The Sporting Venus | |
---|---|
Directed by | Marshall Neilan |
Screenplay by | Thomas J. Geraghty |
Story by | Gerald Beaumont |
Starring | Blanche Sweet Ronald Colman Lew Cody |
Cinematography | David Kesson |
Edited by | Blanche Sewell |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6 reels (5,938 feet) |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Sporting Venus is a 1925 American silent romantic drama film directed by Marshall Neilan. [1] The film was the second MGM release of Neilan, and starred his wife, actress Blanche Sweet, [2] who allegedly sported the lowest waistline of 1925. This is the first of two feature films that paired Ronald Colman with Blanche Sweet, the second being His Supreme Moment , which was released in May 1925. [3]
As described in a film magazine review, [4] Scotch heiress Lady Gwendolyn is in love with a commoner, medical student Donald MacAllan, but the match is disapproved by her father. A misunderstanding develops and she has romance with the continental Prince Carlos, a nobleman who pretends to be wealthy. In an attempt to forget her unhappiness, she seeks diversion in famous watering places and other climes. Eventually she learns the true character of the nobleman and effects a reconciliation with Donald.
Life Magazine wrote "The Sporting Venus is typical of Neilan at his worst and at his best. It is foolish, inconsequential and spineless, and yet it is entertaining. ... If you look for rhyme or reason in The Sporting Venus, you will look in vain." [5]
A complete copy of the film survives in MGM's archives. [6] [7]
A Tale of Two Cities is a 1935 film based upon Charles Dickens' 1859 historical novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris. The film stars Ronald Colman as Sydney Carton and Elizabeth Allan as Lucie Manette. The supporting players include Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone, Lucille La Verne, Blanche Yurka, Henry B. Walthall and Donald Woods. It was directed by Jack Conway from a screenplay by W. P. Lipscomb and S. N. Behrman. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Film Editing.
Ronald Charles Colman was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then emigrating to the United States where he had a highly successful Hollywood film career. He starred in silent films and successfully transitioned to sound, aided by a distinctive, pleasing voice. He was most popular during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. He received Oscar nominations for Bulldog Drummond (1929), Condemned (1929) and Random Harvest (1942). Colman starred in several classic films, including A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Lost Horizon (1937) and The Prisoner of Zenda (1937). He also played the starring role in the Technicolor classic Kismet (1944), with Marlene Dietrich, which was nominated for four Academy Awards. In 1947, he won an Academy Award for Best Actor and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the film A Double Life.
This is an overview of 1929 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.
This is an overview of 1925 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.
Frank William George Lloyd was a Scottish-American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was its president from 1934 to 1935.
Sarah Blanche Sweet was an American silent film actress who began her career in the early days of the motion picture film industry.
Marshall Ambrose "Mickey" Neilan was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, whose work in films began in the early silent era.
Henry King was an American actor and film director. Widely considered one of the finest and most successful filmmakers of his era, King was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director and directed seven films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The Lonedale Operator is a 1911 short American drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Blanche Sweet and written by Mack Sennett for the Biograph Company. The plot of the film involves a girl who takes over a telegraph station after her father takes ill. After the payroll for the town's mine is delivered, two drifters try to steal the money. Their robbery is foiled because the girl is able to telegraph for help and then hold the would-be robbers off until help arrives. The Lonedale Operator includes "elements of romance, drama, suspense, Western, and even a bit of comedy near the end."
Two Men of the Desert is a 1913 American short silent Western film written and directed by D. W. Griffith. Based on a story by Jack London, the film was shot on location in Death Valley. Two Men of the Desert is now presumed lost.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is a 1924 American silent drama film starring Blanche Sweet and Conrad Nagel. It was directed by Sweet's husband, Marshall Neilan. The film is the second motion picture adaptation of the 1891 novel by Thomas Hardy, which had been turned into a very successful 1897 play starring Mrs. Fiske. In 1913, Adolph Zukor enticed Mrs. Fiske to reprise her role in a film version which is now considered lost. The 1924 version is also considered lost.
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.
The Lady is a 1925 American silent drama film starring Norma Talmadge and directed by Frank Borzage. Talmadge's own production company produced the film with distribution by First National Pictures.
The George Eastman Award for distinguished contribution to the art of film was established by the George Eastman Museum in 1955 as the first film award given by an American archive and museum to honor artistic work of enduring value.
Men and Women is an extant short 1914 silent film produced by the Biograph Company and released by General Film Company. It is based on the 1890 play of the same name by David Belasco and Henry Churchill de Mille. It stars Lionel Barrymore, Blanche Sweet and Marshall Neilan. Sweet and Neilan would later marry in real life.
The Tivoli Theatre of Varieties was a popular English theatre based in the Strand, West London. It was designed by Charles Phipps and was built during 1889–90 at a cost of £300,000. It was constructed on the former site of the Tivoli Beer Garden and Restaurant. In the consortium that financed the project was the actor Edward O'Connor Terry. The hall opened on 24 May 1890 and was located opposite the Adelphi Theatre.
Those Without Sin is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Marshall Neilan, written by Thomas J. Geraghty, George DuBois Proctor and Harvey F. Thew, and starring Blanche Sweet, Tom Forman, Clarence Geldart, Guy Oliver, James Neill, and Charles Ogle. It was released on March 1, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.
The Tides of Barnegat is a 1917 American drama silent film directed by Marshall Neilan and written by Francis Hopkinson Smith and Eve Unsell. The film stars Blanche Sweet, Elliott Dexter, Tom Forman, Norma Nichols, Billy Jacobs and Walter Rodgers. The film was released on April 12, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.
Help Wanted – Male is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Henry King and starring Blanche Sweet, Henry King, and Frank Leigh.
Her Unwilling Husband is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Paul Scardon and starring Blanche Sweet, Alan Roscoe, and Edwin Stevens.
The Sporting Venus.
The Sporting Venus.