''An Arabian Tragedy'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by

Kalem Company The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to V ...

and distributed by

General Film Company The General Film Company was a motion picture distribution company in the United States. Between 1909 and 1920, the company distributed almost 12,000 silent era motion pictures. Formation The General Film Company was formed by the Motion Pictu ...

. It was directed by

Sidney Olcott Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott, September 20, 1872 – December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great direc ...

with

Gene Gauntier Gene Gauntier (born Genevieve Gauntier Liggett, August 26, 1885 – December 18, 1966) was an American screenwriter and actress who was one of the pioneers of the motion picture industry. A writer, director, and actress in films from mid 1906 ...

Robert Vignola Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, August 7, 1882 – October 25, 1953) was an Italian-American actor, screenwriter, and film director. A former stage actor, he appeared in many motion pictures produced by Kalem Company and later mov ...

and

Alice Hollister Alice Hollister (born Rosalie Alice Amélie Berger, September 28, 1886 – February 24, 1973) was an American silent film actress who appeared in around 90 films between 1910 and 1925. She is known for her roles in movies such as ''From the Man ...

in the leading roles.

Plot

Ayub Kashif becomes embittered toward his wife, Fatima, because she's childless. He eventually decides to divorce Fatima and free her slave, Hanfi, whom he then plans to marry. Fatima, who still loves her husband, lives a life of sorrow, praying that her husband's love will return to her. A year later, Allah grants Ayub an heir. Fatima hearing of the event, writes Ayub, requesting that she be allowed to attend his wife as a slave, which Ayub denies. Four years later, Ayub, with a number of other merchants, departs to take rich merchandise across the desert. While on the journey he falls critically ill and, according to Turkish custom, is left to die. Fatima, in her dreams, sees that her husband is about to perish. Haunted by the vision, she begs his new wife to send aid to Ayub. Hanfi, caring only for her personal comfort, laughs at her. Fatima, accompanied by two slaves, starts searching for Ayub. After crossing the desert, Fatima finds him digging his own grave and, with a prayer that he be forgiven, Ayub dies in her arms.

Cast

- Lucasha / Ayub's 1st Wife *

- Ayub Kashif *

as Hanfi (Slave Girl) / Ayub's 2nd Wife *George Hollister, Jr. as Kafur *J.P. Gowan as Undetermined Second Role

Production notes

The film was shot in

Luxor Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...

, Egypt.

References

External links

*
''An Arabian Tragedy''
website dedicated to Sidney Olcott 1912 films Silent American drama films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films set in Egypt Films shot in Egypt Films directed by Sidney Olcott 1912 short films 1912 drama films 1910s American films {{1910s-short-drama-film-stub