pathé Exchange Astra Film |
Release date |
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Running time | 15 episodes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Shielding Shadow is a 1916 American action film serial directed by Louis J. Gasnier and Donald MacKenzie and starring Grace Darmond and Ralph Kellard. [1]
The 15 chapter story involves the heroine being protected by a shadow with burning eyes. There's also a cloak of invisibility, some hypnotism and a giant octopus added to the mix.
Most of the chapters of this serial are lost with only chapters 4, 10, 11, 14 and 15 still remaining according to Treasures from the Film Archives by Ronald S. Magliozzi.
A French-American production, The Shielding Shadow was directly inspired by another silent movie serial, Judex - produced by Pathé Exchange's competitor Gaumont - whose first episode was titled The Mysterious Shadow. As Judex's release was delayed because of World War I, The Shielding Shadow was distributed in the United States before Judex. The Gaumont production, however, managed to be released in France before The Shielding Shadow (known in France as Ravengar). Both films appear to have been inspirations for the American pulp character The Shadow, who wears a costume similar to Judex's and has a power of invisibility like The Shielding Shadow's protagonist. [2]
The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibson, The Shadow has been adapted into other forms of media, including American comic books, comic strips, serials, video games, and at least five feature films. The radio drama included episodes voiced by Orson Welles.
Fantômas is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914).
The year 1916 in film involved some significant events.
The year 1914 in film involved some significant events, including the debut of Cecil B. DeMille as a director.
The Gaumont Film Company, often shortened to Gaumont, is a French film studio headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Founded by the engineer-turned-inventor Léon Gaumont (1864–1946) in 1895, it is the oldest extant film company in the world, established before other studios such as Pathé, Titanus (1904), Nordisk Film (1906), Universal, Paramount, and Nikkatsu.
Louis Feuillade was a French filmmaker of the silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serials Fantômas, Les Vampires and Judex made between 1913 and 1916.
Judex is the title of a 1916 silent French film serial concerning the adventures of Judex, who is a pulp hero predating The Shadow, created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède.
Grace Darmond was a Canadian-American actress.
Drums of Fu Manchu (1940) is a 15-chapter Republic serial film based on the character created by Sax Rohmer. Though using the title of the ninth novel in the series, it actually is based on numerous elements from throughout the series to that point, cherry-picked by the writers. It starred Henry Brandon, William Royle and Robert Kellard. It was directed by the successful serial team constituee by William Witney and John English and is often considered one of the best serial films ever made.
The King of the Kongo (1929) is a Mascot film serial, and was the first serial to have sound, although only partial sound rather than the later "All-Talking" productions with complete sound. The first episode was a "three reeler" with the remaining nine episodes being "two reelers".
Judex is a fictional French vigilante hero created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède for the 1916 silent film Judex. Judex is a mysterious avenger who dresses in black and wears a slouch hat and cloak. He was possibly conceived as a heroic version of the criminal character Fantômas. The character has since appeared in other films, in novels, on stage and in comic books. Judex appears to have been an inspiration for the American pulp hero The Shadow, who was himself an inspiration for Batman.
The Hawk's Trail is a 1919 American crime film serial directed by W. S. Van Dyke. It is considered to be a lost film.
The Hope Diamond Mystery is a 1921 American 15-chapter action film serial directed by Stuart Paton and featuring Grace Darmond, George Chesebro, May Yohe, and Boris Karloff. The screenplay was written by Charles Goddard and John B. Clymer, based on an autobiographical story by May Yohe.
Judex is a 1963 French-language crime film remake of the 1916 French film serial of the same name concerning the adventures of pulp hero Judex. Directed by French filmmaker Georges Franju, the film stars Channing Pollock as Judex/Vallieres, Édith Scob as Jacqueline and Francine Bergé as Diana.
René Auguste Cresté was a French stage and film actor and director of the silent film era. Cresté is possibly best recalled as Judex, the title character in the Louis Feuillade-directed crime-adventure serial Judex, which ran in twelve installments in theaters from 1917 until 1918.
Valley of the Giants is a 1919 American silent romantic drama film directed by James Cruze and starring Wallace Reid and Grace Darmond. Based on Peter B. Kyne's popular 1918 novel of the same name, the film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures.
A Dangerous Adventure is a 1922 American silent adventure serial film directed by Sam Warner and Jack L. Warner and written by Sam Warner. The film stars Grace Darmond, Philo McCullough, Jack Richardson, Robert Agnew, Derelys Perdue, and Rex De Rosselli. The film was released by Warner Bros. on November 1, 1922.
A serial film,film serial, movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, generally advancing weekly, until the series is completed. Usually, each serial involves a single set of characters, protagonistic and antagonistic, involved in a single story, which has been edited into chapters after the fashion of serial fiction and the episodes cannot be shown out of order or as a single or a random collection of short subjects.
Astra Film Corp was an American film production company that produced silent films. Louis J. Gasnier was the company's president. George B. Seitz co-founded it. It was making films by 1916. It became Louis J. Gasnier Productions after Seitz left.
Ralph Kellard was an actor in the U.S. who appeared in theatrical productions and films. His film work included leading roles in several films such as The Shielding Shadow (1916), The Restless Sex (1920) and The Cost (film). His son Robert Kellard also became an actor.
