''Conquering the Woman'' is a 1922 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 ...

directed by

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

. A print of the film exists at the

Cinematheque Royale de Belgique CINEMATEK (Dutch: Koninklijk Belgisch Filmarchief; French: Cinémathèque royale de Belgique; English: Royal Belgian Film Archive) is a film archive in Brussels, Belgium. The archive was established in 1938 under the name Royal Belgian Film Arch ...

in Belgium.

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Judith Stafford (Vidor) returns to her San Francisco home after a lengthy sojourn abroad during which Aunt Sophia (Brundage), a social climber, was her chaperon. While aqua-planing off the south coast of France, Judith intentionally falls off her plane and is very much annoyed when Larry Saunders (Butler) of Oklahoma, whose yacht is nearby, dives to her rescue. Judith berates Larry and she swims to the boat of her host, Count Henri (Burke). Later, when Larry comes to San Francisco, he visits his old friend Tobias Stafford (Sprotte), and is amazed to discover that Judith is Tobey's daughter. Judith becomes engaged to the Count. Her father opposes this match and tricks her and Larry on board one of his merchant ships. He gives Captain Sandy MacTavish (Todd) certain orders which result in Judith and Larry being marooned on an uninhabited island in the

South Seas Today the term South Seas, or South Sea, is used in several contexts. Most commonly it refers to the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of the equator. In 1513, when Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa coined the term ''Mar del Sur'', ...

. Larry tries drastic means of taming Judith but is unsuccessful. He adopts gentler but persuasive methods and wins. Judith is happily in love with him. The Count turns up unexpectedly and kidnaps Judith. Tobey arrives and he and Larry start in pursuit of the abductor. After a thrilling chase, Judith is rescued by her lover.

Cast

Florence Vidor Florence Vidor (née Cobb, later Arto; July 23, 1895 – November 3, 1977) was an American silent film actress. Early life Vidor was born in Houston on July 23, 1895, to John and Ida Cobb. Her parents had married in Houston on March 3, 1894, bu ...

as Judith Stafford *

Bert Sprotte Bert Sprotte (9 December 1870 – 30 December 1949) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 70 American films between 1918 and 1938. He was born in Chemnitz, Saxony, and died in Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los ...

as Tobias Stafford *

Mathilde Brundage Mathilde Brundage (September 22, 1859 – May 6, 1939) was an American actress. She appeared in 87 films between 1914 and 1928. Also known as Bertha Brundage, she was born in Louisville, Kentucky. For much of her life, her family thwarted her de ...

as Aunt Sophia * David Butler as Larry Saunders *

Roscoe Karns Roscoe, also spelled Rosco or Roscow, may refer to: People * Roscoe (name) Places United States * Roscoe, California (disambiguation) *Roscoe Township (disambiguation) * Roscoe, Georgia, an unincorporated community *Roscoe, Illinois, a village * ...

as Shorty Thompson * Peter Burke as Count Henri de Marcellus *

Harry Todd Harry Todd (December 13, 1863 – February 15, 1935) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1909 and 1935. On Broadway, Todd was a member of the ensemble in '' The American Way'' (1939). Todd died in Glendale, Cal ...

as Sandy MacTavish

Production

The third of four pictures that Vidor and his spouse

(a rising actor at

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 ...

) had contracted to film for

Associated Exhibitors Associated Exhibitors was an American film distribution company active during the silent era. The company did not produce its own pictures but released productions by independent producers, handling a mixture of low-budget and more prestigious fi ...

, all of which were completed in 1922. Vidor considered the film “out of my line.” Vidor was unable to complete the final film of the contract, Alice Adams, as his marriage to Florence was deteriorating. He arranged for

Rowland V. Lee Rowland Vance Lee (September 6, 1891 – December 21, 1975) was an American film director, actor, writer, and producer. Biography Early life Born in Findlay, Ohio, Lee was the son of a suffragette who founded a newspaper. He studied at Columbi ...

to handle the direction.Durgnat and Simmon 1988 p. 26

Footnotes

References

* Durgnat, Raymond and Simmon, Scott. 1988. ''King Vidor, American.'' University of California Press, Berkeley.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conquering The Woman 1922 films 1922 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by King Vidor Associated Exhibitors films 1920s American films 1920s English-language films