''The Red Lantern'' is a 1919 American silent drama film starring

Alla Nazimova Alla Nazimova (Russian: Алла Назимова; born Marem-Ides Leventon, Russian: Марем-Идес Левентон; June 3 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._May_22.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>O ...

, who plays dual roles, and directed by

Albert Capellani Albert Capellani (23 August 1874 – 26 September 1931) was a French film director and screenwriter of the silent film, silent era. He directed films between 1905 and 1922. One of his brothers was the actor-sculptor Paul Capellani, and anoth ...

. It is notable today for being

Anna May Wong Wong Liu Tsong (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961), known professionally as Anna May Wong, was an American actress, considered the first Chinese-American movie star in Hollywood, as well as the first Chinese-American actress to gain intern ...

's screen debut. A single print survives in Europe with rumors of a copy at

Gosfilmofond Gosfilmofond is a state film archive in Russia. It is the main film archive of the Russian Federation and a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). It is a state cultural institution — curator of films collection and othe ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine, Mahlee (Nazimova) is a half-Chinese and half white woman, which makes her an outcast. After her grandmother dies, she goes to a Christian mission in

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

where she is converted and becomes a missionary. There she falls in love with Andrew Templeton (Foss), the son of the mission leader Reverend Alex Templeton (Hall), but the son's admiration is tempered by her mixed race. Dr. Sam Wang lives at the mission as well but is secretly a

Boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

leader. Dr. Wang loves Mahlee but she spurns his advances. One day Blanche Sackville (Nazimova) visits the mission, and Mahlee realizes that she is the daughter of the Englishman her grandmother told her about and is her half-sister. Although Mahlee initially feels an attachment to Blanche, she soon becomes jealous when she realizes that Sir Philip Sackville (Currier) favors a suite between Blanche and Andrew Templeton. Capitalizing on the disdain in Mahlee's heart, Sam Wang convinces her to join him and impersonate the Goddess of the Red Lantern, a mystic personage that presides over the

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...

, to convince the superstitious revolutionaries that victory is near if they follow Wang. While she serves the Boxer cause, she still cannot bear to have those she loves hurt, so she goes to the mission to warn them of an attack. She meets Philip Sackville and pleads for him to acknowledge her as his daughter and take her away from China, but Sackville refuses. She returns to Wang and celebrates the Feast of the Lanterns. Although the Boxers are suspicious of her, Wang saves her. Armed conflict between the Boxers and Allies results in the rout of the Chinese. Mahlee goes to the Boxer Palace and while on her throne, she drinks the poison Wang gives her. Philip Sackville, Blanche, and Andrew come to the palace and discover Mahlee dead.

Cast

... Mahlee & Blanche Sackville *

Noah Beery Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of prominen ...

... Dr. Sam Wang * Charles Bryant *

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 ...

... General Jung-Lu *

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 successfu ...

... Sir Philip Sackville * Reginald Denny *

Darrell Foss Darrell Foss (born Darrell Burton Foss; March 24, 1892 – September 15, 1962) was a film actor. He had a leading role in films including in '' The Loyalty of Taro San'', a Triangle Film Corporation production, and opposite May Allison in at ...

... Andrew Templeton *

Dagmar Godowsky Mercedes Dagmar Godowsky (November 24, 1897 – February 13, 1975) was an American silent film actress. Biography Mercedes Dagmar Godowsky was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 24, 1897, the daughter of Polish-Jewish composer Leopold Godow ...

Winter Hall Winter Hall (21 June 1872 – 10 February 1947) was a New Zealand actor of the silent era who later appeared in sound films. He performed in more than 120 films between 1916 and 1938. Prior to that, he had a career as a stage actor in Austr ...

... Reverend Alex Templeton *

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 ...

Harry Mann Henry Willoughby Mann (18 July 1873 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian police officer and politician who was a Nationalist Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1921 to 1933, representing the seat of Perth. Ma ...

... Chung * Virginia Ross ... Luang-Ma * Mary Van Ness ... Mrs. Templeton *

... uncredited

Production

''The Red Lantern'', filmed during the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

, was the debut of

, who played a lantern bearer. To meet the casting requirements which required 300 extras for the film, the Chinese American extras were paid $7.50 per day ($101.32 in 2015 dollars), which was $1.50 more than the other extras.

Restoration

A restored print of this film is available on a region 0 / PAL DVD.

References

Bibliography

External links

* *
Lantern slide for film
Alla Nazimova Society
Nazimova In Production Meeting with Director Albert Capellani and Author Edith Wherry
Alla Nazimova Society *
The Red Lantern
' by Edith Wherry, with illustrations from the film (Google Books) {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Lantern, The 1919 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Albert Capellani Silent American drama films 1919 drama films Films set in Beijing 1910s American films 1910s English-language films