''Dawn'' is a 1928 British silent war film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her ...

, Gordon Craig, and Marie Ault. It was produced by Wilcox for his British & Dominions Film Corporation. The film was made at Cricklewood Studios with sets designed by Clifford Pember. Based on a play by Reginald Berkeley, this film tells the story of World War I martyr Edith Cavell.

stars as Cavell, a nurse who risked her own life by rescuing British

Prisoners of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

from the Germans. When Cavell was captured and sentenced to be executed, it sparked international outrage, even from neutral nations.

Production

Herbert Wilcox had just made ''

Mumsie ''Mumsie'' is a 1927 British silent drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Pauline Frederick, Nelson Keys and Herbert Marshall. It was adapted from the 1920 play of the same title by Edward Knoblock about a favourite son of a famil ...

'' (1927), starring Pauline Frederick. Wilcox wanted to make another film with Frederick and suggested

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's '' The Vortex'' but Frederick disliked the role. Wilcox then saw the statue of Edith Cavell in London and decided to make a film of her life. Frederick was enthusiastic at first but dropped out. Some claimed it was because there was an outcry at the thought of an American playing Cavell. Wilcox claims Frederick was scared off after the German ambassador said that Germany would boycott her films. She was replaced with Sybil Thorndike. Filming proved difficult.

Censorship

One of the most controversial British films of the 1920s, Dawn was censored because of what objectors considered its brutal depiction of warfare and anti-German sentiment. Pressure was exerted by both the German

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

and the British

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

Austen Chamberlain to prevent the film being passed for exhibition. Edith Cavell's sister criticised the film saying it would promote hate. However, George Bernard Shaw praised the film. When eventually released, the film was a big success. Wilcox returned to the subject in 1939 with '' Nurse Edith Cavell'' starring Anna Neagle.

Cast

– Nurse Edith Cavell * Ada Bodart – Herself * Gordon Craig – Philippe Bodart * Marie Ault – Mme. Rappard * Mickey Brantford – Jacques Rappard * Mary Brough – Mme. Pitou * Richard Worth – Jean Pitou – Bargekeeper * Colin Bell – Widow Deveaux * Dacia Deane – Mme. Deveaux's Daughter * Cecil Barry – Col. Schultz * Frank Perfitt – Gen. von Zauberzweig * Haddon Mason – German A.P.M. * Maurice Braddell – British Airman * Edward O'Neill – Lutheran Priest * Griffith Humphreys – President of the Court Martial *

Edward Sorley Edward Sorley (1871 – 16 October 1933) was a British actor. Sorley was born in Camberwell, Surrey and died at age 62 in Blackheath, London. Selected filmography * ''Queen's Evidence'' (1919) * '' The Temptress'' (1920) * ''The Sword of Dam ...

– German Soldier

References

External links

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''History of the British Film, 1918–1929''. George Allen & Unwin, 1971. {{Herbert Wilcox 1928 films 1920s war drama films British war drama films British silent feature films British black-and-white films Films directed by Herbert Wilcox World War I films based on actual events Films set in the 1910s Films set in Belgium Films shot at Cricklewood Studios Films about capital punishment British and Dominions Studios films 1928 drama films 1920s English-language films 1920s British films Silent drama films Silent war films