''La Bohème'' (aka: ''La vie de Bohème'') is a 1916 American silent

historical film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

directed by

Albert Capellani Albert Capellani (23 August 1874 – 26 September 1931) was a French film director and screenwriter of the silent era. He directed films between 1905 and 1922. One of his brothers was the actor-sculptor Paul Capellani, and another, film dir ...

and distributed by World Pictures. The star of this version is

Alice Brady Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady; November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress who began her career in the silent film era and survived the transition into talkies. She worked until six months before her death from cancer in ...

, whose father William A. Brady was the founder of World Pictures. This film is one of many silent versions, actually the third or fourth. Later silent versions appeared in 1917 and

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...

starring Lillian Gish. Director Albert Capellani's brother,

Paul Capellani Paul Capellani (September 9, 1877 – November 7, 1960) was a noted French silent film actor. His brother was the director Albert Capellani and his uncle the film director Roger Capellani who died May 1940 at the Battle of Dunkirk. He starred ...

, who appears in this film, had made his own short version in 1912.

Cast

as Mimi *

as Rudolphe * June Elvidge as Madame de Rouvre *

Leslie Stowe Leslie Stowe (November 1867 – July 16, 1949) was an American actor. He appeared on stage and screen. He played the evil Herman Wolff character in ''Bolshevism on Trial''. Anthony Slide praised his performance as the film's villain. Stowe was bo ...

as Durandin * Chester Barnett as Marcel *

Zena Keefe Zena Virginia Keefe (June 26, 1896 – November 16, 1977) was an American actress in silent film, active in the 1910s and 1920s.Vazzana, Eugene MichaelSilent film necrology: births and deaths of over 9000 performers, directors, producers, and oth ...

as Musette *

Frederick Truesdell Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederic ...

as Author (credited as Frederick C. Truesdell) *D. J. Flanagan as Schaunard ''unbilled'' *Juliette Clarens

Preservation

A print of ''La Bohème'' survives at

George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection The George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection in Rochester, New York comprises about 28,000 titles, including features, shorts, documentaries, newsreels, and experimental moving images. The collection is renowned for its holdings of silent f ...

. This film only survived because

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

purchased it for rights purposes to remake the

story Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

with Lillian Gish in 1926.by David Pierce writing i
The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912-1929
(September 2013), p. 40

References

External links

* * 1910s historical romance films 1916 films American silent feature films Films based on La bohème Films directed by Albert Capellani American black-and-white films World Film Company films American historical romance films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films Silent historical romance films {{1910s-romance-film-stub