''The Glorious Adventure'' is a 1922 British Prizmacolor silent

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

directed by

J. Stuart Blackton James Stuart Blackton (January 5, 1875 – August 13, 1941) was a British-American film producer and director of the silent era. One of the pioneers of motion pictures, he founded Vitagraph Studios in 1897. He was one of the first filmmakers to ...

and written by Felix Orman. The film's sets were designed by

Walter Murton Walter Murton was a British art director, who worked from the 1920s until the 1940s. During his early career in the 1920s Murton was the regular set designer on the silent film series ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' and '' The Myst ...

. It was shot at the

Cricklewood Studios Cricklewood Studios, also known as the Stoll Film Studios, were British film studios located in Cricklewood, London which operated from 1920 to 1938. Run by Sir Oswald Stoll as the principal base for his newly formed Stoll Pictures, which als ...

of Stoll Pictures in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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 ...

, Hugh Argyle, a lad of about 14 years, leaves home and bids goodbye to his sweetheart, the Lady Beatrice Fair, and promises to treasure the locket she has given him. Years later he returns after being notified that he is heir to vast estates and a title. He sends word of his coming to Lady Beatrice, now a young woman. On the boat, Walter Roderick plans to have Hugh killed and to take his place himself. His henchman Bulfinch stabs Hugh and throws him overboard. Roderick then betrays his hireling and Bulfinch is taken to England in chains, vowing revenge on Roderick. The Lady Beatrice is forced to entertain King Charles II of England, who takes a fancy to her. Nell Gwyn, who is one of the guests, is a bit rough and engages in rude pranks whenever the occasion arises. Roderick, believing Hugh dead, claims his estates, being aided by a rascally solicitor. He bows to Lady Beatrice, who cannot believe that this man is really Hugh. Forced to journey to London, Lady Beatrice stops at an inn where Roderick is staying. Hugh turns up and not only puts up an excellent fight with Roderick, but with half a dozen blades. Lady Beatrice falls in love with him, but, for some unknown reason, Hugh does not make known his identity. After much plotting and counter-plotting, Hugh is in London to marry Lady Beatrice when he encounters Roderick and is made his prisoner. She, fearing imprisonment for her debt, marries Bulfinch, who is condemned to die on the marrow. The Great Fire of London (1666) breaks out, and Bulfinch escapes and seeks the Lady Beatrice. He carries her all over London, through flames and over debris, looking for a safe place. Hugh appears and they are trapped until Bulfinch saves them, claiming Lady Beatrice as a bride. Just as it appears to be the darkest for the two lovers, Mrs. Bullfinch and several children appear, and he leaves with his family.

Cast

* Diana Manners as Lady Beatrice Fair *

Gerald Lawrence Gerald Leslie Lawrence (23 March 1873 – 9 May 1957) was a British actor and manager. Lawrence was born in London in 1873, the son of Emily Mills ''née'' Asher (1832-1912) and John Moss Lawrence (1827-1888), an investor. Lawrence studied sta ...

as Hugh Argyle *

Cecil Humphreys Cecil Humphreys (1883–1947) was a British film and theatre actor who played in 46 films between 1916 and 1948, mostly in supporting roles as doctors, aristocrats, and generals. Among his best-known roles were Judge Linton, in the 1939 version ...

as Walter Roderick *

Victor McLaglen Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was a British boxer-turned-Hollywood actor.Obituary ''Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. He was known as a character actor, particularly in Westerns, and made sev ...

as Bulfinch * Alice Crawford as Stephanie Dangerfield * Lois Sturt as Nell Gwyn * William Luff as King Charles II * Fred E. Wright as Humpty *

Flora le Breton Flora Le Breton (1899 – 11 July 1951 in Brooklyn, New York City) was an English silent film actress from Croydon, Surrey, England. She was a dainty blonde with dark blue eyes. In the UK she was called both ''the British Mary Pickford'' an ...

as Rosemary *

Lennox Pawle Lennox Pawle (27 April 1872, in Marylebone, Middlesex – 22 February 1936, in Los Angeles, California) was an English stage and film actor. Life and career John Lennox Pawle was born in Marylebone, London, on 27 April 1872, the son of John C ...

as Samuel Pepys *

Haidee Wright Haidee Wright (13 January 1867 – 29 January 1943), born as Ada Wright, was a London born English character actress. She began acting in plays in 1878 when a small child. She came from a family of actors and had a long career in the United King ...

as Mrs. Bullfinch * Rudolph De Cordova as Thomas Unwin * Lawford Davidson as Lord Fitzroy * Rosalie Heath as

Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza ( pt, Catarina de Bragança; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to King Charles II, which lasted from 21 May 1662 until his death on 6 February 1685. She ...

Gertrude Sterroll Gertrude Sterroll was a British stage and film actress. Selected filmography * '' Bars of Iron'' (1920) * '' The Shadow Between'' (1920) * ''Dicky Monteith'' (1922) * '' Potter's Clay'' (1922) * '' The Glorious Adventure'' (1922) * '' The Wine of ...

as Duchess Constance of Moreland *

Tom Coventry Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

as Leclerc *

Jeff Barlow Jeff Barlow was a British actor who was born in Lancashire in 1871. Selected filmography * ''Rupert of Hentzau'' (1915) * ''The Man Who Bought London'' (1916) * '' Trouble for Nothing'' (1916) * '' Love's Old Sweet Song'' (1917) * '' The Happy Wa ...

as The King's chief valet * John Marlborough East as The King's major domo *

Lettice Fairfax Lettice Fairfax (March 26, 1876 – December 25, 1948) was an English stage and silent film actress. She is known for her roles in the Edwardian musical comedy '' An Artist's Model'' (1895) and in silent cinema such as '' Brother Officers'' as ...

as Court Lady (uncredited) * Hetta Bartlett as Court Lady (uncredited)

Production background

The film was made entirely in

Prizma The Prizma Color system was a color motion picture process, invented in 1913 by William Van Doren Kelley and Charles Raleigh. Initially, it was a two-color additive color system, similar to its predecessor, Kinemacolor. However, Kelley eventual ...

color, and starred Lady Diana Manners,

, and

. It was 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 stud ...

Alma Reville Alma Lucy Reville, Lady Hitchcock (14 August 1899 – 6 July 1982), was an English director, editor, and screenwriter. She was the wife of the film director Alfred Hitchcock. She collaborated on scripts for her husband's films, including '' Sha ...

, later married to

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, may have co-written the script as well as acting as "script girl". Neither this film, nor the 1918 film of the same name produced by

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor a ...

, is related to the famous book ''The Glorious Adventure'' (1927) by

Richard Halliburton Richard Halliburton (January 9, 1900 – Declared death in absentia, presumed dead after March 24, 1939) was an American travel writing, travel writer and adventurer who swam the length of the Panama Canal and paid the lowest toll in its hi ...

Preservation status

A copy of ''The Glorious Adventure'' exists, with a preview available on YouTube:

References

Bibliography

Anthony Slide Anthony Slide (born 7 November 1944) is an English writer who has produced more than seventy books and edited a further 150 on the history of popular entertainment. He wrote a "letter from Hollywood" for the British ''Film Review'' magazine from ...

. ''A Special Relationship: Britain Comes to Hollywood and Hollywood Comes to Britain''. University Press of Mississippi, 2015.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Glorious Adventure, The 1922 films 1920s color films British historical drama films British silent feature films 1920s historical drama films Films directed by J. Stuart Blackton Films set in England Films set in London Films set in the 1660s Silent films in color Films shot at Cricklewood Studios 1922 drama films Early color films Cultural depictions of Charles II of England Cultural depictions of Nell Gwyn Cultural depictions of Catherine of Braganza 1920s British films Silent drama films 1920s English-language films