Three Weeks (film)

Last updated

Three Weeks
Three Weeks - film poster.jpg
Three Weeks poster
Directed by Alan Crosland
Written by Carey Wilson
Elinor Glyn
Based on Three Weeks
by Elinor Glyn
Produced by Samuel Goldwyn
Starring
Cinematography John J. Mescall
Distributed by Goldwyn Pictures
Release date
  • February 10, 1924 (1924-02-10)
Running time
80 minutes
Country United States
Language Silent (English intertitles)
Budget$314,728.05 [1]
Box office$477,553.28 [1]

Three Weeks is a 1924 American drama film directed by Alan Crosland. The movie is based on the 1907 novel of the same name by Elinor Glyn, and the title refers to the length of an affair by the Queen of Sardalia. [2] Formerly a lost film, the FIAF database indicates a print is preserved by Russia's Gosfilmofond. [3] [4]

Contents

The novel had previously been made into the American film in 1914  [ it ], directed by Perry N. Vekroff and starring Madlaine Traverse and George C. Pearce, [5] and in a 1917 Hungarian film titled Három hét that was directed by Márton Garas. [6] The 1924 production was the first to be authorized and supervised by Glyn, which was noted in advertising for the film.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, [7] the Queen of Sardalia, in a bad marriage with the brutal King Constantine II, leaves her dissipated husband for a trip to Switzerland. There she meets Paul Verdayne, a young Englishman, who becomes her lover. The King sends men to kill Paul, but he escapes them. After three weeks the Queen bids him farewell without revealing her identity. Three years later she sends for him. The lovers meet again, but she is slain by the King, who in turn dies at the hand of a servant. As time passes Paul becomes a great British statesman. Visiting Sardalia, he sees his son reigning as monarch of that country.

Cast

Aileen Pringle and Conrad Nagel Three Weeks (SAYRE 14475).jpg
Aileen Pringle and Conrad Nagel

Production

For a well known scene from the novel involving the Queen and a tiger skin, Glyn's script states that, rather than describing it, she would enact it for director Crosland on the set. [6] In the film, the Queen is lying on a tiger skin provided by Paul when he comes into the room. She tells him to sit in a chair and then, shown from Paul's point of view, the Queen spreads herself on the tiger skin, runs her hands through the fur, arches her back, and closes her eyes, [6] signifying her agreement to their affair.

Reception

According to contemporary records, the film made a profit of $162,825.23. Glyn was entitled to 40% of the profits and earned $65,130. [1]

Preservation status

Three Weeks survives with a copy in the Gosfilmofond archive in Moscow. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elinor Glyn</span> British novelist and scriptwriter (1864-1943)

Elinor Glyn was a British novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction, which was considered scandalous for its time, although her works are relatively tame by modern standards. She popularized the concept of the it-girl, and had tremendous influence on early 20th-century popular culture and, possibly, on the careers of notable Hollywood stars such as Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson and, especially, Clara Bow.

<i>Anna Christie</i> (1923 film) 1923 film

Anna Christie is a 1923 American silent drama film based on the 1921 play by Eugene O'Neill and starring Blanche Sweet and William Russell.

<i>The Only Thing</i> 1925 film by Jack Conway

The Only Thing is a 1925 American silent romantic drama film starring Eleanor Boardman. The film's scenario was written by author Elinor Glyn, and was based on a story adapted from Glyn's novel of the same name.

<i>Happiness</i> (1924 film) 1924 film

Happiness is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by King Vidor and starring stage actress Laurette Taylor in one of her rare film appearances. The film is based on the 1914 Broadway play of the same name written by Taylor's husband J. Hartley Manners.

<i>His Hour</i> 1924 film

His Hour is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by King Vidor. This film was the follow-up to Samuel Goldwyn's Three Weeks, written by Elinor Glyn, and starring Aileen Pringle, one of the biggest moneymakers at the time of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer amalgamation.

<i>Soul Mates</i> (film) 1925 film

Soul Mates is a surviving 1925 American silent drama film directed by Jack Conway, based on the 1911 novel The Reason Why by Elinor Glyn. The movie was the second successful collaboration between Glyn and Conway.

<i>Black Oxen</i> 1923 film by Frank Lloyd

Black Oxen is a 1923 American silent fantasy / romantic drama film starring Corinne Griffith, Conway Tearle, and Clara Bow. Directed by Frank Lloyd, the film is based on the controversial best-selling 1923 novel of the same name by Gertrude Atherton.

<i>The Heritage of the Desert</i> (film) 1924 film

The Heritage of the Desert is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Irvin Willat and based on the novel of the same name by Zane Grey. It stars Bebe Daniels, Ernest Torrence, and Noah Beery. The film was released by Paramount Pictures with sequences filmed in an early Technicolor process.

<i>The Uninvited Guest</i> (1924 film) 1924 film by Ralph Ince

The Uninvited Guest is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Ralph Ince, and starring Maurice "Lefty" Flynn, Jean Tolley, Mary MacLaren, William Bailey, and Louis Wolheim. A print of the film exists in the Russian film archive Gosfilmofond.

<i>The Yankee Consul</i> 1924 film

The Yankee Consul is a 1924 American black-and-white silent comedy film directed by James W. Horne and written by Raymond Cannon. With a screen adaptation by Lewis Milestone and Raymond Griffith, the film is based upon the 1904 Broadway play The Yankee Consul; a Musical Comedy by Alfred G. Robyn and Henry Martyn Blossom.

Yolanda is a 1924 American silent historical drama film produced by William Randolph Hearst and starring Marion Davies. Robert G. Vignola directed as he had Enchantment (1921) and several other Davies costume films. The film began production as a Metro-Goldwyn film, with the company becoming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in May 1924.

<i>Prodigal Daughters</i> 1923 film by Sam Wood

Prodigal Daughters is a 1923 American silent societal drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. The film stars Gloria Swanson and was directed by Sam Wood. It is based on a novel of the same name by Joseph Hocking.

Three Weeks is a 1907 erotic romance novel by Elinor Glyn.

<i>The Career of Katherine Bush</i> 1919 film by Roy William Neill

The Career of Katherine Bush is a lost 1919 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Roy William Neill directed and Catherine Calvert starred. The film is based on a 1916 Elinor Glyn novel.

<i>A Boy of Flanders</i> 1924 film by Victor Schertzinger

A Boy of Flanders is a 1924 American silent family drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and written by Max Abramson. It is based on the 1872 novel A Dog of Flanders by Ouida. The film stars Jackie Coogan, Nigel De Brulier, and Lionel Belmore. The film was released on April 7, 1924, by Metro-Goldwyn.

<i>The Wife Who Wasnt Wanted</i> 1925 film

The Wife Who Wasn't Wanted is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by James Flood and written by Bess Meredyth. It is based on the 1923 novel The Wife Who Wasn't Wanted by Gertie Wentworth-James. The film stars Irene Rich, Huntley Gordon, John Harron, Gayne Whitman, June Marlowe, and Don Alvarado. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 12, 1925.

<i>Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model</i> (film) 1924 film by Emmett J. Flynn

Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring Claire Windsor. Produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures, the film is based on a play by Owen Davis, which premiered on Broadway in 1906.

<i>The Man Life Passed By</i> 1923 film directed by Victor Schertzinger

The Man Life Passed By is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Percy Marmont, Jane Novak, and Eva Novak. The Novak sisters portray two sisters in the film.

<i>Three Miles Out</i> 1924 film

Three Miles Out is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Irvin Willat and starring Madge Kennedy, Harrison Ford, and Marc McDermott. The title of the film refers to the three-mile limit which formerly defined the territorial waters of the United States.

<i>The Law Forbids</i> 1924 film

The Law Forbids is a 1924 American drama film directed by Jess Robbins and written by Lois Zellner and Ford Beebe. The film stars Baby Peggy, Robert Ellis, Elinor Fair, Winifred Bryson, James Corrigan, and Anna Dodge. The film was released on April 7, 1924, by Universal Pictures.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Novelist as Hollywood Star: Author Royalties and Studio Income in the 1920s" by Vincent L. Barnett, Film History, Vol. 20, No. 3, Studio Systems (2008), pp. 281–293
  2. ↑ New York Times Overview (plot)
  3. ↑ Progressive Silent Film List: Three Weeks at silentera.com
  4. 1 2 The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Three Weeks
  5. ↑ Internet Movie Database Overview of the 1914 version
  6. 1 2 3 Horak, Laura (2010). ""Would You Like to Sin With Elinor Glyn?" Film As a Vehicle of Sensual Education" . Camera Obscura . Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. 25 (2): 75–117. doi:10.1215/02705346-2010-003. ISSN   1529-1510 . Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  7. ↑ Pardy, George T. (April 12, 1924). "Box Office Reviews: Three Weeks". Exhibitors Trade Review. New York: Exhibitors Review Publishing Corporation: 26. Retrieved November 7, 2022.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .


Silentfilm.png

This article about a silent drama film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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.