''The Love of Sunya'' (also known as ''The Loves of Sunya'') is an 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 ...

made in 1927. It was directed by Albert Parker, and was based on the play ''The Eyes of Youth'' by

Max Marcin Max Marcin (5 May 1879 – 30 March 1948) was a Polish-born American playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and film director. He wrote for 47 films between 1916 and 1949. He also directed six films between 1931 and 1936. His stage work inclu ...

and Charles Guernon. Produced by 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 ...

, it also stars John Boles and

Pauline Garon Marie Pauline Garon (September 9, 1900 – August 30, 1965) was a Canadian American silent film, feature film, and stage actress. Early life Marie Pauline Garon was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on September 9, 1898, the daughter of Pierre-A ...

. A copy of ''The Love of Sunya'' survives in the Paul Killiam collection. The film is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

in the United States both because it was not renewed, and because the play it is based on from 1918 is also in the public domain.

Plot

The film depicts a young woman (Swanson) given by a mystic an occasional glimpse into her future, notably her future with different men.

Cast

as Sunya Ashling * John Boles as Paul Judson *

as Anna Hagan *

Ian Keith Ian Keith (born Keith Ross; February 27, 1899 – March 26, 1960) was an American actor. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Keith grew up in Chicago. He was educated at the Francis Parker School there and played Hamlet in a school p ...

as Louis Anthony * Andres de Segurola as Paola deSalvo *

Anders Randolf Anders Randolf (December 18, 1870 – July 2, 1930) was a Danish American actor in American films from 1913 to 1930. Biography Anders was born in Viborg, Denmark, where he became a professional soldier in the Danish army and a world-class sw ...

as Robert Goring *

Hugh Miller Hugh Miller (10 October 1802 – 23/24 December 1856) was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian. Life and work Miller was born in Cromarty, the first of three children of Harriet Wright ('' ...

as The Outcast *

Robert Schable Robert Schable (August 31, 1873 – July 7, 1947) was an American stage and screen actor as well as a stage manager from Hamilton, Ohio. Biography A longtime stage player from the Charles Frohman company since the 1890s, Schable began in silent ...

as Henri Picard *

Ivan Lebedeff Ivan Lebedeff (born Ivan Vasilyevich Lebedev ( rus, Иван Васильевич Лебедев), 18 June 1894 – 31 March 1953) was a Russian film actor, lecturer and writer. He appeared in 66 films between 1926 and 1953. In 1940, his no ...

as Ted Morgan *John Miltern as Asa Ashling *

Raymond Hackett Raymond Hackett (July 15, 1902 – July 7, 1958) was a stage and screen actor. He had been a child actor on the Broadway stage and was the brother of Albert Hackett. He was born in New York City the son of Maurice Hackett and Florence Hackett (n ...

as Kenneth Ashling *Florence Fair as Rita Ashling

Production background

The film was Swanson's first independent production; she later called it an "agonizing ordeal". She chose to film another adaptation of

and Charles Guernon's play, for it had been filmed once before in 1919, starring

Clara Kimball Young Clara Kimball Young (born Edith Matilda Clara Kimball; September 6, 1890 – October 15, 1960) was an American film actress who was popular in the early silent film era. Early life Edith Matilda Clara Kimball was born in Chicago on Septembe ...

, and was a resounding success on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

.Soister 2012 p.347-348 Swanson hired Albert Parker, who had directed the 1919 film, in the hope, given that Parker was already familiar with the material, that the production would be quicker. Swanson ignored advice to shoot the film in Hollywood and opted to rent space in

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

's Cosmopolitan Studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Production began in September 1926 but problems quickly arose due to Swanson's lack of experience as a producer. The production soon ran over budget and was marred by several other problems, mainly the lack of a suitable cameraman to deal with the film's intricate

double exposure In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be ide ...

s. According to Swanson's autobiography, the services of cinematographer George Barnes were eventually secured, though he is given no screen credit.

Reception

''The Love of Sunya'' premiered at the grand opening of the Roxy Theatre in New York City on March 11, 1927. Swanson later wrote that the film received a standing ovation. Despite this initial good reception and decent reviews from critics, the film performed poorly at the box office, and barely recouped its budget. Swanson felt it was terrible. Owing to its failure, producer Joseph M. Schenck convinced Swanson to come back to Hollywood and to film something more commercial. Swanson agreed but ended up filming the more controversial '' Sadie Thompson'' (1928) instead, which became her most successful independent production.

References

External links

* *
''The Love of Sunya'' at SilentEra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Love of Sunya 1927 films 1927 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by Albert Parker Films shot in New York City United Artists films 1920s American films