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''Life's Whirlpool'' is a 1917 American silent drama film written and directed by
Progressive Silent Film List: ''Life's Whirlpool''
at silentera.com *
kinotv.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Life's Whirlpool 1917 films American silent feature films Films based on short fiction Films directed by Lionel Barrymore Lost American films 1917 drama films American black-and-white films Films with screenplays by Lionel Barrymore Silent American drama films 1917 lost films Lost drama films 1910s American films
''Life's Whirlpool'' is a 1917 American silent drama film written and directed by Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931) ...
with his sister Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...
as the star. This is the brother and sister's only collaboration on a silent film as director and star.
This film should not be confused with '' Life's Whirlpool'' (also known as ''McTeague''), the first film adaptation of Frank Norris's '' McTeague''.
The Lionel Barrymore directed film was produced by B. A. Rolfe and released through Metro Pictures. Barrymore would return for a short time to directing films in the early sound era. This is now considered to be a lost film.
Plot
As described in a film magazine, Esther (Barrymore), upon the death of her father, is advised by her kindly neighbors to get married. She is forced to sell the homestead and marries a domineering old miser named John Martin (Carrington), who lives with his maiden sister Ruth (Allen). Because she passes the time of day on the street with young men, her husband becomes jealous. He chokes her after he finds a letter from a former friend, Dr. Henry Grey (Hale), and she decides to leave him. While escaping with her son she is detained in a hut by a drunken farmer who tries to embrace her. She shoots him dead, and a posse arrests her for the death of her husband, who was found strangled in the library. However, the death confession of the real murderer clears her of her husband's death, and the return of her former friend from France completes her happiness.Cast
*Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...
- Esther Carey
*Paul Everton - B.J. Hendrix
* Alan Hale - Dr. Henry Grey
*Reginald Carrington - John Martin
*Ricca Allen
Ricca Allen (June 9, 1863 – September 13, 1949) was a Canadian-born stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 50 films between 1913 and 1941.
Allen was born in Victoria, British Columbia, to John Allen of Oakland, California. All ...
- Ruth Martin
* Frank Leigh - Dirk Kansket
* Walter Hiers - Fatty Holmes
*Harvey Bogart - Ezra Craddock
Reception
Like many American films of the time, ''Life's Whirlpool'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. The Chicago Board of Censors required that three choking scenes be shortened.See also
*Lionel Barrymore filmography
Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; 1878–1954) was an American actor of stage, screen, and radio. He also directed several films, wrote scripts, created etchings, sketches, and composed music. He was the eldest child of the actors Mauri ...
*List of lost films
For this list of lost films, a lost film is defined as one of which no part of a print is known to have survived. For films in which any portion of the footage remains (including trailers), see List of incomplete or partially lost films.
Reas ...
References
External links
*Progressive Silent Film List: ''Life's Whirlpool''
at silentera.com *
kinotv.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Life's Whirlpool 1917 films American silent feature films Films based on short fiction Films directed by Lionel Barrymore Lost American films 1917 drama films American black-and-white films Films with screenplays by Lionel Barrymore Silent American drama films 1917 lost films Lost drama films 1910s American films