''The Deadlier Sex'' is a 1920 American
silent drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
-
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Robert Thornby
Robert Thornby (March 27, 1888 – March 6, 1953) was an American director and actor of the silent era. He directed 75 films between 1913 and 1927. He also appeared in 48 films between 1911 and 1930. He was born in New York, New York, and d ...
which stars
Blanche Sweet
Sarah Blanche Sweet (June 18, 1896 – September 6, 1986) was an American silent film actress who began her career in the earliest days of the Hollywood motion picture film industry.
Early life
Born Sarah Blanche Sweet (though her first na ...
and features
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...
, and was distributed by
Pathé Exchange
Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Hollywood's silent era. Known for its groundbreaking newsreel and wide array of shorts, it grew out of the American division of the ...
.
The screenplay was written by Fred Myton, based on a short story by Bayard Veiller. It was filmed in Truckee, California. This film was recently restored by the
Academy Film Archive
The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...
and still exists.
Plot
Mary Willard (Sweet), who has taken control of her father's interests after his death, has become so exasperated at the unscrupulous business practices of her competitor Harvey Judson (Hamilton) that she has him kidnapped to teach him a lesson and protect her shareholders against him.
When Harvey wakes up in the middle of a forest, he initially believes that robbery was the motive until he discovers that no money was taken. He tries to bribe his guide to take him to the nearest settlement but to no avail, and, after two fistfights with a Frenchman (Karloff?) who is also in love with Mary, eventually comes up with a scheme which leads to his being rescued by his friends.
When Harvey finds out that Mary was behind the kidnapping, they argue and he accuses her of trying to ruin his business. While on the way to the nearest train station, they have an automobile accident that nearly kills them. At the station, after they are told that the government has seized their property, Mary and Harvey decide to join forces and work together in the future.
Cast
*
Blanche Sweet
Sarah Blanche Sweet (June 18, 1896 – September 6, 1986) was an American silent film actress who began her career in the earliest days of the Hollywood motion picture film industry.
Early life
Born Sarah Blanche Sweet (though her first na ...
as Mary Willard
*
Winter Hall
Winter Hall (21 June 1872 – 10 February 1947) was a New Zealand actor of the silent era who later appeared in sound films. He performed in more than 120 films between 1916 and 1938. Prior to that, he had a career as a stage actor in Austr ...
as Henry Willard
*
Roy Laidlaw
Roy James Laidlaw (born 5 October 1953) is a former Scotland international rugby union player.Bath, pp145, 146
Rugby Union career
Amateur career
Much of his domestic rugby was played with Jed-Forest RFC, who were in the Scottish Second Divi ...
as Huntley Green
*
Mahlon Hamilton
Mahlon Preston Hamilton, Jr. (June 15, 1880 – June 20, 1960), was an American stage and screen actor. He was the son of a bartender born in Baltimore, Maryland, the eldest of four children, with the rest of the siblings being girls. Census ...
as Harvey Judson
*
Russell Simpson as Jim Willis
*
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...
as Jules Borney, French fur trader
Reception
While the outdoor scenes were appreciated and the cast described as strong, the story was criticized as being illogical and the characters undeveloped.
Tagline: "A Drama of a Modern Girl in Whose Breast Flame the Spirits of Mona Lisa, Cleopatra and Sappho. A Drama of Big Emotions Set in the Big Outdoors. A Super Production You'll Long Remember!" (print ad in the Bourbon News, ((Paris, Kentucky)) 6 December 1921)
Preservation status
''The Deadlier Sex'' was preserved by the
Academy Film Archive
The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...
in 2014.
The restored print was shown on June 1, 2015 at the
San Francisco Silent Film Festival
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is a film festival first held in 1996 and presented annually at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, California, United States. It is the largest silent film festival in the United States, although the largest ...
.
See also
*
Boris Karloff filmography
Boris may refer to:
People
* Boris (given name), a male given name
*:''See'': List of people with given name Boris
* Boris (surname)
* Boris I of Bulgaria (died 907), the first Christian ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, canonized after his ...
*
Blanche Sweet filmography
__NOTOC__
This is the filmography for Blanche Sweet. According to the Internet Movie Database, Sweet appeared in 161 films between 1909 and 1959.
----
1909 - 1910 - 1911 - 1912 - 1913 - 1914 - 1915 - 1916 - 1917 - 1919 - Later films ...
References
External links
*
*
Stillsat the San Francisco Silent Film Festival website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deadlier Sex, The
1920 films
1920 comedy films
American black-and-white films
Silent American comedy-drama films
American silent feature films
Films directed by Robert Thornby
Films shot in California
Pathé Exchange films
1920s American films
1920s English-language films