''The White Circle'' is a

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

1920 American silent

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

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

Maurice Tourneur Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...

and written by John Gilbert and

Jules Furthman Jules Furthman (March 5, 1888 – September 22, 1966) was an American magazine and newspaper writer before working as a screenwriter. Biography Furthman was born in Chicago. His brother was the writer Charles Furthman. During World War I he wro ...

. The film stars

Spottiswoode Aitken Frank Spottiswoode Aitken (16 April 1868 – 26 February 1933) was a Scottish-American actor of the silent era. He played Dr. Cameron in D. W. Griffith's epic drama ''The Birth of a Nation''. Early years Aitken was born 16 April 1868 in Edin ...

, Janice Wilson,

Harry Northrup Harry Northrup (born Henri Stabo Wallace Northrup; 31 July 1875 – 2 July 1936), was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1911 and 1935. He was born in Paris and died in Los Angeles, California. ...

, John Gilbert,

Wesley Barry Wesley Barry (August 10, 1907 – April 11, 1994) was an American actor, director, and producer. Barry began his career as a child actor in silent motion pictures and later became a producer and director of both film and television. As a direc ...

, and Jack McDonald. It is based on the short story "

The Pavilion on the Links "The Pavilion on the Links" (1880) is a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was first published in ''Cornhill Magazine'' (Vol. 42, Sept-Oct 1880). A revised version was included in ''New Arabian Nights'' (1882). The story was considered by ...

" by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

. The film was released on August 22, 1920, 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 ...

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Frank Cassilis (Gilbert), a wanderer, returns once each year to a spot on the bleak Scottish coast to fulfill his word of honor to his archenemy Northmour (Northrup), a wealthy soldier of fortune in whose hands hang his life. During the visit in 1860 during the night Northmour lands from his yacht in company with Bernard Huddlestone (Aitken), a London banker fleeing from the danger of the Society of Carbonari, formed of Italians in London. The white circle is the warning mark used by this society. Huddlestone has misused funds entrusted to him by the society and lost them in speculation, so he has bargained away his daughter Clara (Wilson) to Northmour for his protection. Accompanying them on this night, she finds love when she sees Cassilis. Later, following the death of Huddlestone and the burning of Northmour's great home on the Scottish shore by the Italians, the worth of Northmour's reputed character is revealed when he leaves the young woman with Cassilis and spares the latter's life.

Cast

as Bernard Huddlestone *Janice Wilson as Clara Huddlestone *

as Northmour (credited as Harry S. Northrup) * John Gilbert as Frank Cassilis (credited as Jack Gilbert) *

as Ferd * Jack McDonald as Gregorio

References

External links

* 1920 films 1920s English-language films Silent American adventure drama films 1920 drama films English-language adventure drama films 1920s adventure drama films Paramount Pictures films Films based on works by Robert Louis Stevenson Films directed by Maurice Tourneur American black-and-white films American silent feature films Films based on short fiction 1920 lost films Lost American adventure drama films 1920s American films {{1920s-US-film-stub