The Vicar of Wakefield (1910 film)

Last updated

The Vicar Of Wakefield
The Vicar of Wakefield 1910.jpg
A still from The Moving Picture World
Produced by Thanhouser Company
Starring Martin J. Faust
Distributed by Motion Picture Distributing and Sales Company
Release date
  • December 27, 1910 (1910-12-27)
Running time
13:20
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent film
English inter-titles

The Vicar Of Wakefield is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film was adapted from Oliver Goldsmith's 1766 novel The Vicar of Wakefield , but covers only part of the plot and deviates significantly from the book to allow the story to be told within the confines of a single reel of film.

Contents

The film begins with the vicar and his family heading to a picnic with Squire Thornhill, during the course of which the vicar notices Thornhill's interest in his daughter, Olivia. The vicar warns his family that Thornhill is a degenerate young man, but Olivia is seduced and elopes with Thornhill. Secretly, Thornhill arranges a fake marriage ceremony to capitalize on his sexual desires while avoiding the responsibility that would come with the union. Olivia learns the marriage was fake and that she has duped into a form of consensual prostitution with Thornhill, but escapes and returns home. [note 1] Thornhill decides to take his revenge by having the vicar incarcerated for his debts. While in prison, the vicar learns that the marriage was in fact legitimate; Thornhill's uncle, Sir William, then forces his nephew to apologize to Olivia and fulfill his obligations.

The identities of most of the cast are known, but the role of director, often erroneously credited to Theodore Marston is not. The film was released on December 27, 1910 and met with positive reviews. The surviving print is in the Nederlands Filmmuseum and has been released on DVD.

Plot

The Thanhouser production is an adaptation of only part of the novel. The film departs significantly from the original plot, such as in the omission of the double-wedding scene. [1] [2] It begins with Dr Charles Primrose, the vicar of Wakefield, attending a picnic with his landlord Squire Thornhill. The vicar does not like Squire Thornhill, who is reputed to be a degenerate young man, but he has no reservations once he sees Thornhill's interest in his daughter, Olivia. The next scene shows Squire Thornhill convincing Olivia to elope with him, so the two can be married. But Squire Thornhill has no intention of marrying her, and commissions a farmer to arrange a fake wedding ceremony. The farmer accepts, but shakes his fist in anger at the squire after he has departed. [1]

Squire Thornhill leaves in a carriage with Olivia, whose departure is soon reported to the rest of the family. Stricken with grief, the vicar heads off to reclaim his wayward daughter. At the end of the marriage ceremony the farmer receives his payment, and the squire and Olivia embrace. The vicar arrives shortly afterwards, but after failing to persuade his daughter to return home with him leaves in despair. Olivia learns later that the marriage was a sham, but continues to live in Thornhill's house until he offers her as a prostitute to an acquaintance of his. Olivia flees in a rage and returns home, where she is reunited with her family. [note 2] Thornhill, now out for revenge, has the vicar arrested and thrown into jail for unpaid debts. [1]

Olivia goes to meet her father in prison, and upon exiting the farmer who had arranged the marriage between Olivia and Thornhill appears and gasps in shock. The vicar explains that Olivia is his daughter, and the farmer reveals his role in the plot, but that out of hatred for Thornhill he procured the services of a real priest to officiate at the wedding. The farmer heads to Thornhill's house and reveals that the marriage was in fact legitimate. Thornhill's uncle, Sir William, forces him to take responsibility for his actions and beg Olivia's forgiveness. Olivia accepts Thornhill's apology and the couple embrace and kiss. [1] Although not in the surviving print, the synopsis concludes with "Sir William then discloses his identity and asks for the hand of Sophia [another of the vicar's daughters]. The vicar is released from prison, and he and his family look forward to a future of happiness and plenty." [1]

Cast

Production

The film was adapted from Oliver Goldsmith's novel The Vicar of Wakefield . [1] The complex plot was broken down to a single-reel adaptation by Edwin Thanhouser and/or Lloyd Lonergan. [3] Edwin Thanhouser's wife Gertrude assisted with the scenarios and editing of the films, but it is not specifically known if she contributed to this production. [3]

The film's director is unknown, but it may have been Barry O'Neil or Lucius J. Henderson. Credit is sometimes given to Theodore Marston, an error that apparently originates with the American Film-Index 1908–1915. Film historian Q. David Bowers consulted one of the co-authors of the book, Gunnar Lundquist, and confirmed that the credit of Marston as director was in error. [4] Marston worked with Pathé, Kinemacolor of America, Vitagraph and other companies, but there is no record of him working with Thanhouser. [4] This error has persisted in several works including The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. [5] Cameramen employed by the company at the time the film was made include Blair Smith, Carl Louis Gregory and Alfred H. Moses, Jr., [6] but the role of the cameraman was uncredited in 1910 productions. [7] This production is unique for having the cast members known, because most of the credits in Thanhouser's 1910 productions are fragmentary. [6]

Release and reception

The single-reel drama, approximately 1,000 feet long, was released on December 27, 1910. [1] The film likely had a wide national release, theaters are known to have shown the film in Pennsylvania, [8] Kansas, [9] Indiana, [10] and South Dakota. [11] The film received positive reviews from trade publications including The Moving Picture World, which praised the acting and the execution of the film as an education for audiences by exposing them to literary masterpieces. [1] The New York Dramatic Mirror reviewer was less enthusiastic, writing that "The production gave a very praiseworthy portrayal of the period, but a moving picture needs such different treatment from a novel that its interpretation in a picture is bound to lose much of the original interest. The acting was in every way adequate, although not great." [1]

The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film lists this film as the first adaptation of the Vicar of Wakefield. It was followed by identically titled adaptations, including Pathé Frères's The Vicar Of Wakefield in 1912 and the Kinematograph Trading Company's The Vicar Of Wakefield in 1913, Ideal Film Company's The Vicar Of Wakefield in 1916. The Thanhouser Company reproduced The Vicar of Wakefield in 1917. [5] The two Thanhouser films differ in more than just length, as the feature-length adaptation shows the progression of motion pictures from "essentially static tableaus, each announced by a title card, to a series of scenes and sequences analyzed by editing, most notably with vivid close-ups of the great stage actor Frederick Warde." [12]

A surviving print held in the Nederlands Filmmuseum was the source of the modern re-release of film. It is 13 minutes 20 seconds long and features a new original score composed and performed by Raymond A. Brubacker. [3] The film was released on DVD as Volume 4 of the Thanhouser Classics Video Collectors Set. [13] It was also released as part of the Treasures from the Desmet Collection at the EYE Filmmuseum. [14]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Though not specifically covered in the film, the book makes clear that Olivia learns the marriage was fake the following morning, after consummating the marriage. Olivia then lives in Thornhill's home growing more melancholy, escaping before prostituting herself to an acquaintance of Thornhill. The scene in the movie shows a version of this, but not the other women duped by Thornhill.
  2. ↑ These scenes are very different from the book, the other women are not shown and Olivia's learning of the sham is not depicted. Only the scene in which the Baronet proposes Olivia's prostitution is shown, but this differs from the events in Chapter 21 of the book.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanhouser Company</span> Early motion picture studio

The Thanhouser Company was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New York City until 1920, producing over a thousand films.

<i>The Vicar of Wakefield</i> 1766 novel by Oliver Goldsmith

The Vicar of Wakefield, subtitled A Tale, Supposed to be written by Himself, is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774). It was written from 1761 to 1762 and published in 1766. It was one of the most popular and widely read 18th-century novels among the British citizenry.

<i>St. Elmo</i> (1910 Thanhouser film) 1910 American film

St. Elmo is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The scenario was adapted by Lloyd Lonergan from Augusta Jane Evans's 1866 novel of the same name. Frank H. Crane and Anna Rosemond play the leading roles in the simplified plot that was reliant on inter-titles to tell the story. The film follows St. Elmo who is engaged to his cousin Agnes, being betrayed by his friend Dick Hammond who has an affair with Agnes. St. Elmo challenges and kills Hammond in a duel. A young girl, Edna witnesses the duel and leads Agnes and the sheriff off the trail. St. Elmo disappears and returns five years later to woo Edna. She rejects then accepts his affections only to stop him from committing suicide. The production was met with mixed reviews by critics, but was successful. The film is presumed lost.

<i>Daddys Double</i> 1910 American film

Daddy's Double is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Film Corporation. The film focuses on Hal, a young man, who proposes to Sue, his love interest. Her father overhears and becomes furious before whisking his daughter away to a boarding school. Hal and Sue attempt to elope, but it is foiled. Hal then gets an idea to disguise himself as the father and reclaim Sue. The plan works, but the father follows in pursuit. He breaks into the wedding ceremony at the parson's house and sees his double. He then laughs and approves of the marriage. The film was the fourth release by Thanhouser and it was met with favorable reviews by critics. In 2007, a surviving print was released on DVD with a new original score composed and performed by Raymond A. Brubacher.

<i>Jane Eyre</i> (1910 film) 1910 American film

Jane Eyre is a 1910 American silent short classic drama produced by the Thanhouser Film Corporation. Adapted from Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel, Jane Eyre, the film mirrors the events and plot of the original book. The writer of the scenario is unknown, but Lloyd Lonergan probably adapted the work. The film's director is often and erroneously claimed to be Theodore Marston, but Barry O'Neil or Lloyd B. Carleton are possible candidates. The cast of the film was credited, an act rare and unusual in the era.

<i>The Best Man Wins</i> (1910 film) 1910 American film

The Best Man Wins is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film features Thanhouser's leading players Anna Rosemond, Martin Faust, Frank H. Crane and Marie Eline in a drama about morality. Two suitors are vying for the hand of Julia Seaton and propose to her on the same day, but she asks for a month to decide between them. In the time, the caliber of both men are tested when asked by a young girl, named May, to help her dying mother. The doctor refuses to help, and the lawyer offers his assistance, but her mother soon dies. The orphan is taken in by the Seaton family and personally attests to the character of both men when Julia Seaton has to choose between her suitors.

<i>The Winters Tale</i> (1910 film) 1910 American film

The Winter's Tale is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by Thanhouser Company. The plot is an adaptation of The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare and requires fore-knowledge of the plot in order to understand the condensed one reel work. The film focuses on the conflict arising from two Kings, one of Bohemia and one of Sicily, during a meeting. Queen Hermione enrages her jealous husband, Leontes, by entertaining Polixenes. Leontes decides to kill him with poison, but the plan is foiled by the courtier tasked with the assassination. For this, Leontes imprisons his wife. Hermione gives birth to a daughter and Leontes orders the baby to die out in the wilderness. Hermione is then brought before the court and apparently dies after interrogation. Fifteen years pass and Polixenes confronts and then secretly follows his son, appearing as he declares his intention to marry a shepherdess. The two lovers seek protection with Leontes, the King of Sicily. Mourning and repentant for his past actions, Leontes learns the shepherdess is his daughter and blesses the marriage of the lovers. The royal party goes to see a statue of the late queen Hermoine which is revealed to be alive. The cast includes Anna Rosemond, Frank H. Crane and Martin Faust, but the directorial and production credits for the film are unknown. The production was a success for the Thanhouser Company and the film was met with positive reception following its May 27, 1910 release. The film survives in the Library of Congress, but it is missing the final scene of the production. The surviving print suffers from significant deterioration.

<i>The Two Roses</i> 1910 American film

The Two Roses is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film focuses on the young Tony Prolo who goes to deliver lunch to his father of the same name. After arriving and giving him his lunch, the young Tony is hit by a passing vehicle and the father rushes his son home. Mr. Sears, whose car hit the child, receives a demand for $10,000 by the "Black Hand". The Sears go to the police and set a trap for the Black Hand, but end up wrongly arresting the child's father. Tony convinces the police to investigate further and the confusion is cleared up when the real culprit is caught. Mr. Sears compensates the family by purchasing them a house in the countryside. The film features Marie Eline, cast in the role of an Italian boy, along with the leading players Frank H. Crane and Anna Rosemond as the parents. The film was released on June 7, 1910. The film survives with new inter-titles that were created to replace the lost materials.

<i>The Little Hero of Holland</i> 1910 American film

The Little Hero of Holland is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. It is an adaptation of the short fictional story popularized in Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates, about a boy who plugs a leaking dike with his finger to prevent it from bursting. The role of the boy was played by Marie Eline, but little else is known about the production and cast of the film. The director may have been Barry O'Neil and the writer may have been Lloyd Lonergan. Parts of the film were shot on Glen Park Island in New Rochelle, New York. The film was released on June 17, 1910 and saw a wide release, including the United Kingdom. The film is presumed lost.

Thelma is a 1910 American silent short drama film produced by the Thanhouser Company. The story was based on Marie Corelli's 1887 novel of the same name, it focuses on a Norwegian maiden who meets Sir Phillip and the two are wed. Lady Clara conspires to ruin the marriage and tricks Thelma with a letter purported to be from her husband. Thelma returns to Norway and to the death of her father. Thelma, alone in the world, prays at her mother's grave for strength. Sir Phillip searches for Thelma, ultimately finding her, uncovers the tricks which have been played on them and they fall back in love. Released on June 21, 1910, the film was met with praise in The Moving Picture World. An incomplete print of the film survives in the Library of Congress archives.

<i>Tempest and Sunshine</i> 1910 American film

Tempest and Sunshine is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is an adaptation of Mary Jane Holmes's 1854 novel Tempest and Sunshine, and features the devious Tempest and the benevolent Sunshine being wooed by a Dr. Lacey. Tempest and Bill Jeffreys conspire against Sunshine. By intercepting the lovers' letters the doctor instead decides to marry Tempest, but Jeffreys interrupts the ceremony to reveal the conspiracy. The doctor and Sunshine are reunited. The novel was a popular subject of plays and vaudeville, but the Thanhouser adaptation appears to be the first film version for it predates the adaptations in The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Released on June 28, 1910, the production received a favorable review in The Moving Picture News. The film is presumed lost.

<i>The Converted Deacon</i> 1910 film

The Converted Deacon is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film follows the daughter who disobeys her father by associated with the theater and becomes a star on the stage. She keeps it a secret, but he father arrives in town and takes her home because her mother is ill. John DeLacy follows her home and disguises himself to secure a position on the farm. A newspaper reveals the daughter's fame and only after a song and dance does the father's anger abate and allows the two lovers to marry. Little is known about the production of the film, but the Thanhouser films were distinguished as being the best of the Independent companies in a The New York Dramatic Mirror editorial. The film was released on July 15, 1910, and met with mixed reception. The film is presumed lost

<i>Uncle Toms Cabin</i> (1910 Thanhouser film) 1910 film by Barry ONeil

Uncle Tom's Cabin is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film was adapted by from the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The plot of the Thanhouser production streamlined the actual story to portray the film over the course of a single reel. The film was released on July 26, 1910, on the same day that Vitagraph released the first reel of their own three reel version of Uncle Tom's Cabin. This prompted the Thanhouser Company to advertise against the Vitagraph film by referring to the other as being overly drawn out. The film garnered mixed, but mostly positive reception in trade publications. The film is presumed lost.

<i>The Mad Hermit</i> 1910 silent short film

The Mad Hermit is a 1910 American silent short drama film produced by the Thanhouser Company. The story focuses on Harry Willard, who becomes a hermit after his wife and daughter leave him. He spends a quarter of a century in isolation, but he stumbles across a runaway carriage and the woman tosses her baby to him. He runs into the wilderness and prepares to kill it, but he stays his hand when he sees the baby's locket. The parents survive the carriage crash and seek out the hermit, and it is revealed that the baby's mother is the daughter of Harry Willard. Created by a staff of twenty, it was the first film to be produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film was released on August 9, 1910, after the success of the company was ensured, and met with positive reception by critics. The film is presumed lost.

<i>Lena Rivers</i> (1910 film) 1910 film

Lena Rivers is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film follows a young woman who leaves home to search for employment and becoming married to a wealthy man, but the marriage is kept secret. The husband is arrested by mistake and by the time he is freed, his wife and child depart and he believes them dead. The young woman entrusts her baby, Lena, to her mother before her death. At age 16, Lena goes to the city is visited by her father, but the relationship is only known when he sees a picture of her mother in her locket. The film was an adaptation of Mary Jane Holmes' 1856 novel Lena Rivers and was released on August 12, 1910. It had a wide national release and received positive reviews from critics.

<i>She Stoops to Conquer</i> (1910 film) 1910 American film

She Stoops to Conquer is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is an adaptation of Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, possibly adapted by Lloyd Lonergan. The scenario removes a subplot in favor of following Marlow who is sent by his father to court the daughter of an old friend of his. He encounters Tony Lumpkin, who directs him to the Hardcastle mansion, claiming it to be an inn. Hardcastle welcomes Marlow, but Marlow treats his host rudely, unaware of Hardcastle's identity. When the misunderstanding is rectified Marlow refuses to marry Hardcastle's daughter, for he has taken a liking to the maid servant. Caught in the act of making love to the maid by his father, the woman is revealed to be Hardcastle's daughter and all ends well. The film was released on August 19, 1910, but it received mixed reviews by critics. The film is presumed lost.

<i>Ten Nights in a Bar Room</i> (1910 film) 1910 film

Ten Nights in a Bar Room is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. Adapted from the novel Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There by Timothy Shay Arthur, the production focuses on Joe Morgan after he has become a hopeless drunkard. Often Morgan's young daughter, Mary, comes to beg her father to return home. One day, she appears during a fight between the two men and is fatally struck by a bottle thrown by the saloon-keeper. Before Mary dies she asks her father to promise to swear off alcohol and he accepts. He is reformed and becomes successful, while the saloon-keeper is killed in a fight in an irony of fate. The film was released on November 4, 1910 and met with mixed reviews. The film is presumed lost.

<i>John Halifax, Gentleman</i> (1910 film) 1910 American film

John Halifax, Gentleman is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is the first film adaptation of Dinah Maria Mulock Craik's popular novel John Halifax, Gentleman and stars Martin Faust as John Halifax. The film focuses on John Halifax, an orphan who is taken in by a rich Quaker, Abel Fletcher. After a period of five years, John has becomes a foreman and he and Fletcher's invalid son, Phineas, have become good friends. Despite Fletcher's objections, John takes Phineas to the theatre. The trip is too much for Phineas and John carries him home, Fletcher becomes irate and drives John out of the house. Fletcher is soon confronts a mob of workers after closing the mill and throws the bags of grain into the river. John saves the life of Fletcher and his son and marries Ursula, the daughter of the richest man in town. The production credits are unknown, but the film was not directed by Theodore Marston. The film was released on December 2, 1910 and was met with mixed reviews. The film is presumed lost.

<i>Rip Van Winkle</i> (1910 film) 1910 American film

Rip Van Winkle is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is an adaptation of Washington Irving's 1819 short story "Rip Van Winkle" with some differences in the plot. The film focuses on the title character whose idle life is made difficult by his cantankerous wife. Winkle heads into the mountains and encounters spirits of Henry Hudson's men. Upon partaking of their alcohol, Winkle falls into a slumber for twenty years. He returns home and has difficulty proving his identity and must save his property from an unlawful accusation by his rival. After he proves his identity, he is reunited with his family. The title character was played by Frank H. Crane, but the production credits are largely unknown. The film was released on December 6, 1910, and met with positive reviews. The film is presumed lost.

<i>Looking Forward</i> (1910 film) 1910 American film

Looking Forward is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. Adapted from James Oliver Curwood's short story of the same name, the film follows a young chemist named Jack Goodwin. He discovers a chemical compound that puts a person into a state of sleep for a determined period of time and decides to test it upon himself. The first test is a success and Jack makes arrangements for his sleep of a hundred years, in a state similar to suspended animation. When he awakes in 2010 into a world ruled by women, he woos the female mayor. Jack joins a society to campaign for men's rights. The society ends up before the female mayor who jails all of them, save for Jack who she proposes to. Jack accepts on the condition that men are given back their rights and she accepts. The cast and production credits of the film are not known, but Theodore Marston was not the director. The film was released on December 20, 1910. The film is presumed lost.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Q. David Bowers (1995). "Volume 2: Filmography – The Vicar of Wakefield". Thanhouser.org. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Vicar of Wakefield Summary". Gradesaver. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Vicar of Wakefield (1910)". Thanhouser.org. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Bowers, Q. David (1995). "Volume 3: Biographies – Marston, Lawrence". Thanhouser.org. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Goble, Alan (1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. p. 185.
  6. 1 2 Q. David Bowers (1995). "Volume 2: Filmography – Thanhouser Filmography – 1910". Thanhouser.org. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  7. ↑ Q. David Bowers (1995). "Volume 1: Narrative History – Chapter 3 – 1910: Film Production Begins". Thanhouser.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  8. ↑ "The Pergola". The Allentown Leader. Allentown, Pennsylvania. January 24, 1911. p. 7. Retrieved March 14, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Star Theatre". Independence Daily Reporter. Independence, Kansas. May 16, 1912. p. 2. Retrieved March 14, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Amusements". The Daily Republican. Rushville, Indiana. March 9, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved March 14, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "(Loyal listing)". Lead Daily Call. Lead, South Dakota. February 24, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved March 14, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Barrett, Michael (January 31, 2008). "When Rules Were Meant to be Silently Broken". Popmatters. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Thanhouser Classics Video Collectors Set – Volume IV". Thanhouser.org. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Treasures from the Desmet Collection at the EYE Filmmuseum". Thanhouser.org. 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2015.

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.