''Black Orchids'' is a 1917 American silent drama film written and directed by Rex Ingram. The film was released as ''The Fatal Orchids'' 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 feature stars

Cleo Madison Cleo Madison (born Lulu Bailey; March 26, 1883 – March 11, 1964) was a theatrical and silent film actress, screenwriter, producer, and director who was active in Hollywood during the silent era. Madison began her career on the stage. B ...

Francis McDonald Francis McDonald (August 22, 1891 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor whose career spanned 52 years. Early years Born on August 22, 1891, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, McDonald was the son of John Francis McDonald and Catherine Ashlu ...

and

Dick La Reno Dick La Reno (October 31, 1863 – July 26, 1945) was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1914 and 1931. He was born in Ireland and died in Hollywood, California. Selected filmography * '' Ro ...

. Ingram later remade the film as ''

Trifling Women ''Trifling Women'' is a 1922 American silent romantic drama film directed by Rex Ingram. It is credited with boosting the careers of its leads, Barbara La Marr and Ramon Novarro. It has been described as Ingram's most personal film. The film i ...

'' (1922). ''Black Orchids'' is considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

Plot

The synopsis released by the studio as printed in ''Motography'' reads:

Cast

as Marie de Severac/Zoraida *

as George Renoir/Ivan *

as Emile de Severac *

Wedgwood Nowell Wedgwood Nowell (born Harry Wedgwood Nowell; January 24, 1878 – June 17, 1957) was an American stage and film actor, director, producer, and musician. He produced 144 plays during his stage career, which began around 1901. Later, while w ...

as Marquis de Chantal *

Howard Crampton Howard Crampton (January 12, 1865 – June 15, 1922) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1913 and 1922. He was born in New York, New York. Partial filmography * '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' ...

as Baron de Maupin * John George as Ali Bara *

William J. Dyer William J. Dyer (March 11, 1881 – December 22, 1933) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in dozens of films, mostly Westerns and action films, between 1915 and 1933. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia and died in Hollywood, ...

as Proprietor of l'Hirbour Blanc

Reviews and reception

A write-up about the film in the ''Exhibitor's Trade Review'' notes that the story-telling device served to sidestep the censors: "Indeed, were it not for this method of picturing the adventures of the man-enslaving Zoraida, one can hardly imagine the film being offered as screen entertainment, in this country at least." Edward Weitzel wrote in his review of the film in the ''Moving Picture World'', that the drama "deals almost exclusively with open defiance of all moral law, but ... holds the spectator's undivided attention to the end". Weitzel also commented on Ingram's direction, saying: "While no points of the plot are glossed over or left in doubt, there is no undue stress put upon any of the incidents and the atmosphere which surrounds the entire story belongs to it by right of birth."

References

External links

* *
''Black Orchids'' (1917)
at ''New York Times'' Movies {{Rex Ingram 1917 films 1917 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films Films directed by Rex Ingram American black-and-white films Lost American drama films Universal Pictures films 1917 lost films 1910s American films

Plot

Cast

Reviews and reception

See also

References

External links