''The Siren'' is a 1927 American silent melodrama film directed by

Byron Haskin Byron Conrad Haskin (April 22, 1899 – April 16, 1984) was an American film and television director, special effects creator and cinematographer. He is best known for directing '' The War of the Worlds'' (1953), one of many films where he ...

. It stars Tom Moore,

Dorothy Revier Dorothy Revier (born Doris Valerga; April 18, 1904 – November 19, 1993) was an American actress. Early years Born as Doris Valerga in San Francisco on April 18, 1904, Revier was one of five siblings of the famous Valerga performing fami ...

, and

Norman Trevor Norman Gilbert Pritchard (23 June 1875 – 30 October 1929), also known by his stage name Norman Trevor, was a British-Indian athlete and actor who became the first Asian-born athlete to win an Olympic medal when he won two silver medals in ...

, and was released on December 20, 1927.

Plot

When her car breaks down during a rainstorm, Glenna Marsh seeks refuge in a hunting lodge she stumbles upon. When the lodge's owner, Peter Dane, comes home to find her there, he understands her predicament and allows her to stay the night. Marsh is a socialite, who frequently throws parties, at which gambling can be found. She invites Dane to her next party, which is scheduled for a few days later. One of her frequent guests, with whom she also has a romantic dalliance, is Cole Norwood. Unbeknownst to Marsh, Norwood is a card sharp, who is using her social position to gain access to her wealthy friends, who he is fleecing. When the day of the party arrives, Dane attends, and there is an attraction between Marsh and him. During the course of the party, Marsh witnesses Norwood cheating by taking cards from the discard pile. Horrified, she exposes him and orders him from her house. As the party breaks up, Dane stays behind to comfort Marsh. Norwood returns and accuses Marsh of being his paramour and business partner. While the former is true the latter is not, and a fight ensues between Dane and Norwood. During the fight, a drape catches fire. Norwood knocks Dane temporarily senseless, and is about to kill him, when Marsh grabs a revolver and shoots Norwood. Dane revives and he and Marsh flee, unable to get to Norwood to pull him from the flames. However, Marsh's butler, Fleet, who was helping Norwood in his cheating scheme, does pull Norwood from the flames, but he is horribly burned. When he recovers, Norwood's face is so horribly disfigured that he is unrecognizable. He takes on the name of Felipe Vincenti, who poses as a newsman from

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. He gets Fleet to go to the police and say that Marsh killed Norwood, who has been presumed dead, in order to prevent Norwood to reveal to Dane that Norwood and Marsh were lovers. Then in his new persona, he leads the campaign to get Marsh convicted of his murder. She is eventually tried and convicted of the murder, and is sentenced to hang. However, as she waits on the gallows, she is saved when Dane forces Fleet to confess that he lied about the murder, and reveals the true identity of Vincenti.

Cast

* Tom Moore as Peter Dane *

as Glenna Marsh *

as Cole Norwood/Felipe Vincenti *

Jed Prouty Jed Prouty (born Clarence Gordon Prouty; April 6, 1879 – May 10, 1956) was an American film actor. Biography Born as Clarence Gordon Prouty in Boston, Massachusetts, Prouty was a vaudeville performer before becoming a film actor. Mostly app ...

as Geoffrey Fuller *

Otto Hoffman Otto F. Hoffman (May 2, 1879 – June 23, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1915 and 1944. He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California, from lung cancer. Hoffman's Broadway credit ...

as Fleet

Production

In late November 1927 it was announced that Tom Moore and Dorothy Revier would be appearing in the film.

Priscilla Dean Priscilla Dean (November 25, 1896 – December 27, 1987) was an American actress popular in silent film as well as in theatre, with a career spanning two decades. Biography She was born on November 25, 1896 in Manhattan, New York City to an activ ...

had originally been cast in the leading role, and the film had been advertised to theater chains with her in the part. Shortly later, in the first week of December, Byron Haskin's involvement in the picture as director was revealed, and production had begun on the film. It was Haskin's first directing assignment under his new contract with Columbia. In mid-December Norman Trevor was added to the cast in dual roles. The film was released on December 20, 1927.

Reception

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...

'' gave the film a lukewarm review based on the film's content, which they found morbid. They did not like the fact that the final moment of the picture portrayed a woman on the gallows awaiting her death. They did find the early plot nicely done.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Siren 1927 Film American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Byron Haskin Columbia Pictures films 1920s American films