''A Fool There Was'' is an American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

produced by William Fox, directed by Frank Powell, and starring

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

. Released in 1915, the film was long considered controversial for such risqué

intertitle In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...

cards as "Kiss me, my fool!" ''A Fool There Was'' is one of the few extant films featuring Theda Bara. It popularised the word ''

vamp The VaMP driverless car was one of the first truly autonomous cars Dynamic Vision for Perc ...

'' (short for vampire), which describes a ''

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

'' who causes the moral degradation of those she seduces, first fascinating and then exhausting her victims. In 2015, the United States

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

selected the film for preservation in the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...

, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot

John Schuyler (

Edward José Edward José (5 July 1865 – 18 December 1930) was a Belgian film director and actor of the silent era. He directed 42 films between 1915 and 1925. He also performed in 12 films between 1910 and 1916.Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...

lawyer and diplomat, is a husband and a devoted family man. He is sent to England on a diplomatic mission without his wife and daughter. On the ship he meets the " Vampire woman" (

)-a psychic vampire described as "a woman of the vampire species"-who uses her charms to seduce men, only to leave after ruining their lives. Schuyler is yet another one of her victims who falls completely under her control. In the process of succumbing to her will, he abandons his family, loses his job, his social standing, and becomes a raving drunkard. All attempts by his family to get him to return fail and the hapless "fool" plunges ever deeper into physical and mental degradation.

Cast

Edward José Edward José (5 July 1865 – 18 December 1930) was a Belgian film director and actor of the silent era. He directed 42 films between 1915 and 1925. He also performed in 12 films between 1910 and 1916.Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

as The Vampire *

May Allison May Allison (June 14, 1890 – March 27, 1989) was an American actress whose greatest success was achieved in the early part of the 20th century in silent films, although she also appeared on stage. Life and career Allison was born in Rising ...

as The Wife's Sister *

Clifford Bruce Clifford Bruce (1885–1919) was a Canadian film actor of the silent era.Solomon p. 229 Selected filmography * ''When Rome Ruled'' (1914) * '' A Fool There Was'' (1915) * ''Lady Audley's Secret'' (1915) * '' A Woman's Past'' (1915) * ''The Weakne ...

as The Friend * Victor Benoit as One of Her Victims *

Frank Powell Frank Powell (born Francis William Powell, May 8, 1877) was a Canadian-born stage and silent film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter who worked predominantly in the United States."Ontario Births, 1869-1912", digital copy of original h ...

as The Doctor *

Minna Gale Minna Gale (September 26, 1869 – March 4, 1944), also credited as Minna K. Gale and Minna Gale Haynes, was an American actress. Early life Minna Kathalina Gale was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the daughter of C. K. Gale; after her father's ...

as The Doctor's Fiancée *

Runa Hodges Runa Hodges was a child actor during the silent film era in the U.S. She toured and appeared in person at some of the theater showings of her film series with Reliance. Hodges was born around 1907 or 1908. According to a newspaper article in ''Th ...

as The Child *

Mabel Frenyear Mabel Frenyear was an American actress and chorus girl. Early life and career Mabel Frenyear was born on August 25, 1880, the daughter of Edward L. Frenyear and Eva Tollman. She began her career in Broadway theatre, appearing in plays such as ...

as The Wife

Basis

The film is based on the 1909

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production ''A Fool There Was'' by Porter Emerson Browne, who in turn based his play on

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

's poem ''The Vampire''. Katharine Kaelred played the role of seductress, billed as "The Woman". The star of the play was Victorian matinee idol Robert C. Hilliard, whose name featured prominently in some advertisements for the movie though he had no connection with the film.

Production

Theda Bara, A Fool There Was (1915) Publicity Still

The producers were keen to pay tribute to their literary source, having a real actor read the full poem to the audience before each initial showing, and presenting passages of the poem throughout the film in intertitles. Bara's official credit is even "The Vampire", and for this reason the film is sometimes cited as the first "vampire" movie. However, in the film as in Kipling's poem, the term is used metaphorically as the character is not literally a vampire. The film was the first on-screen appearance of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

-era film actress

(1890 – 1989). While the film contains scenes ostensibly set in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, the entire movie was actually filmed in St. Augustine, Florida.

Release

The film was also a watershed in early film publicity. At a press conference in January 1915, the studio gave an elaborate fictional biography of Theda Bara, making her an exotic Arabian actress, and presented her in a flamboyant fur outfit. Then they made an intentional leak to the press that the whole thing was a hoax. This may have been one of Hollywood's first

publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utilize ...

A Fool There Was lanternslide1915 (cropped)

Although part of the film takes place in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the film was not approved by the

British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of fi ...

, per its policy of rejecting films with illicit sexual relationships. Although ''A Fool There Was'' never received a public showing in Great Britain, later Theda Bara films were allowed.

Commentary

The film has been said to be unusual for the period in that the Husband does not experience a redemption, even when he hears the cries of his daughter, nor is the Vampire ever punished for destroying a family.

Preservation

''A Fool There Was'' is one of the few Theda Bara films in existence, with copies at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

BFI National Archive The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was founded as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955, its name became the N ...

, and other film archives. The other surviving Bara films are '' The Stain'' (1914), ''

East Lynne ''East Lynne'' is an English sensation novel of 1861 by Ellen Wood, writing as Mrs Henry Wood. A Victorian best-seller, it is remembered chiefly for its elaborate and implausible plot, centring on infidelity and double identities. There have ...

'' (1916), ''

The Unchastened Woman ''The Unchastened Woman'' is a 1925 American silent drama film starring vamp Theda Bara, directed by James Young, the former husband of Clara Kimball Young, and released by start-up studio Chadwick Pictures. The film is based on a 1915 Broadway ...

'' (1925), and two short comedies that she made for

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...

in the mid-1920s.

Legacy

In 1938,

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...

released a

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

called ''

A Feud There Was ''A Feud There Was'' is a 1938 Warner Bros. '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Tex Avery. The short was released on September 24, 1938 and features the fourth appearance of an early version of Elmer Fudd. Plot The short begins with an estab ...

''. The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

in these lists: * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated * 2003: AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains: ** The Vampire – Nominated Villain

References

* *

External links

* * * * * Actor Robert C. Hilliard recites some passages from the play in a recording made in 1911 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fool There Was, A 1915 films 1915 drama films American silent feature films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films based on poems Films based on works by Rudyard Kipling Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey Films shot in Florida Films directed by Frank Powell Articles containing video clips United States National Film Registry films Films based on adaptations Fox Film films Surviving American silent films 1910s American films