''The Grip of Jealousy'' is a 1916 American 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- ...

directed by

Joe De Grasse Joseph Louis De Grasse (May 4, 1873 – May 25, 1940) was a Canadian film director. Born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, he was the elder brother of actor Sam De Grasse. Biography Joseph De Grasse had studied and was a first-class graduate of ac ...

, written by

Ida May Park Ida May Park (December 28, 1879 – June 13, 1954) was an American screenwriter and film director of the silent era, in the early 20th century. She wrote for more than 50 films between 1914 and 1930, and directed 14 films between 1917 and 192 ...

and starring

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

and Louise Lovely. It was based upon Ida May Park's story "Love Thine Enemy". The film is today considered lost. Two stills exist showing Lon Chaney in two somewhat different make-ups, one as the character Silas Lacey, and the other as Silas Lacey as an older man.

Plot

The Grant and Morey families have been bitter enemies for generations. Beth Grant and Jack Morey marry secretly, and they leave home when Beth discovers she is pregnant. Her sister Virginia overhears their plans to leave and, unaware that the two are legally married, assumes that Jack has dishonored her sister, whereupon she tells Harry Grant who swears vengeance. Silas Lacey (Lon Chaney), a rich farmer, asks Harry for his permission to marry Virginia, but being from a lower social class, Harry rejects him and literally throws Silas out of the house. Lacey kills Harry Grant, and Jack Morey is suspected of the murder having just fled with his secret wife, who later dies giving birth to a daughter. Virginia believes Beth's daughter is illegitimate and secretly drops the baby off on the doorstep of Lacey's slave Jeff, who adopts the child and names her Linda. Fifteen years pass and Virginia loves Hugh Morey, but she cannot marry him because even after all these years, his brother Jack is still thought to have murdered her brother Harry. Silas Lacey claims possession of the now teenaged Linda thinking she is the biological offspring of one of his slaves whom he had raped, and exerts legal control over the child. Virginia consents to marry Silas Lacey if he will agree to legally free Linda, but Harvey Lacey (Silas' son) wants Linda for himself and he kidnaps her. He takes her aboard a riverboat where, through considerable coincidence, he finds Jack Morey, who apparently has just been wandering around since the day he left home. Morey rescues Linda and he is exonerated of the 15-year-old murder when Jeff, the slave, presents eyewitness testimony that he saw Silas Lacy kill Harry Grant at the time of the slaying. Jack is reunited with his biological daughter Linda, and Hugh and Virginia get married.

Cast

Louise Lovely Louise Lovely (born Nellie Louise Carbasse; 28 February 1895 – 18 March 1980) was an Australian film actress of Swiss-Italian descent. She is credited by film historians for being the first Australian actress to have a successful career i ...

as Virginia Grant *

as Silas Lacey *

Grace Thompson Grace Thompson was an early American silent film actress, starring in 10 films between 1914 and 1917. Filmography *''The Final Impulse'' (1914) *''The Scarlet Sin'' (aka ''The Shepherd of the Mines'') (1915) .... Edith Jackson *'' Mountain Jus ...

as Beth Grant *

Jay Belasco Jay Belasco (January 11, 1888 May 1, 1949), born Reginald James Belasco, was an American film actor whose career mostly involved silent film. Belasco was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was a cousin of actors Walter Belasco and David Belasco. H ...

as Harry Grant *

Hayward Mack Hayward Seaton Mack (March 20, 1882 – December 24, 1921) was an American actor of the silent era. Born in Albany, New York, in 1882, Mack appeared in more than 80 films between 1910 and 1921. Mack's motion picture career began in 1910; he app ...

as Phillip Grant *

Colin Chase Colin Chase (April 13, 1886 – April 25, 1937) was an American silent film actor. Biography Born in 1886 in Lewiston, Idaho, Chase signed for his first film role in 1915 and starred in about 45 films. In 1916, he signed a long-term contract ...

as Hugh Morey * Harry Ham as Jack Morey (credited as Harry Hamm) *

Walter Belasco Walter Belasco (December 1864 21 June 1939) was a Canadian silent film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern ...

as Uncle Jeff * Marcia Moore as Lynda * Dixie Carr as Cora * Mr. Neff as Harvey Lacey

Reception

"Again the Old South of the days before the war forms the background for a drama in which blood runs hot, slaves are mistreated and bloodhounds are called into play....This subject because of its sensationalism will interest a good many people. The cast is entirely acceptable." --- Motion Picture News "The picture in its entirety is likely to leave a vague, rather unsatisfactory impression...Whatever criticism the construction of the story may suggest, no fault need be found with the staging and the impressive acting in many of the scenes...Lon Chaney brings out all the ugliness in the character of Lacey." --- Moving Picture World "The many twists and turns of the plot would consume an abnormal amount of space in the telling. The scenario is chock full of melodramatic action and holds the spectator...The entire cast is uniformly good and the picture is a good program feature from every angle." --- Variety

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grip of Jealousy, The 1916 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1916 drama films Films directed by Joseph De Grasse Universal Pictures films Silent American drama films 1910s American films