''The Swan'' is a 1925 American silent

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Dimitri Buchowetzki Dimitri Buchowetzki (1885–1932) born Dmitry Savelyevych Bukhovecky was a Russian film director, screenwriter, and actor in Germany, Sweden, United States, United Kingdom, and France. Life and career Initially Buchowetzki studied law. Later h ...

and starring Frances Howard,

Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies. He appeared in such films as Charlie Chaplin's ''A Woman of Paris'', where he played the lead role; Stanley Ku ...

and

Ricardo Cortez Ricardo Cortez (born Jacob Kranze or Jacob Krantz; September 19, 1900 – April 28, 1977) was an American actor and film director. He was also credited as Jack Crane early in his acting career. Early years Ricardo Cortez was born Jacob K ...

. It was produced by

Famous Players–Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and t ...

and distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Production background

The film is based on Melville Baker's 1923 Broadway play adaptation, ''The Swan'', of Ferenc Molnar's play ''A Hattyu Vigjatek Harom Felvonasbarn''. This film was directed by

, a recent Russian immigrant working for Famous Players–Lasky. Buchowetzki had directed pictures in Russia, Sweden, and Germany. The story of this film was remade in 1930 as ''

One Romantic Night ''One Romantic Night'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Paul L. Stein. It is the first sound film version of Ferenc Molnár's play ''The Swan'', and marked silent screen star Lillian Gish's talkie debut. She starred ...

'', an early talkie for

Lillian Gish Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893February 27, 1993) was an American actress, director, and screenwriter. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was called the "First Lady of American Cinema", ...

, and in Technicolor as a 1956 vehicle for

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

Cast

* Frances Howard as Alexandra, The Swan *

as Albert von Kersten-Rodenfels *

as Dr. Walter, the Tutor *

Ida Waterman Ida Waterman (born Ida Shaw; March 10, 1852 – May 22, 1941) was a stage and screen actress. Waterman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She appeared some thirty or more Broadway productions between the late 1880s and early 1920s. She play ...

as Princess Beatrice *

Helen Lindroth Helen Lindroth (December 3, 1874 – October 5, 1956) was a Swedish-born American screen and stage actress. Biography Lindroth acted on stage with the Boston Museum Stock Company and in New York City before entering motion pictures with the K ...

as Amphirosa *

Helen Lee Worthing Helen Lee Worthing (1905 - 1948) was an American actress, mostly active in the era of silent film. Early years The daughter of a prominent businessman in Boston, Worthing was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. As a teenager, she received a prize ...

as Wanda von Gluck *

Joseph Depew Joseph Depew (July 11, 1912 – October 30, 1988) was an American television director and producer and actor. Career Born in Harrison, New Jersey, Depew began his career as a child stage actor at the age of three. He was influenced by his moth ...

as Prince George * George Walcott as Prince Arsene *

Michael Visaroff Michael Simeon Visaroff (December 18, 1889 – February 27, 1951) was a Russian American film character actor. Biography Visaroff was born Mikhail Semenonovich Vizarov (Russian: Михаил Семёнович Визаров) in Moscow, R ...

as Father Hyacinth *

Michael Vavitch Mikhail Vavich (russian: Михаил Иванович Вавич) was a Russian actor, operetta and singer. Biography Mikhail first performed in 1905 on stage at St. Petersburg in a private operetta of Petr Tumpakov. He received recognition in ...

as Colonel Wunderlich *

Nicholas Soussanin Nicholas Soussanin (born 16 January 1889, Yalta, Taurida Governorate, Russian Empire (present-day Crimea, Ukraine) – 27 April 1975, New York City) was an actor from the Russian Empire who settled and worked in the United States. He was married ...

as Lutzow * Arthur Donaldson as Franz, the Court Chamberlain * General Lodijensky as Master of the Hunt *

Clare Eames Clare Eames (August 5, 1894 – November 8, 1930) was an American actress and stage director, and the first wife of playwright Sidney Howard. Early years Eames was born August 5, 1894 in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Clare (Hamilton) a ...

as Princess Dominica

Preservation status

This silent version survives and can be found on home video and DVD.''The Swan'' as produced on Broadway at the Cort Theatre, October 23, 1923 to June 1924,255 performances; IBDb.com
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References

External links

''The Swan'' at IMDB

''The Swan'' at Allmovie
* *
Lobby cards for ''The Swan''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swan, The 1925 films 1925 comedy films American silent feature films American films based on plays Films based on works by Ferenc Molnár Famous Players-Lasky films Films directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki Films set in Europe American black-and-white films Silent American comedy films 1920s American films