4 Devils
Encyclopedia
4 Devils was a 1928 American
silent
drama film
directed by German film director
F. W. Murnau.
for Sunrise, released by Fox as part of their 20th Century Fox Studio Classics
collection.
Film historian and collector William K. Everson
stated that the only surviving print was lost by actress Mary Duncan
who had borrowed it from Fox Studios.
, who was highly esteemed in Germany. The plot concerns four orphans (Nancy Drexel, Barry Norton
, Charles Morton
, and Janet Gaynor
) who become a high wire act, and centers around sinister goings-on at a circus.
, who had hired Murnau to come to the United States and make film, including this one and Sunrise
(1927), which had also starred Gaynor.
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by German film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
F. W. Murnau.
Preservation status
No copies of the film are known to exist, and 4 Devils remains among the most sought after lost films of the silent era. Details about the movie can be found on the DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
for Sunrise, released by Fox as part of their 20th Century Fox Studio Classics
20th Century Fox Studio Classics
20th Century Fox Studio Classics refers to a collection of films ranging from the late 1920s to the late 1960s released on DVD by 20th Century Fox.-Features and pricing:...
collection.
Film historian and collector William K. Everson
William K. Everson
William Keith "Bill" Everson was an English-American archivist, author, critic, educator, collector and film historian. He often discovered lost films.-Early life and career:...
stated that the only surviving print was lost by actress Mary Duncan
Mary Duncan
Mary Duncan was an American actress.She began her career as a child actress playing on the Broadway stage from 1910. In 1926 she played the daughter "Poppy" in the smash hit and controversial play The Shanghai Gesture. Florence Reed played her mother called Mother Goddam in which Reed kills Duncan...
who had borrowed it from Fox Studios.
Plot
The short story ("Les Quatre Diables") on which the film is based is by the Danish author Herman BangHerman Bang
Herman Joachim Bang was a Danish author, one of the men of the Modern Breakthrough.-Biography:Bang was born into a noble family of Asserballe, on the small Danish island of Als, the son of a South Jutlandic vicar...
, who was highly esteemed in Germany. The plot concerns four orphans (Nancy Drexel, Barry Norton
Barry Norton
Barry Norton was an Argentine-born actor in American films. He appeared in over ninety films from 1925 until the time of his death. He is perhaps best known for his role as Juan Harker in the Spanish-language version of Dracula , produced by Universal Pictures.-Career:Norton was born to an...
, Charles Morton
Charles Morton
Charles Morton , was an American actor.-Career:Born in Illinois, Charles Morton spent his adolescence in Madison, Wisconsin; receiving his education at Madison High School and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.He made his first stage appearance at the age of seven and later appeared in vaudeville,...
, and Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor was an American actress and painter.One of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, in 1928 Gaynor became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven , Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Street Angel...
) who become a high wire act, and centers around sinister goings-on at a circus.
Cast
- Janet GaynorJanet GaynorJanet Gaynor was an American actress and painter.One of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, in 1928 Gaynor became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven , Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Street Angel...
- Marion - Anders RandolfAnders RandolfAnders Randolf was a Danish American actor in American films from 1913 to 1931.Anders was born in Viborg, Denmark where he became a professional soldier in the Danish army and a world-class swordsman. He immigrated to the United States in 1895, quickly giving in to a lifelong passion for the...
- Cecchi - Barry NortonBarry NortonBarry Norton was an Argentine-born actor in American films. He appeared in over ninety films from 1925 until the time of his death. He is perhaps best known for his role as Juan Harker in the Spanish-language version of Dracula , produced by Universal Pictures.-Career:Norton was born to an...
-Adolf - Charles MortonCharles MortonCharles Morton , was an American actor.-Career:Born in Illinois, Charles Morton spent his adolescence in Madison, Wisconsin; receiving his education at Madison High School and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.He made his first stage appearance at the age of seven and later appeared in vaudeville,...
- Charles - Andre Cheron - Old roue
- George Davis - Mean clown
- Philippe De LacyPhilippe De LacyPhilippe De Lacy a.k.a. Philippe deLacy was a former silent film era child actor.-Early life:Born during World War I, the already fatherless Philippe lost his mother and five siblings when a German shell devastated the family home...
- Adolf as a child - Nancy Drexel - Louise
- Mary DuncanMary DuncanMary Duncan was an American actress.She began her career as a child actress playing on the Broadway stage from 1910. In 1926 she played the daughter "Poppy" in the smash hit and controversial play The Shanghai Gesture. Florence Reed played her mother called Mother Goddam in which Reed kills Duncan...
- The lady - Wesley Lake - Old clown
- Anita LouiseAnita Louise-Life and career:Born Anita Louise Fremault in New York, New York, she made her acting debut on Broadway at the age of six, and within a year was appearing regularly in Hollywood films...
- Louise as a child - J. Farrell MacDonaldJ. Farrell MacDonaldJoseph Farrell MacDonald was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. MacDonald, who was sometimes billed as "John Farrell Macdonald", "J.F...
- The clown - Claire McDowellClaire McDowellClaire McDowell was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 360 films between 1908 and 1945. Still somewhat of a youthful beauty when she started in early silent films she appeared in numerous short & early feature films. She graduated to playing character and mother types...
- Woman - Jack Parker - Charles as a child
- Anne ShirleyAnne ShirleyAnne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote in her journal that the idea for Anne's story came from relatives who, planning to adopt an orphaned boy, received a girl instead...
- Marion as a girl (billed as Dawn O'Day)
Production
4 Devils was released by Fox Film Corporation, and was produced by William FoxWilliam Fox (producer)
William Fox born Fried Vilmos was a pioneering Hungarian American motion picture executive who founded the Fox Film Corporation in 1915 and the Fox West Coast Theatres chain in the 1920s...
, who had hired Murnau to come to the United States and make film, including this one and Sunrise
Sunrise (film)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, also known as Sunrise, is a 1927 American silent film directed by German film director F. W. Murnau. The story was adapted by Carl Mayer from the short story "Die Reise nach Tilsit" by Hermann Sudermann.Sunrise won an Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Production...
(1927), which had also starred Gaynor.