Slave of Desire
- October 14, 1923 (1923-10-14) (U.S.)[1]
Slave of Desire (originally titled The Magic Skin)[3] is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by George D. Baker, produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures.[4][5] It was based on the novel La Peau de chagrin[a] by Honoré de Balzac, first published in 1831.[4] The Balzac novel had previously been filmed in 1909 as The Wild Ass's Skin, which was more faithful to the original novel.[6]
The picture stars George Walsh, Bessie Love, and Carmel Myers. A print of the film is preserved in the collection of Cinémathèque Française.[7][8]
Plot
In Paris, when failed poet Raphael, Marquis de Valentin (Walsh) meets the glamorous Countess Fedora (Myers), who promotes Raphael as a poet. He falls in love with her, but she rejects him.
When he is about to commit suicide by jumping into the Seine, Raphael enters an antique shop where he gets a magic piece of leather that can grant wishes. As it grants wishes, the leather becomes smaller. Raphael selfishly uses the wishes for himself, but uses the final wish benevolently, which enables him to be reunited with his true love, Pauline (Love). Countess Fedora is buried under an avalanche.[2][4][9][10][11]
Cast
- George Walsh as Raphael, Marquis de Valentin
- Bessie Love as Pauline Gaudin
- Carmel Myers as Countess Fedora
- Wally Van as Restignac
- Edward Connelly as The Antiquarian
- Eulalie Jensen as Mrs. Gaudin
- Herbert Prior as Mr. Gaudin
- William Orlamond as Champrose
- Nick De Ruiz as Tallifer
- William von Hardenburg as The General
- Harmon MacGregor as Emilie
- George Periolat as The Duke
- Harry Lorraine as Finot
- Calvert Carter as The Major Domo[2][4]
Reception
The film received mixed reviews, with many reviewers noted the fanciful plot and subject matter as a hindrance to the film's success.[2][12][13][14][15]
Carmel Myers's performance was especially highly praised,[4] as were the visuals, especially Myers's wardrobe.[4][10]
References
- Notes
- ^ The French title La Peau de Chagrin translates to The Skin of Sorrow, but the novel was retitled The Magic Skin for the English language editions.
- Citations
- ^ Motion Picture News Booking Guide. New York: Motion Picture News. April 1924. p. 62.
- ^ a b c d Sewell, C.S. (December 15, 1923). "Slave of Desire". Moving Picture World. Vol. 65, no. 7. p. 632.
- ^ "Goldwyn Changes Titles on Two Features". Motion Picture News. September 1, 1923.
- ^ a b c d e f Elliott, Frank (October 27, 1923). "Pre-Release Reviews of Features". Motion Picture News. Vol. 28, no. 17. p. 2015.
- ^ Love, Bessie (1977). From Hollywood with Love: An Autobiography of Bessie Love. London: Elm Tree Books. p. 87. OCLC 734075937.
- ^ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-936168-68-2.
- ^ "Slave of Desire / George D Baker [motion picture]". Library of Congress – Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
- ^ Bennett, Carl (July 23, 2006). "Progressive Silent Film List: Slave of Desire". Silent Era. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
- ^ "Reviews of the Newest Features". The Film Daily. Vol. 26, no. 64. December 16, 1923. p. 10.
- ^ a b "Reviews". Exhibitors Herald. Vol. 17, no. 19. November 3, 1923. p. 59.
- ^ Munden, Kenneth W., ed. (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1921–1930. New York: R.R. Bowker Company. p. 732. OCLC 664500075.
- ^ "Newspaper Criticisms on New Films". The Film Daily. Vol. 26, no. 64. December 16, 1923. p. 4.
- ^ "Picturegoer's Guide". Pictures and Picturegoer. Vol. 7, no. 39. March 1924. p. 62.
- ^ "Exhibitors Service Bureau". Motion Picture News. Vol. 29, no. 3. January 19, 1924. p. 258.
- ^ "The Check-Up". Motion Picture News. Vol. 29, no. 5. February 2, 1924. p. 495.
External links
- Slave of Desire at IMDb
- Slave of Desire at AllMovie
- Slave of Desire at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Lobby card
- Stills at silenthollywood.com
- v
- t
- e
- The Pest (1919)
- Slave of Desire (1923)
- Potash and Perlmutter (1923)
- The Eternal City (1923)
- Cytherea (1924)
- In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (1924)
- A Thief in Paradise (1925)
- His Supreme Moment (1925)
- The Dark Angel (1925)
- Stella Dallas (1925)
- The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926)
- Partners Again (1926)
- The Night of Love (1927)
- The Magic Flame (1927)
- The Devil Dancer (1927)
- Two Lovers (1928)
- The Awakening (1928)
- Condemned (1929)
- The Rescue (1929)
- This Is Heaven (1929)
- Bulldog Drummond (1929)
- Raffles (1930)
- Whoopee! (1930)
- The Devil to Pay! (1930)
- One Heavenly Night (1931)
- Street Scene (1931)
- Palmy Days (1931)
- The Unholy Garden (1931)
- Arrowsmith (1931)
- Tonight or Never (1931)
- The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)
- The Kid from Spain (1932)
- Cynara (1932)
- The Masquerader (1933)
- Roman Scandals (1933)
- We Live Again (1934)
- Nana (1934)
- Kid Millions (1934)
- The Dark Angel (1935)
- The Wedding Night (1935)
- Barbary Coast (1935)
- Splendor (1935)
- These Three (1936)
- Dodsworth (1936)
- Come and Get It (1936)
- Strike Me Pink (1936)
- Beloved Enemy (1936)
- Woman Chases Man (1937)
- Stella Dallas (1937)
- Dead End (1937)
- The Hurricane (1937)
- The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938)
- The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)
- The Goldwyn Follies (1938)
- They Shall Have Music (1939)
- Wuthering Heights (1939)
- The Real Glory (1939)
- The Westerner (1940)
- The Little Foxes (1941)
- Ball of Fire (1941)
- The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
- They Got Me Covered (1943)
- The North Star (1943)
- Up in Arms (1944)
- The Princess and the Pirate (1944)
- Wonder Man (1945)
- The Kid From Brooklyn (1946)
- The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
- The Bishop's Wife (1947)
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)
- A Song Is Born (1948)
- Enchantment (1948)
- Roseanna McCoy (1949)
- My Foolish Heart (1949)
- Our Very Own (1950)
- Edge of Doom (1950)
- I Want You (1951)
- Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
- Guys and Dolls (1955)
- Porgy and Bess (1959)
This article about a silent drama film from the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- v
- t
- e