Scott Lord on Silent Film

Scott Lord on Silent Film
Gendered spectatorship notwithstanding, in a way, the girl coming down the stairs is symbolic of the lost film itself, the unattainable She, idealized beauty antiquated (albeit it being the beginning of Modernism), with the film detective catching a glimpse of the extratextural discourse of periodicals and publicity stills concerning Lost Films, Found Magazines

Monday, December 22, 2025

Scott Lord Silent Film: Blanche Sweet in Anna Christie (John Griffith Wray, 1923)

Actresses Blanche Sweet and Eugenie Besserer starred in the 1923 version of "Anna Christie", adapted for the screen by Bradley King and directed by John Griffith Gray under the supervision of Thomas Ince. The periodical "Screen Opinions" of 1923 noted the photography of Henry Sharp as being "very good", the type of picture as being "sensational" with a "moral standard" of "average". The periodical Pictures and the Picturegoer reviewed the photoplay as an adaptation, "it is a notable tribute to the power of the screen freed from the limitations that inevitably beset the speaking stage....the story is familiar from the stage play with its stark yet fascinating realism and its true to life portrayal of elemental human passions." The periodical Picture Play Magazine hailed actress Blanche Sweet in the title role, "Most of the interest centers about Blanche Sweet who gives the finest performance of her career as Anna. Miss Sweet has always seemed to me an inspired actress."


During 1923 actress Blanche Sweet also appeared in the film "In the Palace of the King" directed by Emmett J. Flynn and written by June Mathis. The film is presumed to be lost, with no surviving copies existing. During 1924, actress Blanche Sweet appeared under the direction of Lambert Hillyer for Thomas Ince Productions, Incorporated in the eight reel film "Those Who Dance". The film is presumed lost, with no surviving copies existing. Lambert Hillyer cowrote the photoplay with Arthur Statter.
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