''Kismet'' is an 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 ...

version of the 1911 play '' Kismet'' by

Edward Knoblock Edward Knoblock (born Edward Gustavus Knoblauch; 7 April 1874 – 19 July 1945) was a playwright and novelist, originally American and later a naturalised British citizen. He wrote numerous plays, often at the rate of two or three a year, of whic ...

, starring Otis Skinner and

Elinor Fair Elinor Virginia Martin ('' née'' Crowe; December 21, 1903 – April 26, 1957), known professionally as Elinor Fair, was an American motion picture actress. Early years Elinor Virginia Crowe was born on December 21, 1903, in Richmond, Virgini ...

, and directed by

Louis J. Gasnier Louis Joseph Gasnier (September 15, 1875 – February 15, 1963) was a French-American film director, producer, screenwriter and stage actor. A cinema pioneer, Gasnier shepherded the early career of comedian Max Linder, co-directed the enormously ...

. Skinner's daughter, author

Cornelia Otis Skinner Cornelia Otis Skinner (May 30, 1899 – July 9, 1979) was an American writer and actress. Biography Skinner was the only child of actor Otis Skinner and actress Maud Durbin. After attending the all-girls' Baldwin School and Bryn Mawr College ...

, plays a small role. This version was released by Robertson-Cole Distributing Company, and was released on VHS by Grapevine Video. In

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

the distribution of the film was handled by

Joseph P. Kennedy Joseph Patrick Kennedy (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969) was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was the patriarch of the Irish-American Ken ...

who organized a successful premiere in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

.Beauchamp pp. 37-38 Skinner filmed the play again in a 1930 talkie. This film is

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

but its

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one th ...

soundtrack survives.

Cast

* Otis Skinner as Hajj the Beggar *

Rosemary Theby Rosemary Theresa Theby (born Rose Masing, April 8, 1892 – November 10, 1973) was an American film actress. She appeared in some 250 films between 1911 and 1940. Early life and career The daughter of George and Katherine Masing, Theby ...

as Kut-al-Kulub *

as Marsinah *Marguerite Comont as Nargis *Nicholas Dunaew as Nasir *

Herschel Mayall Herschel Mayall (July 12, 1863 – June 10, 1941) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1912 and 1935. Biography He was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and died in Detroit, Mic ...

as Jawan *Fred Lancaster as Zayd *

Leon Bary Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...

as Caliph Abdullah * Sidney Smith as Jester *

Hamilton Revelle Hamilton Revelle (31 May 1867 – 11 April 1958) was a British-born stage and later silent screen actor. Biography He was born Arthur Lloyd Hamilton Engstrom at Moorish Castle in Gibraltar, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. His parents ...

as Wazir Mansur *

Tom Kennedy Thomas or Tom Kennedy may refer to: Politics *Thomas Kennedy (Scottish judge) (1673–1754), joint Solicitor General for Scotland 1709–14, Lord Advocate 1714, Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs 1720–21 * Thomas Kennedy, 9th Earl of Cassilis ...

as Kutayt *Sam Kaufman as Amru *Emmett King as Wazir Abu Bakr *Fanny Ferrari as Gulnar *Emily Seville as Kabirah

References

Bibliography

* Beauchamp, Cari. ''Joseph P. Kennedy's Hollywood Years''. Faber and Faber, 2009

External links

*
''Kismet''; allmovie.com
*Kramer, Fritzi (March 9, 2014)
''Kismet'' (1920) A Silent Film Review
at moviessilently.com 1920 films American silent feature films Films directed by Louis J. Gasnier 1920 drama films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films Film Booking Offices of America films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub