''The Unbeliever'' is a 1918 American silent propaganda film made towards the end of

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 ...

. It was directed by

Alan Crosland Alan Crosland (August 10, 1894 – July 16, 1936) was an American stage actor and film director. He is noted for having directed the first feature film using spoken dialogue, ''The Jazz Singer'' (1927). Early life and career Born in New York Ci ...

for the

Edison Company The Edison Manufacturing Company, originally registered as the United Edison Manufacturing Company and often known as simply the Edison Company, was organized by inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison and incorporated in New York City in May 188 ...

towards its last days as a functioning film-making company. It stars

Raymond McKee Eldon Raymond McKee (December 7, 1892 – October 3, 1984), also credited as Roy McKee, was an American stage and screen actor. His film debut was in the 1912 production ''The Lovers' Signal''. Over the next 23 years, he performed in no less ...

and

Marguerite Courtot Marguerite Gabrielle Courtot (August 20, 1897 – May 28, 1986) was an American silent film actress. Early life Marguerite Gabrielle Courtot was born in Summit, New Jersey, on August 20, 1897 to Gustave Courtot, who was born in France, and Char ...

, who married a few years later, and

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. H ...

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 ...

, Philip Landicutt has always held the people of the lower classes as being far beneath him. He also is prejudiced against anyone with German blood and does not believe in God. He joins the Marine Corps and goes to France where constant association with the men in his battery and nearly answering the call from above during an action makes him see things differently. He returns home, crippled, but with a better knowledge of man and God. During a raid he rescued a Belgian girl who is later sent to stay with his mother. When he comes home and sees her, he finds himself in love.

Cast

as Virginie Harbrok *

as Philip Landicutt *

as Lieutenant Kurt von Schnieditz *

Kate Lester Kate Lester (born Sarah Cody, 12 June 1857 – 12 October 1924) was an American theatrical and silent film actress. Her family, the Suydams of New York, were staying in Britain at the time of her birth.Who Was Who on Screen 3rd edition page ...

as Margaret Landicutt *Frank de Vernon as Uncle "Jemmy" Landicutt *Mortimer Martine as Eugene Harbrok (credited as Mortimer Martini) *Blanche Davenport as Madam Harbrok *Harold Hollacher as Pierre Harbrok (credited as Harold Hallacher) *

Darwin Karr Darwin S. Karr (1875-1945) was an American stage and silent film actor. He appeared in over 140 films up to 1922. He began appearing in films by the Vitagraph company. He was married to Florence Bindley. Personal life and death Karr was marr ...

as "Lefty" *

Earl Schenck Earl O. Schenck (13 May 1889 – 1962) was an American film actor. He appeared in 41 films between 1916 and 1946. Career After playing leading roles on Broadway and in Hollywood during the Silent era opposite such stars as Mae Murray, M ...

as Emanuel Muller *

Gertrude Norman Gertrude Norman (May 19, 1848 or 1851 – July 20, 1943), was an English/American theater and Hollywood silent film actress. She is credited with being in 44 films between 1911 and 1936. She was also a screenwriter and director for early silent ...

as Marianne Marnholm *Lew Hart as Hoffman *

Thomas Holcomb General (United States), General Thomas Holcomb (August 5, 1879 – May 24, 1965) was a United States Marine Corps officer who served as the seventeenth Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1936 to 1943. He was the first Marine to achieve the ra ...

as The Commanding Officer (credited as Major Thomas Holcomb) *Lieutenant J. F. Rorke as Lieutenant Terence O'Shaughnessy *Sergeant Moss Gill as Albert Mullins *Major Ross E. Rowell *Captain Thomas Sterett *Percy Webb *Corporal Bob Ryland

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''The Unbeliever'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut, in Reel 4, of executing a woman and child and two views of man pulling young woman's waist down.

Preservation

A print is preserved at 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 ...

. As a still-surviving feature from Edison, ''The Unbeliever'' can be found on Kino's omnibus of Edison Company shorts and features; it is the last film on the final DVD. with a new score by Donald Sosin. Alpha Video also has released a DVD version.The Unbeliever on dvd by Alpha Video
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References

External links

* * *Andrews, Mary Raymond Shipman (1915),
The Three Things; the Forge in Which the Soul of a Man Was Tested
', Boston: Little, Brown and Company, on the Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Unbeliever, The 1918 films American silent feature films Films directed by Alan Crosland Films based on American novels American black-and-white films 1918 drama films Silent American drama films Edison Manufacturing Company films Films produced by George Kleine American World War I propaganda films 1910s American films Silent war films