The Woman God Forgot | |
---|---|
Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille Cullen Tate (asst. director) |
Written by | William C. de Mille Jeanie MacPherson |
Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille Jesse L. Lasky |
Starring | Geraldine Farrar Wallace Reid |
Cinematography | Charles Schoenbaum Alvin Wyckoff |
Edited by | Cecil B. DeMille |
Production company | Famous Players–Lasky/Artcraft |
Distributed by | Artcraft Pictures Corp. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Woman God Forgot is a 1917 American silent romance film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Geraldine Farrar. [1] Art direction for the film was done by Wilfred Buckland.
Location shooting for the film took place in Santa Monica, California and Yosemite National Park. [2]
The Exhibitors Herald , a trade magazine for independent cinemas, provides a description of the film. [3] Moctezuma (Hatton), the Aztec king, resents the intrusion of the Spanish who have come to convert the Aztecs to Christianity. But Tecza (Farrar), daughter of the king, loves Alvarado (Reid), one of the Spanish captains, and she allows the Spanish soldiers to enter the palace. After a terrific battle, she is the only surviving Aztec and the Spanish allow her to depart in peace. Alvarado then comes wooing the last of the Aztecs and wins her.
Several elaborate set pieces were used for this Mesoamerican epic, but the largest is the Aztec pyramid they constructed into the side of a hill at Inceville, in Santa Monica, CA. According to John Gilbert, who was working in Hollywood as an extra at the time, it was constructed of wood layered over with paper, then textured with sand to give it the appearance of stonework.
Toward the end of the picture several actors are seen tumbling down the side of the pyramid in the battle between the Aztecs and the Spanish conquistadors. Gilbert said that "the extras were thrown down the sides of the pyramid and a man stood at the bottom with a bucket of iodine and patched them up" to treat their sandpapered skin. [4]
A contemporaneous review in The Moving Picture World stated that the historical accuracy of the sets and costumes made a strong appeal to students of history, while the abbreviated tale of the destruction of the highest pre-European civilization in the New World would prove absorbing to the casual amusement seeker. The performance of the actors received universal acclaim, but the highest praise was saved for Geraldine Farrar: "The cast fitted their parts, but the star, Geraldine Farrar, was born for hers." [5]
A staff writer for The New York Times referred to the film as "a colorful and magnificently mounted romance"; however, they believed its plot was "somewhat primitive". [6]
Complete 35 mm prints of The Woman God Forgot are held by the George Eastman Museum [1] and the Cineteca Del Friuli in Gemona. [7]
Alice Geraldine Farrar was an American lyric soprano who could also sing dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." In the 1910s, she also found success as an actress in silent films. She had a large following among young women, who were nicknamed "Gerry-flappers".
The fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, was an important event in the Spanish conquest of the empire. It occurred in 1521 following extensive negotiations between local factions and Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. He was aided by La Malinche, his interpreter and companion, and by thousands of indigenous allies, especially Tlaxcaltec warriors.
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, marked by the collision of the Aztec Triple Alliance and the Spanish Empire. Taking place between 1519 and 1521, this event saw the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, and his small army of European soldiers and numerous indigenous allies, overthrowing one of the most powerful empires in Mesoamerica.
Abbie Jean MacPherson was an American silent actress, writer and director. She is known for her collaborations with directors D. W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille, and was a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Carmen is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film is based on the novella Carmen by Prosper Mérimée. The existing versions of this film appear to be from the re-edited 1918 re-release.
Joan the Woman is a 1916 American epic silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Geraldine Farrar as Joan of Arc. The film premiered on Christmas Day in 1916. This was DeMille's first historical drama. The screenplay is based on Friedrich Schiller's 1801 play Die Jungfrau von Orleans. This film was considered to be the "first cinematic spectacle about Joan of Arc."
The Little American is a 1917 American silent romantic war drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film stars Mary Pickford as an American woman who is in love with both a German soldier and a French soldier during World War I. Art direction for the film was done by Wilfred Buckland. John Hay Beith was technical advisor on the film, credited under his pen name, Ian Hay.
Nan of Music Mountain is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and Cecil B. DeMille. The film is based on Frank H. Spearman's novel of the same name and stars Wallace Reid and Anna Little.
The Devil-Stone is a 1917 American silent romance film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, co-written by his mother Beatrice deMille and Jeanie MacPherson, and starring Geraldine Farrar.
Old Wives for New is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is based on the 1908 novel of the same title by David Graham Phillips.
Periwinkle is a 1917 American silent film directed by James Kirkwood and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was based on the 1910 novel Periwinkle; an Idyl of the Dunes written by William Farquhar Payson. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Her Country's Call is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Mary Miles Minter, along with George Periolat and Allan Forrest. The film is the final instalment in a series a films written by Abraham Lincoln impersonator Benjamin Chapin, who also appeared in the film as Lincoln. It was one of many films of the time that catered to the vogue for patriotic pictures after America joined World War I, with ample shots of soldiers and the American flag. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Beauty and the Rogue is a 1918 American silent comedy crime drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was filmed under the working title of "Mademoiselle Tiptoe," based on a story by Arthur Berthelet and adapted for the screen by Elizabeth Mahoney, who was the screenwriter for many of Minter's Mutual Film features. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Sick Abed is a 1920 silent comedy film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures/Artcraft, an affiliate of Paramount. It was directed by Sam Wood and stars matinee idol Wallace Reid. It is based on a 1918 Broadway stage play Sick-a-bed by Ethel Watts Mumford starring Mary Boland. The spelling of the movie varies from the spelling of the play.
Big Timber is a 1917 American silent film Northwoods/drama produced by the Oliver Morosco Company and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by William Desmond Taylor and starred Kathlyn Williams and Wallace Reid. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it may be a lost film.
The Moving Picture World was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, Moving Picture World frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios.
The Turn of the Wheel is a lost 1918 American silent romantic drama film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. Reginald Barker directed and Geraldine Farrar starred.
The Hell Cat is a 1918 American silent Western film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. Reginald Barker directed and Geraldine Farrar starred. It is not known whether the film currently survives.
The Riddle: Woman is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Edward José, distributed by Pathé Exchange, and starring opera singer Geraldine Farrar in her last film. This film was also the film debut of Madge Bellamy.
The Firefly of France is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by Donald Crisp and written by Margaret Turnbull based upon a novelette by Marion Polk Angelotti. The film stars Wallace Reid, Ann Little, Charles Ogle, Raymond Hatton, Winter Hall, and Ernest Joy. The film was released on July 7, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.