''Romance'' is a 1920 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Chester Withey Chester "Chet" Withey (8 November 1887, Park City, Utah – 6 October 1939, California) was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter. He participated in the production in total of some 100 films. Born in Park City, Utah, ...

and released through

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 is based on the 1913 play ''

Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

'' by Edward Sheldon and stars

Doris Keane Doris Keane (December 12, 1881 – November 25, 1945) was an American actress, primarily in live theatre. Early life and family Keane was born in Michigan to Joseph Keane and Florence Winter. She was educated privately in Chicago, New York, Pa ...

, the actress who created the role in the play. This was Miss Keane's only motion picture. D. W. Griffith allowed the use of his Mamaroneck Studios for the production. The nephew of Griffith's favorite cameraman,

Billy Bitzer Gottfried Wilhelm Bitzer (April 21, 1872 – April 29, 1944) was an American cinematographer, notable for his close association and pioneering work with D. W. Griffith. Biography Prior to his career as a cameraman, working as a motion picture pr ...

, was the cinematographer. The story was later remade as ''

'' in 1930, an early talking vehicle for

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragedy, ...

. No copies of ''Romance'' are known to survive making it a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

.Progressive Silent Film List: ''Romance'' (1920)
at silentera.com

Plot

As described in a film publication, a youth (Arthur Rankin) in the prologue seeks advice from his grandfather (Sydney), who then recalls a romance of his own youth which is then shown as a flashback. A priest (Sydney) is in love with an Italian opera singer (Keane), and the drama involves the conflict between his efforts to rise above worldly things or to leave with her. The romance ends with a deep note of pathos.

Cast

Production

The movie was based on a hit play and was financed by fledgling United Artists. $150,000 was spent on the story and Doris Keane's salary. It went $100,000 over budget and recorded a loss of $80,000.

References

External links

*
''Romance'' synopsis; allmovie.com
1920 films American silent feature films Films directed by Chester Withey Lost American films American films based on plays Films based on works by Edward Sheldon American black-and-white films Silent American drama films 1920 drama films 1920 lost films Lost drama films 1920s American films {{1920s-US-film-stub