''Behind the Door'' is a surviving 1919 silent war drama film produced by Thomas Ince, directed by

Irvin Willat Irvin V. Willat (November 18, 1890 – April 17, 1976) was an American film director of the silent film, silent film era. A short biography reprinted from ''Blue Book of the Screen'' (1923). He directed 39 films between 1917 and 1937. Early i ...

and distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. The picture is a starring vehicle for veteran actor

Hobart Bosworth Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth (August 11, 1867 – December 30, 1943) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer. Early life Bosworth was born on August 11, 1867, in Marietta, Ohio. His father was a sea captain in the Civil Wa ...

and the supporting cast features

Jane Novak Jane Novak (born Johana Barbara Novak; January 12, 1896 – February 3, 1990) was an American actress of the silent film era. Background Jane Novak was born Johana Barbara Novak in St. Louis, Missouri to Bohemian immigrant Joseph Jerome Novak a ...

and

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in ''Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in ''Grand Hotel'' (193 ...

. The film's source is a short story by

Gouverneur Morris Gouverneur Morris ( ; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the U ...

, also titled "Behind the Door," published in

McClure's Magazine ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wat ...

in July 1917. The film is extant at the

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 ...

and the

Gosfilmofond Gosfilmofond is a state film archive in Russia. It is the main film archive of the Russian Federation and a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). It is a state cultural institution — curator of films collection and othe ...

Russian State Archive. In 2016, the

San Francisco Silent Film Festival The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is a film festival first held in 1996 and presented annually at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, California, United States. It is the largest silent film festival in the United States, although the largest ...

, working with the Library of Congress and Godfilmofond, created a more fully-restored print of the film.

Plot

In 1925 (set six years after the film's release), the silhouetted figure of Oscar Krug, a seafarer, enters a graveyard above a town in coastal Maine. That morning in town, he enters the abandoned

taxidermy Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proce ...

shop he once owned. He slumps at his former worktable and is lost in memory. Except for the last scene, the rest of the film's story is an extended flashback. In 1917, Krug, a German-American taxidermist who had been a sailor in the U.S. Navy is subject to suspicion and resentment by the townspeople. He nonetheless wins the heart of Alice Morse, despite the disapproval of her father, the town banker. When news arrives of the U.S. declaration of war against Germany, the townspeople question Krug's patriotism, even though he was already on the way to enlist. A mass fistfight ensues, with the group's leader, Bill Tavish, finally accepting Krug's devotion to his country. The two men rush off to enlist in the Navy. Krug and Alice are married in secret soon after. Alice is thrown out by her father when he learns of the marriage, and she manages to stow away on the Navy ship that Krug now commands. The ship's nurse takes her on as an assistant before she reveals her presence to Krug. Krug's ship is sunk by a German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

, commanded by Lt. Brandt, who then abducts Alice from the lifeboat that she and Krug shared, with Krug vowing revenge. Now in command of a new ship, Krug is still haunted by his hatred. His ship sinks a U-boat that turns out to have been commanded by Brandt. To his crew's bewilderment, Krug welcomes Brandt to his cabin, speaking German and getting him drunk. Not knowing Krug's identity, Brandt brags about how Alice was sexually abused and died. Krug then reveals himself and binds Brandt behind a closet door. When Krug's first officers enter the cabin, they are horrified to discover that Krug, with his taxidermy tools, had skinned Brandt alive. In the final scene, set again in the film's present, Krug collapses at his worktable and dies. His spirit is greeted by that of Alice, and the two are united again in death.

Cast

as Oscar Krug *

as Alice Morse *

as Lieutenant Brandt * James Gordon as Bill Tavish
Dick Wain
as McQuestion (credited as Richard Wain/or Wayne) *

J. P. Lockney John P. Lockney (March 17, 1867, date of death unknown) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1937. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Partial filmography * ''The Bride of Hat ...

as Matthew Morse *

Gibson Gowland Gibson Gowland (4 January 1877 – 9 September 1951) was an English film actor. Biography Gowland was born in Spennymoor, County Durham. He started work as a sailor and later became the mate on a ship. For several years from the age of 25 he ...

as Gideon Blank *

Otto Hoffman Otto F. Hoffman (May 2, 1879 – June 23, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1915 and 1944. He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California, from lung cancer. Hoffman's Broadway credit ...

as Mark Arnold *Tom Ashton as Fishing Boy Behind the Door 1919

Home media release

Flicker Alley
has released a Blu-ray/DVD restored edition on April 4, 2017.

References

External links

* * *
Behind the Door
' at

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...

Excerpts from interview of Irvin Willat, director of ''Behind the Door'', by Bob Birchard
*Sarah Bastan, audio excerpts fo
''Behind the Door'', Inside the Library of Congress: An Interview with Mike MashonMarc Wanamaker, "The History behind ''Behind the Door'' (1919)" ''at'' Flicker Alley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Behind the Door 1919 films American silent feature films Films based on short fiction Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Irvin Willat American black-and-white films 1910s war drama films American war drama films 1919 drama films 1910s American films Silent American drama films Silent war films 1910s English-language films