''Shifting Sands'' is a 1918 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 Albert Parker and starring

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 ...

. Prints of the film are held by the

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 ...

and in private collections, and ''Shifting Sands'' has been released on DVD.

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Marcia Grey (Swanson), a struggling artist, is accused of theft by Heinrich Von Holtz, and is sent to

Blackwell's Island Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. Running from the equivalent of East 46th to 85 ...

for ninety days. Out in the world again, she joins the Salvation Army. John Stanford (King), a wealthy philanthropist, gives an outing to poor children in her care. He tells her that he loves her and they are married. Five years of married life pass and the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

breaks out. Stanford becomes a secret service agent. Heinrich Von Holtz, now a spy, visits the Stanford home in the guise of an Englishman. He recognizes Mrs. Stanford and tells her that she must obtain a government document from her husband or be exposed. She consents and goes with him to the enemy headquarters, carrying the document. The document proves spurious and Marcia, laughingly defiant, declares she would not betray her country for any price. Secret service men break in just as Mrs. Stanford's life is threatened. John Stanford, who had been compelled to suspect his wife of treachery and infidelity, learns that she has been in the secret service as well as himself. The film ends with the couple reunited and Marcia holding her secret.

Cast

as Marcia Grey * Joe King as John Stanford * Harvey Clark as Henry Holt - Rent collector * Leone Carton as Cora Grey *

Lillian Langdon Lillian Langdon (November 25, 1860 – February 8, 1943) was an American film actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 80 films between 1912 and 1928. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Langdon was a descendant of Montgomery Pike, dis ...

as Mrs. Stanford *

Arthur Millett Arthur Millett (April 21, 1874 in Pittsfield, Maine – February 24, 1952 in Los Angeles, California), born Arthur Nelson Millett, was an early American motion picture actor whose career was at its height in the silent film era. Biography Born ...

as Major Willis

References

External links

* * available for download at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{Albert Parker 1918 films 1918 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Albert Parker Triangle Film Corporation films 1910s American films