The Vampire (1913 film)

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The Vampire
The Vampire (1913).jpg
Alice Eis and Bert French performing the "Vampire Dance"
Directed by Robert G. Vignola
Written by T. Hayes Hunter
Robert G. Vignola
Starring Alice Hollister
Harry F. Millarde
Cinematography George K. Hollister
Production
company
Distributed by General Film Company
Release date
15 October 1913
Running time
38 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language Silent film

The Vampire is an American silent film drama, directed by Robert G. Vignola, based on the 1897 eponymous poem by Rudyard Kipling. It stars Alice Hollister and Harry F. Millarde. It is generally considered the first recognized film depicting the vamp character, also known as femme fatale. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

Harold Brentwell moves to the city for a new job and meets Sybil, an adventuress. Harold is totally fascinated by Sybil and forgets his fiancée Helen but, actually, Sybil is a vampire who is going to ruin his life. He soon loses his job and becomes an alcoholic. Abandoned by the vamp, desperate and alone, Harold goes to the theater and watches the "Vampire Dance", depicting a man dominated by a beautiful woman who, eventually, takes his life putting the bite on him. Thus Harold understands his weakness and tries to redeem himself.

Cast

Production

The Vampire, Philip Burne-Jones (1897) Philip Burne-Jones - The Vampire.jpg
The Vampire, Philip Burne-Jones (1897)

The Vampire was shot in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. [3]

The highlight of the production is the presence of dancers Alice Eis and Bert French performing their "Vampire Dance", inspired by Philip Burne-Jones painting The Vampire (1897). A still of the performance recreates the exact features of the painting. [4] "The Vampire Dance" was famous and controversial at the time in the American vaudeville circuit for its provocative poses, before it was documented as part of the film. [4]

On February 20, 1913 the dancers scandalised authorities with their number "Le rouge et noir" and were arrested on obscenity charges the next day, later freed on $500 bail each. [5] [6] Eis and French were paid $2,000 by the Kalem executives to immortalise the "Vampire Dance". [7]

Reception

The New York Dramatic Mirror wrote: "The acting of Miss Hollister as the adventuress in handling the different situations with the hero stands out. The director has carried detail to a fine point and very artistically. Photography good." [8]

The Moving Picture World stated: "It is well acted and in photography is, for the most part, above criticism." [9]

Preservation status

Previously considered to be a lost film, a print exists in the George Eastman Museum film archive. [10] It is cited as the oldest existing "vamp" movie.[ citation needed ]

An earlier film, The Vampire (1910), starring Margarita Fischer and produced by William Nicholas Selig is considered lost. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theda Bara</span> American actress (1885–1955)

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<i>Femme fatale</i> Stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman

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Robert G. Vignola was an Italian-American actor, screenwriter, and film director. A former stage actor, he appeared in many motion pictures produced by Kalem Company and later moved to directing, becoming one of the silent screen's most prolific directors. He directed a handful of films in the early years of sound films, but his career essentially ended in the silent era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalem Company</span>

The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to Vitagraph Studios in 1917.

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Harry F. Millarde was a pioneer American silent film actor and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Hollister</span> American actress (1886–1973)

Alice Hollister was an American silent film actress who appeared in around 90 films between 1910 and 1925. She is known for her roles in movies such as From the Manger to the Cross and The Vampire.

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<i>A Fool There Was</i> (1915 film) 1915 American silent film

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Rosemary Theresa Theby was an American film actress. She appeared in some 250 films between 1911 and 1940.

<i>Married Flirts</i> 1924 film by Robert G. Vignola

Married Flirts is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Robert Vignola and starring Pauline Frederick, Mae Busch, and Conrad Nagel. The screenplay, written by Julia Ivers, is based on Louis Joseph Vance's 1923 best seller Mrs. Paramor. The drama was considered quite daring at the time as the story centered on husbands being lured away from their wives. One scene has well known Hollywood stars playing themselves at a party.

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<i>The Kerry Gow</i> 1912 American film

The Kerry Gow is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Film Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Alice Hollister and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles.

<i>Ireland, the Oppressed</i> 1912 American film

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<i>The Shaughraun</i> (film) 1912 American film

The Shaughraun is a 1912 American silent film produced by the Kalem Company and distributed by the General Film Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with himself, Gene Gauntier, Alice Hollister and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles.

<i>The Blue Flame</i> (play) 1920 science fiction play

The Blue Flame is a four-act play written by George V. Hobart and John Willard, who revised an earlier version by Leta Vance Nicholson. In 1920, producer Albert H. Woods staged the play on Broadway and on tour across the United States. Ruth Gordon, the main character, is a religious young woman who dies and is revived by her scientist fiancé as a soulless femme fatale. She seduces several men and involves them in crimes, including drug use and murder. In the final act, her death and resurrection are revealed to be a dream. The production starred Theda Bara, a popular silent film actress who was known for playing similar roles in movies.

Margaret West was a Texan heiress, vaudeville performer and later radio hostess.

The Siren's Reign is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Robert G. Vignola and starring Alice Hollister, Harry F. Millarde, Anna Q. Nilsson, Robert Walker and Henry Hallam. An upright young man marries a siren, a drunken, unfaithful woman, who mothers his child, and then ruins him financially and morally.

The Vampire's Trail is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and Robert G. Vignola and written by Benjamin Barondess, T. Hayes Hunter, Michael Potter and Robert G. Vignola.

References

  1. John T. Soister, American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929, McFarland, 2012, p.41
  2. Amber Butchart, The Fashion of Film, Hachette UK, 2016, p.100
  3. Paolo Cherchi Usai, Silent Cinema: A Guide to Study, Research and Curatorship, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019, p.126
  4. 1 2 James Card, Seductive cinema: the art of silent film, Knopf, 1994, p.183
  5. Andrew L. Erdman, Blue Vaudeville: Sex, Morals and the Mass Marketing of Amusement, 1895-1915, McFarland, 2015, p.120
  6. "Fortune dancers arrested" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. February 21, 1913. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  7. Jonathan Rigby, American Gothic: Sixty Years of Horror Cinema, Reynolds & Hearn, 2007, p.21
  8. Jay Leyda, Charles Musser (1986). Before Hollywood: Turn-of-the-Century Film from American Archives. American Federation of Arts. pp.  152. ISBN   9780917418815.
  9. Licensed Specials. The Moving Picture World. 1913. pp.  496.
  10. "The Vampire". silentera.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  11. Tom Pollard (2016). Loving Vampires: Our Undead Obsession. McFarland. p. 50. ISBN   9781476624303.