''Eyes of the Heart'' is a 1920 American silent crime film directed by Paul Powell and starring

Mary Miles Minter Mary Miles Minter (born Juliet Reilly; April 25, 1902Louisiana Birth Certificate, Caddo Parish, No. 119, Book A, Page 97, Birth Date: April 25, 1902, Name: Mary M. Reilly ic – Original Caddo birth record was recorded as "J.H. Riley's Child" ...

. It was adapted by

Clara Genevieve Kennedy Clara Genevieve Kennedy was an American screenwriter and author active during Hollywood's silent era. She wrote most of her scripts for Paramount. Biography Clara was born in Monteagle, Tennessee, to Frederick Kennedy and Clara Lane. Her sist ...

from the story "Blindness" by Dana Burnet, published in the

Ladies Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In ...

. As is the case with many of Minter's features, it is thought 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 ...

.The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Eyes of the Heart''
/ref>

Plot

As described in various

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 ...

reviews, Laura (Minter) is an orphan girl who has been blind since birth. She has been "adopted" by Simon (Law) and by three small-time crooks; Whitey, Sal and Mike (Burns), who is attracted to Laura. They convince the innocent Laura that her run-down surroundings are in fact beautiful. Mike, Sal and Whitey manage to find the money to pay for an operation which restores Laura's sight. They are arrested and temporarily jailed, however, over suspicion as to how they obtained the money, which means they are not around when Laura sees for the first time. The shock of realising that the home she thought was beautiful is in fact sordid, and that her friends are criminals, causes Laura to temporarily lose her mind. In this vulnerable state, she is taken advantage of by Sullivan (Parsons), another criminal, who convinces Laura that helping him to crack a safe will enable her to free her friends, especially Mike. While she is doing this, her friends are released due to lack of evidence, and frantically begin to search for Laura. Just as the safe is opened, Mike arrives, and fights and overpowers Sullivan to protect Laura. By way of thanks for saving his fortune from theft, the owner of the safe gifts Laura and her friends a ranch in the country and a chance to "go straight," and the film ends with Mike and Laura together in their new life.

Cast

as Laura *

Edmund Burns Edmund Burns (September 27, 1892 – April 2, 1980 ) was an American actor. He was best known for his films of the silent 1920s, particularly ''The Princess from Hoboken'' (1927), '' Made for Love'' (1926), and ''After the Fog'' (1929), althoug ...

as Mike Hogan *

Lucien Littlefield Lucien Littlefield (August 16, 1895 – June 4, 1960) was an American actor who achieved a long career from silent films to the television era. He was noted for his versatility, playing a wide range of roles and already portraying old men befor ...

as Whitey *Florence Midgley as Sal *Burton Law as Simon *John Cook as John Dunn * F. A. Turner as Dr. Dewey *William Parsons as Dennis Sullivan *

Loyola O'Connor Loyola O'Connor (born Ignatia Loyola O'Connor; July 8, 1868 – December 26, 1931), was an American stage and silent film actress. In the early 20th century, she worked multi-year stints in stage productions such as ''Way Down East'', '' Ben ...

as Mrs. Sullivan

References

External links

* *{{allmovie, 90790, Synopsis 1920 films 1920 crime drama films Films directed by Paul Powell (director) American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films Silent American crime drama films English-language crime drama films