''Evangeline'' is a 1919 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 ...
produced and distributed by the
Fox Film Corporation
The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...
and directed by
Raoul Walsh. The star of the film was Walsh's wife, who at the time was
Miriam Cooper
Miriam Cooper (born Marian Cooper; November 7, 1891 – April 12, 1976) was a silent film actress who is best known for her work in early film including ''The Birth of a Nation'' and '' Intolerance'' for D. W. Griffith and ''The Honor System'' a ...
in the oft filmed story based on the 1847
poem of the same name by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tran ...
. The poem was filmed previously in 1908, 1911, and 1914.
Currently ''Evangeline'' is considered to be a
lost film
A lost film is a feature
Feature may refer to:
Computing
* Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch
* Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob
* Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing char ...
.
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 ...
,
Evangeline (Cooper) and Gabriel (Roscoe), young people of a small village, gain the consent of their parents and announce their wedding. On the morning of the wedding day, British soldiers land at the town and summon all the
Acadians
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
, who are of French descent, to the church where they read the King's order requiring their deportation. The marriage is thus prevented and the two lovers, during the deportation, lose sight of each other and end up in different localities. Released from surveillance, each sets out in search of the other. Their search continues until they are old when Gabriel, victim of a pestilence, is brought to an
almshouse where Evangeline is a nurse to the afflicted. Here they are happy for a while until Gabriel's death occurs.
Cast
*
Miriam Cooper
Miriam Cooper (born Marian Cooper; November 7, 1891 – April 12, 1976) was a silent film actress who is best known for her work in early film including ''The Birth of a Nation'' and '' Intolerance'' for D. W. Griffith and ''The Honor System'' a ...
as Evangeline
*
Alan Roscoe as Gabriel
*
Spottiswoode Aitken
Frank Spottiswoode Aitken (16 April 1868 – 26 February 1933) was a Scottish-American actor of the silent era. He played Dr. Cameron in D. W. Griffith's epic drama ''The Birth of a Nation''.
Early years
Aitken was born 16 April 1868 in Edinb ...
as Benedict Bellefontaine
*
James A. Marcus
James A. Marcus (January 21, 1867 – October 15, 1937) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1937. He was born in New York City. On October 15, 1937, Marcus died in Hollywood, California from a myocardi ...
as Basil
*
Paul Weigel
Paul Weigel (18 February 1867 – 25 May 1951) was a German-American actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1916 and 1945.
Selected filmography
* '' Naked Hearts'' (1916) - Cecil's Father
* '' Each Pearl a Tear'' (1916) - Roger ...
as Father Felician
*
William A. Wellman
William Augustus Wellman (February 29, 1896 – December 9, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and military pilot. He was known for his work in crime, adventure, and action genre films, often focusing on avi ...
as A British Lieutenant
See also
*
Expulsion of the Acadians
The Expulsion of the Acadians, also known as the Great Upheaval, the Great Expulsion, the Great Deportation, and the Deportation of the Acadians (french: Le Grand Dérangement or ), was the forced removal, by the British, of the Acadian peo ...
References
External links
*
*
''Evangeline'' lobby poster
1919 films
American silent feature films
Films based on works by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Films directed by Raoul Walsh
Lost American films
Fox Film films
1919 drama films
Silent American drama films
American black-and-white films
1919 lost films
Lost drama films
1910s American films
{{1910s-drama-film-stub