''Queen Kelly'' 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 ...

produced in 1928–29 and released by

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

. The film was directed by

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. H ...

, starred

Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...

, in the title role,

Walter Byron Jacob Walter "Wally" Byron (Jacob Valdimar Björnsson;September 2, 1894 – December 22, 1971) was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He was the goaltender for the Winnipeg Falcons, the Canadian ...

as her lover, and

Seena Owen Seena Owen (born Signe Auen; November 14, 1894 – August 15, 1966) was an American silent film actress and screenwriter. Early life Born Signe Auen in Spokane, Washington, she was the youngest of three children raised by Jens Christensen and K ...

. The film was produced 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 was Swanson's lover at the time. In 1932, Swanson was able to release a part-sound version in Europe and South America only because of her contract with Stroheim. This version had an alternate ending directed by

Richard Boleslawski Richard Boleslawski (born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki; February 4, 1889 – January 17, 1937) was a Polish theatre and film director, actor and teacher of acting. Biography Richard Boleslawski was born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki on February ...

and filmed by cinematographer

Gregg Toland Gregg Wesley Toland, A.S.C. (May 29, 1904 – September 28, 1948) was an American cinematographer known for his innovative use of techniques such as deep focus, examples of which can be found in his work on Orson Welles' ''Citizen Kane'' (19 ...

Plot

Prince Wolfram (Byron) is the betrothed of mad Queen Regina V of Kronberg (Owen). As punishment for partying with other women, he is sent on manoeuvres. He sees Kitty Kelly (Swanson) walking with other convent students and flirts with her. She is embarrassed when he makes a comment after seeing that her underwear is visible, so she takes it off and throws it at him, to the horror of the nuns, who punish her for her "indecency". Enthralled by her beauty, he kidnaps her that night from the convent, takes her to his room and professes his love for her. When the queen finds them together the next morning, she whips Kelly and throws her out of the castle. Regina then puts Wolfram in prison for not wanting to marry her.

Endings

In the original ending, Kelly goes to

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mozam ...

to visit her dying aunt and is forced to marry a repulsive man named Jan. The aunt dies after the wedding and Kelly refuses to live with him, instead becoming the madam of her aunt's brothel. Her extravagances and style earn her the name "Queen Kelly". In the alternate ending, Kelly dies in despair after her humiliation at the hands of the queen and a contrite Wolfram visits her body.

Cast

- Kitty Kelly, aka Queen Kelly *

- Prince Wolfram *

- Queen Regina V *

Sylvia Ashton Sylvia Ashton (January 26, 1880 – November 18, 1940) was an American film actress of the silent film era. Ashton was born in Denver, Colorado. She bore a heavyset resemblance to Jane Darwell and like Darwell was playing mother and grand ...

- Kelly's Aunt *

Wilson Benge George Frederick "Wilson" Benge (1 March 1875 – 1 July 1955) was an English actor who mostly featured in American films from the silent days. He appeared in over 200 films between 1922 and 1955. Along with actors Charles Coleman and Ro ...

- Prince Wolfram's Valet *

Sidney Bracey Sidney Bracey (born Sidney Bracy; 18 December 1877 – 5 August 1942) was an Australian-born American actor. After a stage career in Australia, on Broadway and in Britain, he performed in more than 320 films between 1909 and 1942. Early lif ...

- Prince Wolfram's Lackey *Florence Gibson - Kelly's Aunt *Madge Hunt - Mother Superior *

Tully Marshall Tully Marshall (born William Phillips; April 10, 1864 – March 10, 1943) was an American character actor. He had nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience before his debut film appearance in 1914 which led to a film career spanning alm ...

- Jan Vryheid *

Madame Sul-Te-Wan Madame Sul-Te-Wan (born Nellie Crawford; March 7, 1873 – February 1, 1959) was the first black actress to sign a film contract and be a featured performer.Lowe, Denise. ''An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films'', Hawo ...

- Kali Sana, Aunt's Cook *

Wilhelm von Brincken Wilhelm von Brincken (May 27, 1881 – January 18, 1946), also known as Wilhelm L. von Brincken, William Vaughn, William von Brinken, and William Vaughan, was a German diplomat and spy during World War I, who went on to become an American charac ...

- Prince Wolfram's adjutant *

Gordon Westcott Gordon Westcott (born Myrthus Hickman, November 6, 1903 – October 30, 1935) was an American film actor. Biography Born in St. George, Utah, in 1903, Westcott studied architecture at the University of Chicago, where he was also lightweight ...

- Lackey

Production

The production of the costly film was shut down after complaints by Swanson about the direction the film was taking. Though the European scenes were full of innuendo, and featured a philandering prince and a sex-crazed queen, the scenes set in Africa were grim and, Swanson felt, distasteful. In later interviews, Swanson had claimed that she had been misled by the script which referred to her character arriving in, and taking over, a dance hall; looking at the rushes, it was obvious the 'dance hall' was actually a brothel. Stroheim was fired from the film, and the African storyline scrapped. Swanson and Kennedy still wanted to salvage the European material because it had been so costly and time-consuming, and had potential market value. An alternate ending was, however, shot on November 24, 1931. In this ending, Kelly dies after her experiences with the prince (it is implied to be suicide). Prince Wolfram is shown visiting the palace. A nun leads him to the chapel, where Kelly's body lies in state. These scenes were directed by

, photographed by

, and edited by

Viola Lawrence Viola Mallory Lawrence (December 2, 1894, New York City – November 20, 1973) is considered by many to be the first female film editor in Hollywood. She was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing: for '' Pal Joey'' (19 ...

. This has been called the 'Swanson Ending'.

Distribution

The film was not released theatrically in the United States, but it was shown in Europe and South America with the 'Swanson ending' added. This was due to a clause in Stroheim's contract. In 1933, von Stroheim submitted a script called '' Poto Poto'' to MGM. Though it was never produced, the script contained several elements recycled from the African story of ''Queen Kelly''. A short extract of the film appears in ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

'' (1950), representing an old silent picture Swanson's character

Norma Desmond ''Sunset Boulevard'' (styled in the main title on-screen as ''SUNSET BLVD.'') is a 1950 American black comedy film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett. It was named after a major street ...

- herself a silent movie star - had made. Von Stroheim is also a primary character in ''Sunset Boulevard'' as her ex-director, ex-husband, and current butler. By some accounts, von Stroheim suggested the clip be used for its heavy irony. This was the first time viewers in the U.S. got to see any footage of the infamous collaboration. In the 1960s, it was shown on television with the Swanson ending, along with a taped introduction and conclusion in which Swanson talked about the history of the project. By 1985,

Kino International The Kino International is a film theater in Berlin, built from 1961 to 1963. It is located on Karl-Marx-Allee in former East Berlin. It hosted premieres of the DEFA film studios until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Today it is a protec ...

had acquired the rights to the movie and restored two versions: one that uses still photos and subtitles in an attempt to wrap up the storyline, and the other the European "suicide ending" version. Kino remains the rights holder and is responsible for all distribution, including television and home video.

Accolades

The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

in these lists: * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated

References

External links

* * * *
''Queen Kelly'' at Silent Era
{{Erich von Stroheim 1929 films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films 1929 drama films Films directed by Edmund Goulding Films directed by Erich von Stroheim Films directed by Sam Wood American silent feature films United Artists films Films set in Europe Films about prostitution Monarchy in fiction 1920s American films 1930s American films