''The Secret Game'' is a surviving 1917 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 ...

produced by

Jesse Lasky Jesse Louis Lasky (September 13, 1880 – January 13, 1958) was an American pioneer motion picture producer who was a key founder of what was to become Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr. Early life Born in to ...

and released through Paramount Pictures. It was directed by William C. deMille and starred

Sessue Hayakawa , known professionally as , was a Japanese actor and a matinée idol. He was a popular star in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1910s and early 1920s. Hayakawa was the first actor of Asian descent to achieve stardom as a leading man ...

. It survives complete at the Library of Congress and was released on DVD.

Plot

As described in a film magazine, Kitty Little (Vidor), a German spy under the direction of Dr. Ebell Smith (Ogle), is employed by Major John Northfield (Holt). The spies are anxious to obtain information on the sailing dates of transport ships. Nara-Nara (Hayakawa), a clever Japanese spy, is on the trail of the German spies and suspects Northfield of dishonesty. However, a letter makes him suspect Kitty, whom he has grown to love. Northfield, who also loves Kitty and also suspects her, as a test gives her a blank letter which he tells her to mail as it contains transport sailing dates. Kitty takes the letter to Smith. Nara-Nara follows and in a struggle kills Smith. He then endeavors to force Kitty to go away with him, but she reminds him of his ambition to keep his sword clean and he leaves her. While going to examine the body of Smith, Nara-Nara is killed by one of Smith's accomplices. Northfield comes to Kitty, who is in receipt of a letter from her brother in the German trenches that states he is to be shot for shielding women and children. Kitty becomes a true American and the fiance of Northfield.

Cast

as Nara-Nara * Jack Holt as Major John Northfield *

Florence Vidor Florence Vidor (née Cobb, later Arto; July 23, 1895 – November 3, 1977) was an American silent film actress. Early life Vidor was born in Houston on July 23, 1895, to John and Ida Cobb. Her parents had married in Houston on March 3, 1894, bu ...

as Kitty Little *

Mayme Kelso Mayme Kelso (February 28, 1867 – June 5, 1946) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 70 films between 1911 and 1927. She was born in Columbus, Ohio, and died in South Pasadena, California from a heart attac ...

as Miss Loring *

Raymond Hatton Raymond William Hatton (July 7, 1887 – October 21, 1971) was an American film actor who appeared in almost 500 motion pictures. Biography Hatton was born in Red Oak, Iowa. His physician father steered him toward a career in medicine. Howev ...

as 'Mrs. Harris' * Charles Ogle as Dr. Ebell Smith

References

External links

*
allmovie/synopsis Synopsis
at allmovie.com 1917 films 1910s spy drama films American spy drama films American silent feature films Films directed by William C. deMille World War I spy films American black-and-white films Paramount Pictures films 1917 drama films 1910s American films Silent American drama films Silent war films {{1910s-drama-film-stub