''The Great Victory'' or ''The Great Victory, Wilson or the Kaiser? The Fall of the Hohenzollerns'' is a 1919 American silent

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

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 Charles Miller and starring

Creighton Hale Creighton Hale (born Patrick Fitzgerald; May 24, 1882 – August 9, 1965) was an Irish-American theatre, film, and television actor whose career extended more than a half-century, from the early 1900s to the end of the 1950s. Career Born in Cou ...

Florence Billings Florence Billings (born 1895) was an American film actress of the silent era.Goble p. 131 Selected filmography * ''The Spreading Dawn'' (1917) * ''By Right of Purchase'' (1918) * ''The Fair Pretender'' (1918) * ''Woman'' (1918) * '' A Romance o ...

and

Helen Ferguson Helen Ferguson (July 23, 1901 – March 14, 1977) was an American actress later turned publicist. Biography Born in Decatur, Illinois, in 1901, Ferguson graduated from Nicholas High School of Chicago and the Academy of Fine Arts. Ferguson wa ...

.Balogh p.189 It was made as anti-German

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

during

World War I 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 ...

, although it was released after the end of the conflict.

Synopsis

A young Alsatian is forced to enlist in the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

on the outbreak of the war. Appalled by the atrocities committed by his colleagues, including against his own sister, he deserts having fallen in love with an American nurse. Vowing revenge, he travels to the United States and joins the

American Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

along with other Alsatians. They return to Europe and secure victory.

Partial cast

as Conrad Le Brett *

as Vilma Le Brett *

Edward Connelly Edward Connelly (December 30, 1859 – November 21, 1928) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. Biography Connelly had a Broadway theater career going back to the Victorian era. His Broadway credits include ''The Wild Du ...

as Paul Le Brett *

as Amy Gordon *

Frank Currier Frank Currier (September 4, 1857 – April 22, 1928) was an American film and stage actor and director of the silent era. Career Similar to Theodore Roberts, Kate Lester, Ida Waterman, and William H. Crane, Currier had a long and succe ...

as William Gordon * Frederick Truesdell as Woodrow Wilson *

Henry Kolker Joseph Henry Kolker (November 13, 1874 ome sources 1870– July 15, 1947) was an American stage and film actor and director. Early years Kolker was born in Quincy, Illinois. Career Kolker, like fellow actors Richard Bennett and Robert Wa ...

as Kaiser Wilhelm II *

Joseph Kilgour Joseph Kilgour (11 July 1863 – 21 April 1933) was a Canadian actor of the silent film era. He was a well-known veteran stage actor in Broadway theatre before entering silent films. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1909 and 1926. Kil ...

as General Von Bissing *

Margaret McWade Margaret McWade (born Margaret May Fish; September 3, 1871 – April 1, 1956) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career in vaudeville in the early 1890s. Her most memorable role was as one of The Pixilated Sisters, a comedic ...

as Nurse Edith Cavell *

Earl Schenck Earl O. Schenck (13 May 1889 – 1962) was an American film actor. He appeared in 41 films between 1916 and 1946. Career After playing leading roles on Broadway and in Hollywood during the Silent era opposite such stars as Mae Murray ...

as Lieutenant Ober / Crown Prince * Henry Carvill as Count von Bismarck *

Florence Short Florence Short (May 19, 1893 – July 10, 1946) was an American actress. She had numerous film roles as a supporting actress and was also cast in theatrical productions. She was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and moved with her family to ...

as Elaine * Baby Ivy Ward as Elaine's Child * Andy Clark as Francois * James A. Furey as Priest * Fred R. Stanton as Sergeant Gross *

Leo Delaney Leo Delaney (1879 or 1885–1920) was an American stage and silent film actor. He was born in Vermont and died in New York City, a victim of pneumonia. A popular early film actor, he began in 1907 with the Vitagraph Company in New York and spent ...

as Frederick III *

Fanny Cogan Fanny Cogan (1866 – May 18, 1929) was a stage and film actress of the silent movie era from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cogan appeared on stage in ''The Bohemian Girl''. She later went into movies. Her screen credits number five. She had rol ...

as Empress Victoria * Emil Hoch as General von Hindenburg * Charles Edwards as Rev. Joseph Wilson * May Allen as Mrs. Joseph Wilson *

Karl Dane Karl Dane (born Rasmus Karl Therkelsen Gottlieb, 12 October 1886 – 14 April 1934) was a Danish-American comedian and actor known for his work in American films, mainly of the silent film era. He became a star after portraying “Slim” ...

as Von Bethmann Hollweg * Carl De Mel as Count von Moltke

References

Bibliography

* Laura Petersen Balogh. ''Karl Dane: A Biography and Filmography''. McFarland, 2009.

External links

* 1919 films 1910s war drama films American war drama films Films directed by Charles Miller American silent feature films Metro Pictures films American World War I films 1919 drama films 1910s English-language films 1910s American films Silent American drama films Silent war films {{1910s-drama-film-stub