Young April

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Young April
Young April lobby card 2.jpg
Lobby card
Directed by Donald Crisp
Written by Jeanie MacPherson
Douglas Z. Doty
Based onYoung April (novel)
by Egerton Castle [1] [2]
Produced by William Sistrom
Starring Bessie Love
Joseph Schildkraut
Rudolph Schildkraut
Cinematography J. Peverell Marley
Production
company
Distributed by Producers Distributing Corporation
Release date
  • October 11, 1926 (1926-10-11)(U.S.)
Running time
7 reels; 6,858 feet [3]
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

Young April is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Donald Crisp, and starring Bessie Love, Joseph Schildkraut, and Rudolph Schildkraut. The film was produced by Cecil B. DeMille's production company and distributed by Producers Distributing Corporation. [4] The film was adapted from Egerton Castle's 1899 novel of the same name by Jeanie MacPherson and Douglas Z. Doty. Art direction for the film was done by Anton Grot and its costumes were designed by Adrian. [5]

Contents

Plot

Prince Caryl of Belgravia is to be married to Archduchess Victoria, whom he has never met. He rebels by stealing the royal crown and going to Paris to pawn it and enjoy the money. Victoria, who has been raised an orphan in America, is told of her title and upcoming wedding, and goes to Paris for a final week of freedom and a shopping spree. While in Paris, she buys the royal crown and meets—and falls in love with—Caryl, each not knowing the other's royal identity.

Caryl's unethical brother Prince Michael comes to Paris, and prevents Victoria from revealing her identity to Caryl, who renounces his title to be with her. Michael kidnaps Victoria, but Caryl rescues her via an elaborate chase involving carriages, cars, and airplanes. [2] [3] [6]

Cast

Release and reception

Young April had its New York premiere at the Hippodrome. [3] The film, particularly the production, received positive reviews. [6]

Preservation and Availability

Complete prints of Young April are held by:

The film was released on DVD in 2014 by Alpha Video. [8]

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References

  1. Castle, Egerton (1899). Young April. New York: Macmillan Co. OCLC   640013605.
  2. 1 2 Munden, Kenneth W., ed. (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1921–1930 . New York: R.R. Bowker Company. p.  933. OCLC   664500075.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sewell, C.S. (September 11, 1926). "'Young April'—Prod. Dist. Corp". Moving Picture World. p.  112.
  4. Bennett, Carl (October 7, 2012). "Progressive Silent Film List: Young April". Silent Era.
  5. "Young April". afi.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Class 8—Dramas". Descriptive Catalogue of Kodascope Library Motion Pictures. New York: Kodascope Libraries. 1932. pp. 203–4.
  7. "American Silent Feature Film Database: Young April". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  8. "Silent Era Films on Home Video: Young April". silentera.com. Retrieved April 5, 2024.