''The Prodigal Son'' is a 1923 British silent

historical film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

directed by A. E. Coleby and starring

Stewart Rome Stewart Rome (born Septimus William Ryott; 30 January 1886 – 26 February 1965) was an English actor who appeared in more than 150 films between 1913 and 1950. He was born in Newbury, Berkshire in 1886 and took the stage name of Stewart Rome ...

Henry Victor Henry Victor (2 October 1892 – 15 March 1945) was an English-born character actor who had his highest profile in the film silent era, he appeared in numerous film roles in Britain, before emigrating to the US in 1939 where he continued ...

and Edith Bishop. The film is an adaptation of

Hall Caine Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine (14 May 1853 – 31 August 1931), usually known as Hall Caine, was a British novelist, dramatist, short story writer, poet and critic of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Caine's popularity during ...

's 1904 novel '' The Prodigal Son'', set in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and the

French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...

. It was noted as a long film, reported variously at three or over four hours. The film's original release length as 18,454 feet made it the longest commercially made

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

film. It was shown in two consecutive parts, the second part being entitled ''The Return of the Prodigal''. It was shot on location in Iceland, with a final budget of £37,000. The film was not a commercial success on its release, and was attacked by critics. It was perhaps the biggest failure of all the films released by

Stoll Pictures Stoll Pictures was a British film production and distribution company of the silent era, founded in April 1918. Background During the early to mid-1920s it was the largest film company in Britain and one of the biggest in Europe. Its major domes ...

, the largest British film company of the early 1920s. However, the film was re-released in 1929 with a greatly reduced running time.Low p.431

Plot

A marriage is arranged between Magnus Stephenson, son of the Governor of Iceland, and Thora Neilsen, daughter of "the Factor"; but the prospective bridegroom, discovering that Thora loves his brother, Oscar, a budding musician, blackens his own name at the betrothal ceremony by declaring the marriage contract not good enough. Outcast by his family for this apparent dishonour, Magnus paved the way for his younger brother Oscar to marry Thora. Troubles soon arise. Oscar becomes attracted to Helga, his wife's sister, who accompanies the newlywed couple on their honeymoon, and forges his father's signature for a large sum of money to pay his gambling debts at the Casino. Helga's announcement to her sister before the birth of Thora's baby, that Oscar does not love his wife, brings on an illness with homicidal tendencies. Against the wishes of Magnus, who tries prevent it, the baby, Elin, is taken away from the mother, who struggles leave the house to bring the child back and dies in the attempt. Oscar, overcome with remorse, places all his musical compositions on his wife's dead body to be buried with her.

Cast

as Magnus Stephenson *

as Oscar Stephenson * Edith Bishop as Helga Neilson *

Colette Brettel Colette Brettel (1902–1973) was a British stage and film actress. Born Dorothy Nicolette Pettigrew in London, she made her screen debut in the 1920 film ''Wuthering Heights'' and appeared in several British films of the early 1920s including '' ...

as Thora Neilson / Elin *

Adeline Hayden Coffin Adeline Maria Elisabeth Hayden Coffin (née de Leuw; 20 June 1862 – 31 March 1939) was a German-born British actress. In an advertisement for her professional availability in 1921 she described herself, or was described by her agent, as suita ...

as Anna Stephenson * Frank Wilson as Stephen Stephenson * Henry Nicholls-Bates as Oscar Neilson * Louise Conti as Aunt Margaret * Peter Upcher as Nils Finsen * Sam Austin as Captain

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''History of the British Film, 1918-1929''. George Allen & Unwin, 1971. * Gifford, Denis. ''The British Film Catalogue: 1895-1970''. McGraw-Hill, 1973. * Oakley, Charles. ''Where We Came In: Seventy Years of the British Film Industry''. Routledge, 2013. * Robertson, Patrick. ''Movie Facts and Feats: A Guinness Record Book''. Sterling Pub Co Inc, 1985, .

External links

* 1923 films British historical drama films British silent feature films Films directed by A. E. Coleby 1920s historical drama films Films set in Iceland Stoll Pictures films British black-and-white films Films released in separate parts 1923 drama films 1920s English-language films 1920s British films Silent drama films {{1920s-UK-film-stub