''The Nature of the Beast'' is a 1919 British 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 Cecil M. Hepworth and starring

Alma Taylor Alma Louise Taylor (3 January 1895 – 23 January 1974) was a British actress. Life Taylor was born in London. She made her first screen appearance as a child actor in the 1907 film ''His Daughter's Voice''. She went on to appear in more th ...

Gerald Ames Gerald Ames (12 September 1880 – 2 July 1933) was a British actor, film director and Olympic fencer. Ames was born in Blackheath, London in 1880 and first took up acting in 1905. He was a popular leading man in the post-First World War cinema ...

and

James Carew James Usselman (February 5, 1876 – April 4, 1938), known professionally as James Carew, was an American actor who appeared in many films, mainly in Britain. He was born in Goshen, Indiana in 1876 and began work as a clerk in a publishing fir ...

.Palmer p.900 The screenplay concerns a Belgian refugee who marries a British

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

manufacturer. It was based on a 1918 novel of the same title by E. Temple Thurston.

Plot summary

During the

First World War 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 ...

, a Belgian refugee marries a British aircraft manufacturer, but a former German enemy tries to force her to give over secret documents.

Cast

as Anna de Berghem *

as John Ingledew *

as Kleinenberger *

Gwynne Herbert Gwynne Herbert (11 September 1859 – 17 February 1946) was a British stage and film actress. Partial filmography * ''Liberty Hall'' (1914) * '' The Christian'' (1915) * ''The Firm of Girdlestone'' (1915) * '' The Folly of Desire'' (1915) * '' T ...

as Mrs. de Berghem *

Stephen Ewart Stephen Ewart (born 13 March 1869 - died 1953) was a British actor who was also credited as Stephen T. Ewart. His stage work included playing Tristan l'Hermite in the original London production of ''The Vagabond King'' at the Winter Garden Theatr ...

as Sir James Standish *

Mary Dibley Mary Dibley (21 February 1883 in London – 11 September 1968) was a British film actress. She was married to the actor Gerald Ames. Selected filmography * '' The Christian'' (1915) * '' The Shulamite'' (1915) * '' The Folly of Desire'' (1915) * ...

as Lady Standish * Victor Prout as Mr. de Berghem *

Christine Rayner Christine Rayner was a British actress of the silent era.Christine Rayner< ...

as Guest *

John MacAndrews John MacAndrews was a British actor of the silent era. Selected filmography * ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1913) * ''The Heart of Midlothian'' (1914) * ''The Chimes'' (1914) * '' For Her People'' (1914) * '' Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1915) ...

as Friend

References

Bibliography

* Palmer, Scott. ''British Film Actors' Credits, 1895-1987''. McFarland, 1988.

External links

* 1919 films 1919 drama films British silent feature films Films directed by Cecil Hepworth Films set in England Films based on British novels Hepworth Pictures films British black-and-white films 1910s English-language films 1910s British films Silent British drama films English-language drama films {{1910s-UK-film-stub