''Court Martial'' is a 1928 American

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

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

George B. Seitz George Brackett Seitz (January 3, 1888 – July 8, 1944) was an American playwright, screenwriter, film actor and director. He was known for his screenplays for action serials, such as '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1914) and ''The Exploits o ...

, starring Jack Holt,

Betty Compson Betty Compson (born Eleanor Luicime Compson; March 19, 1897 – April 18, 1974) was an American actress and film producer who got her start during Hollywood's silent era. She is best known for her performances in ''The Docks of New York'' and ...

Belle Starr Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (February 5, 1848 – February 3, 1889), better known as Belle Starr, was an American outlaw who gained national notoriety after her violent death. She associated with the James–Younger Gang and other outlaws ...

, and Frank Austin as

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, and released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. A foreign release print of the film survives and is preserved in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was shown at the annual Cinecon Classic Film Festival in 2014. Publicity for the film stated that several sequences were shot in early

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

, but these do not appear to have survived.

Cast

* Jack Holt as James Camden *

Pat Harmon Plummer Hull Harman (February 3, 1886 – November 26, 1958), known professionally as Pat Harmon, was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1920 and 1947. In 1935, Harmon was the victim of a violent assault whic ...

as Bull *

Doris Hill Doris Hill (March 21, 1905 – March 3, 1976), born Roberta M. Hill, was an American film actress of the 1920s and 1930s. Early years Born and raised in Roswell, New Mexico, Hill was the daughter of rancher William A. Hill. She was educated i ...

as General's Daughter *

Frank Lackteen Frank Lackteen (born Mohammed Hassan Lackteen August 29, 1897 – July 8, 1968) was an American film actor best known for his antagonistic roles. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1915 and 1965, including several Three Stooges shorts. ...

as 'Devil' Dawson * Frank Austin as President

George Cowl George Cowl (1878–1942) was a British film actor active in the United States.Solomon p.300 He also directed four films during the silent era. Selected filmography * ''Dan'' (1914) * ''The Rack'' (1916) * '' The Closed Road'' (1916) * '' The B ...

as General Robert Hackathorne * Zack Williams as Negro

Preservation status

*Prints held at National Archives of Canada, Cineteca del Friuli (Gemona), Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), and 16mm at Library of Congress.The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:''Court-Martial''
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References

External links

* * American black-and-white films American Civil War films American silent feature films Columbia Pictures films Cultural depictions of Belle Starr Depictions of Abraham Lincoln on film Films directed by George B. Seitz Military courtroom films Silent films in color 1920s color films 1928 drama films 1928 films 1920s American films Silent American drama films {{AmericanCivilWar-film-stub