''The Unknown Soldier'' is a 1926 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 ...

directed by

Renaud Hoffman Renaud Hoffman (1895–1952) was a German-born American film director, screenwriter and producer of the silent and early sound era. He directed the 1929 musical ''Blaze o' Glory''.Bradley p.76 Selected filmography * '' Strangers of the Night ...

, written by

Richard Schayer Richard Schayer (December 13, 1880 – March 13, 1956) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for more than 100 films between 1916 and 1956. He was born in Washington, D.C., son of Col. George Frederick Schayer and writer Julia Schayer, an ...

and James J. Tynan, and starring

Charles Emmett Mack Charles Emmett Mack (November 25, 1900 – March 17, 1927), was an American film actor during the silent film era. He appeared in 17 films between 1916 and 1927. Biography Born Charles Emmett McNerney in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to an Irish f ...

Marguerite De La Motte Marguerite De La Motte (June 22, 1902 – March 10, 1950) was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era. Early years Born in Duluth, Minnesota, De La Motte was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph De La Motte. She was a ...

Henry B. Walthall Henry Brazeale Walthall (March 16, 1878 – June 17, 1936) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared as the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915). Early life Henry B. Walthall was born March 16, 1878 on a ...

Claire McDowell Claire McDowell ( MacDowell; November 2, 1877 – October 23, 1966) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 350 films between 1908 and 1945. Early years Claire MacDowell was born in New York City on November 2, 1877, th ...

, and George Cooper. It was released on May 30, 1926, by

Producers Distributing Corporation Producers Distributing Corporation was a short-lived Hollywood film distribution company, organized in 1924 and dissolved in March 1927. In its brief heyday, film director Cecil B. DeMille was its primary shareholder and major talent. Corporat ...

Plot

The plot involves an American soldier heroically dying alone 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 ...

with a faint suggestion that he may be interred in the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...

, which had been dedicated in 1921.

Cast

Reception

The film was shown at a Los Angeles theater with a happy ending where De La Motte's character Mary stood at an alter for a mythical marriage and at the end her soldier Fred appears. A second version was later shown where the soldier never returns, leaving the young woman standing alone in a

fade out Fade out, Fade-out or Fadeout may refer to: Technical engineering * Fade-out or fade, a gradual decrease in sound volume * Fade (lighting) or fade-out, a gradual decrease in intensity of a stage lighting source * Dissolve (filmmaking) or fade-o ...

, which patrons of the theater preferred. Director

stated that the later version was what he intended, and wanted it shown that way nationwide.

Preservation

Prints of ''The Unknown Soldier'' survive in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the ar ...

, and in a foreign archive.The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''The Unknown Soldier''
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References

External links

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Review and stills
at Great War Fiction 1926 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1920s English-language films 1926 drama films Silent American drama films Producers Distributing Corporation films Films directed by Renaud Hoffman 1920s American films Films with screenplays by Richard Schayer American World War I films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub