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''Breakers Ahead'' is a 1918 American silent
Agnes Bowman is the sweetheart of Captain Scudder, a local seafarer. After he leaves on an extended voyage, Agnes gives birth to a baby girl, Ruth. When Agnes' sister, Agatha is married, the newspapers erroneously state the name of the bride as Agnes. Scudder reads the newspaper account, and heartbroken, decides not to return to his home port.
Ten years later, Agnes dies and Ruth goes to live with her Aunt Agatha in a nearby fishing village, Sandwich. As she grows up she falls in love with Agatha's son, Eric, and he reciprocates those feelings. However, a jealous woman begins to spread the rumor that Ruth is illegitimate, and the villagers begin to shun her. Eric and Ruth plan to marry as soon as Eric becomes the first mate on a ship. Hiram Hawley and his son, Jim, own "The Wasp". They hire Scudder to captain the ship, and Eric as his first mate. However, they plan to destroy the ship in order to collect the insurance money. They ask Scudder to scuttle the ship on the rocks along the coast. When he doesn't go through with it, it is discovered that the Hawley's have hired another crewmember, Mike Burley, as a back-up. However, when Burley tries to run the ship onto the rocks, he is prevented by Eric.
When the ship returns to Sandwich unharmed, the Hawley's fire Scudder and Eric. They then send Burley to set the ship on fire, while it is tied up to the dock. Ruth sees the fire and fears that Eric is aboard. She rushes to the ship and tries to search for him, but succumbs to the smoke. Eric learns that she want aboard, and follows, rescuing her from the flames.
Afterwards, Scudder reveals that he is Ruth's long lost father, and that he and Agnes had indeed been married when she was born. Eric and Ruth get married.
It was revealed in mid-January 1918 that production on the film would begin before the end of the month. Viola Dan was picked to star, and Charles J. Bralin to direct. Also announced was that Clifford Bruce and Russell Simpson would have major roles. Charles Brabin and his assistant director, Edward Biby, began pre-production in mid-January by developing the sets and selecting the locations for exterior scenes. Mabel Van Buren was added to the cast the first week in February. A special set was being constructed along the coast to film the burning of a ship. Those coast scenes were filmed outside San Francisco, and included over a thousand pounds of explosives being ignited. In mid-February other cast members were revealed: T.H. Gibson-Gowland, Eugene Pallette, Sydney Deane, Lorena Foster, and Helen Jerome Eddy. Following the three days of filming at sea, Dana complained about how long it was taking her to get her "land-legs" back, due to the extreme rocking and rolling of the ship while they were on-board. Dana's role called for her to play the same character from a child of ten through adulthood. Dana was so convincing in the 10 year old aspect, that one day as she attempted to enter the studio in her persona, she was refused entry by a security guard who failed to recognize her, thinking she was simply another of the young children who were always around the studio gate.
During the location filming at sea, the production was beset with issues deriving from the United States being on a war footing. One incident occurred when the tugboat they had hired to ferry them to and from the seacraft where they were filming was returning at night with all its lights at full blast. Suddenly a shot was fired across their bow, forcing them to stop, whereupon they were confronted by a coast guard vessel telling them that they were in violation of the wartime regulations, and that virtually every gun in the bay was targeted on them. They produced the permit they had been given by General Murray, after which they were allowed to go on their way. A second incident occurred as the tug was taking them out to their locations. Steaming in a heavy fog, they suddenly saw a mine directly in front of them. They reversed their engines in an attempt to avoid the mine, but their momentum carried them directly to the dangerous object, which they impacted to everyone's horror. Fortunately, they learned later, that it was not a contact mine, but an electronic mine, which had to be detonated from the nearby fort. The picture finished filming the final scenes the last week in February. Some of the last scenes to be filmed were the burning of a ship. They were shot on the Metro lot. Due to a recent fire at another studio, Hollywood fire marshals urged Metro producers to be especially careful. Nearby sets were hosed down with water, and as the filming started and the specially constructed ship set was set alight, half a dozen fire crews were on standby, and turned their hoses on the conflagration as soon as the filming stopped. The shots were a success, and no other structures were damaged. Post-production on the film was completed by mid-March, and the film was released on March 25, 1918.
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
film, directed by Charles Brabin
Charles Brabin (April 17, 1882 – November 3, 1957) was a British-American film director.
Biography
Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at St. Francis Xavier College. Brabin sailed to New York City in the early 1900s and, while hold ...
. It stars Viola Dana
Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath; June 26, 1897 – July 3, 1987) was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent films. She appeared in over 100 films, but was unable to make the transition to sound films.
Early lif ...
, 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 ...
, and Mabel Van Buren
Mabel Van Buren (born Mabel Brown Southard; July 17, 1878 – November 4, 1947) was an American stage and screen actress.
Biography
As a theatrical performer she played the leading lady in both ''The Virginian'' and ''The Squaw Man'' (190 ...
, and was released on March 25, 1918.
Plot
Agnes Bowman is the sweetheart of Captain Scudder, a local seafarer. After he leaves on an extended voyage, Agnes gives birth to a baby girl, Ruth. When Agnes' sister, Agatha is married, the newspapers erroneously state the name of the bride as Agnes. Scudder reads the newspaper account, and heartbroken, decides not to return to his home port.
Ten years later, Agnes dies and Ruth goes to live with her Aunt Agatha in a nearby fishing village, Sandwich. As she grows up she falls in love with Agatha's son, Eric, and he reciprocates those feelings. However, a jealous woman begins to spread the rumor that Ruth is illegitimate, and the villagers begin to shun her. Eric and Ruth plan to marry as soon as Eric becomes the first mate on a ship. Hiram Hawley and his son, Jim, own "The Wasp". They hire Scudder to captain the ship, and Eric as his first mate. However, they plan to destroy the ship in order to collect the insurance money. They ask Scudder to scuttle the ship on the rocks along the coast. When he doesn't go through with it, it is discovered that the Hawley's have hired another crewmember, Mike Burley, as a back-up. However, when Burley tries to run the ship onto the rocks, he is prevented by Eric.
When the ship returns to Sandwich unharmed, the Hawley's fire Scudder and Eric. They then send Burley to set the ship on fire, while it is tied up to the dock. Ruth sees the fire and fears that Eric is aboard. She rushes to the ship and tries to search for him, but succumbs to the smoke. Eric learns that she want aboard, and follows, rescuing her from the flames.
Afterwards, Scudder reveals that he is Ruth's long lost father, and that he and Agnes had indeed been married when she was born. Eric and Ruth get married.
Cast list
*Viola Dana
Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath; June 26, 1897 – July 3, 1987) was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent films. She appeared in over 100 films, but was unable to make the transition to sound films.
Early lif ...
as Ruth Bowman
* 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 Eric Pixley
* Mabel Van Buren
Mabel Van Buren (born Mabel Brown Southard; July 17, 1878 – November 4, 1947) was an American stage and screen actress.
Biography
As a theatrical performer she played the leading lady in both ''The Virginian'' and ''The Squaw Man'' (190 ...
as Aunt Agatha Pixley
* Russell Simpson as Captain Scudder
* Eugene Pallette
Eugene William Pallette (July 8, 1889 – September 3, 1954) was an American actor who worked in both the silent and sound eras, performing in more than 240 productions between 1913 and 1946.
After an early career as a slender leading man, ...
as Jim Hawley
* Sydney Deane
Sydney Leslie Deane (1 March 1863 – 20 March 1934) was a first-class cricketer and entertainer, and the first Australian to appear in a Hollywood movie.
Biography In Australia
Born in Balmain, Sydney, to Edward and Sophia, Deane was a prom ...
as Hiram Hawley
* T. H. Gowland as Mike Burley
* Lorena Foster as Eliza, the nurse
* Helen Jerome Eddy
Helen Jerome Eddy (February 25, 1897 – January 27, 1990) was a motion picture actress from New York City. She was noted as a character actress who played genteel heroines in films such as ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' (1917).
Early years
Edd ...
as Agnes Bowman
Production
It was revealed in mid-January 1918 that production on the film would begin before the end of the month. Viola Dan was picked to star, and Charles J. Bralin to direct. Also announced was that Clifford Bruce and Russell Simpson would have major roles. Charles Brabin and his assistant director, Edward Biby, began pre-production in mid-January by developing the sets and selecting the locations for exterior scenes. Mabel Van Buren was added to the cast the first week in February. A special set was being constructed along the coast to film the burning of a ship. Those coast scenes were filmed outside San Francisco, and included over a thousand pounds of explosives being ignited. In mid-February other cast members were revealed: T.H. Gibson-Gowland, Eugene Pallette, Sydney Deane, Lorena Foster, and Helen Jerome Eddy. Following the three days of filming at sea, Dana complained about how long it was taking her to get her "land-legs" back, due to the extreme rocking and rolling of the ship while they were on-board. Dana's role called for her to play the same character from a child of ten through adulthood. Dana was so convincing in the 10 year old aspect, that one day as she attempted to enter the studio in her persona, she was refused entry by a security guard who failed to recognize her, thinking she was simply another of the young children who were always around the studio gate.
During the location filming at sea, the production was beset with issues deriving from the United States being on a war footing. One incident occurred when the tugboat they had hired to ferry them to and from the seacraft where they were filming was returning at night with all its lights at full blast. Suddenly a shot was fired across their bow, forcing them to stop, whereupon they were confronted by a coast guard vessel telling them that they were in violation of the wartime regulations, and that virtually every gun in the bay was targeted on them. They produced the permit they had been given by General Murray, after which they were allowed to go on their way. A second incident occurred as the tug was taking them out to their locations. Steaming in a heavy fog, they suddenly saw a mine directly in front of them. They reversed their engines in an attempt to avoid the mine, but their momentum carried them directly to the dangerous object, which they impacted to everyone's horror. Fortunately, they learned later, that it was not a contact mine, but an electronic mine, which had to be detonated from the nearby fort. The picture finished filming the final scenes the last week in February. Some of the last scenes to be filmed were the burning of a ship. They were shot on the Metro lot. Due to a recent fire at another studio, Hollywood fire marshals urged Metro producers to be especially careful. Nearby sets were hosed down with water, and as the filming started and the specially constructed ship set was set alight, half a dozen fire crews were on standby, and turned their hoses on the conflagration as soon as the filming stopped. The shots were a success, and no other structures were damaged. Post-production on the film was completed by mid-March, and the film was released on March 25, 1918.
Reception
'' Exhibitors Herald'' gave the film a mediocre review. While the enjoyed the performance of Viola Dana, and the cinematography, particularly the exterior scenes of the fishing village, the found the story lacking. ''Moving Picture World
The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios.
I ...
'' also gave the picture a lukewarm review. They enjoyed Dana's performance, and also gave praise for the work of Bruce and Van Buren, with particular accolades for Simpson. They were also highly complimentary of the cinematography. However they found the story a bit spotty, without a clear plot at times. They also found the tempo of the early part of the film to be slow.
References
External links
* * * {{Charles Brabin Lost American films Films directed by Charles Brabin Metro Pictures films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Silent American drama films 1918 drama films 1918 films Films produced by B. A. Rolfe 1910s English-language films 1918 lost films Lost drama films 1910s American films