Flames of Passion
Encyclopedia
Flames of Passion was a British silent film
drama directed by Graham Cutts
, starred Mae Marsh
and C. Aubrey Smith, and is now considered a lost film
.
The film was made by the newly formed Graham-Wilcox Productions company, a joint venture between Cutts and producer Herbert Wilcox
. The entrepreneurial Wilcox tempted American star Marsh to England with a high salary offer, believing this would improve the film's marketability in the U.S.Herbert Wilcox BFI Screen Online. Retrieved 21-09-2010
The gamble paid off as it became the first post-war British film to be sold to the U.S. The final reel of the film was filmed in the Prizmacolor
process.
(presumably of the chauffeur on a charge of infanticide), in which the woman at first tries to protect her lover, but is forced finally under cross-examination to make a dramatic public confession that the dead infant was hers.
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 directed by Graham Cutts
Graham Cutts
Graham Cutts was a British film director who was one of the leading British directors in the 1920s. His fellow director A. V. Bramble believed that Gainsborough Pictures had been built on the back of his work. His daughter was actress Patricia Cutts...
, starred Mae Marsh
Mae Marsh
Mae Marsh was an American film actress with a career spanning over 50 years.-Early life:...
and C. Aubrey Smith, and is now considered a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
.
The film was made by the newly formed Graham-Wilcox Productions company, a joint venture between Cutts and producer Herbert Wilcox
Herbert Wilcox
Herbert Sydney Wilcox was a British film producer and director.-Early life:Wilcox's mother was from County Cork, Ireland, but he was born in Norwood and attended school in Brighton...
. The entrepreneurial Wilcox tempted American star Marsh to England with a high salary offer, believing this would improve the film's marketability in the U.S.Herbert Wilcox BFI Screen Online. Retrieved 21-09-2010
The gamble paid off as it became the first post-war British film to be sold to the U.S. The final reel of the film was filmed in the Prizmacolor
Prizma
The Prizma Color system was a technique of color motion picture photography, invented in 1913 by William Van Doren Kelley and Charles Raleigh. Initially, it was a two-color additive color system, similar to its predecessor, Kinemacolor...
process.
Plot
The finer points of the film's plot are somewhat unclear, as differing sources offer conflicting detail. The main thrust however is that the wife of a wealthy barrister is seduced by her chauffeur, with whom she falls in love. She gives birth to a baby, apparently without her husband knowing anything her pregnancy. It is not clear exactly what arrangements are made regarding the baby's upbringing or how its presence is explained away, but at some point the child is killed (either accidentally or intentionally, depending on the source) by the chauffeur in a state of drunkenness. The result is a showpiece trial at the Old BaileyOld Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
(presumably of the chauffeur on a charge of infanticide), in which the woman at first tries to protect her lover, but is forced finally under cross-examination to make a dramatic public confession that the dead infant was hers.
Reception
Flames of Passion proved controversial with critics, many of whom found the subject matter lurid, sensationalist and distasteful. Cinemagoers had no such qualms, and turned the film into a big box-office hit.Cast
- Mae MarshMae MarshMae Marsh was an American film actress with a career spanning over 50 years.-Early life:...
as Dorothy Hawke - C. Aubrey Smith as Richard Hawke, K.C.
- Hilda BayleyHilda BayleyHilda Christabel Bailey was a British film actress. In 1922 she appeared in the controversial crime film Cocaine.-Selected filmography:* The Barton Mystery * Carnival * Cocaine * Flames of Passion...
as Kate Watson - Herbert Langley as Arthur Watson
- Alan Aynesworth as Forbes
- Eva MooreEva MooreEva Moore was an English actress. Her career on stage and in film spanned six decades, and she was active in the women's suffrage movement.-Early life and career:...
as Aunt - George K. ArthurGeorge K. ArthurGeorge K. Arthur was an English actor and producer. He appeared in 59 films between 1919 and 1935. He won an Academy Award for Best Short Film in 1956 for the film The Bespoke Overcoat....
as Friend - Henry VibartHenry VibartHenry Vibart was a Scottish stage and film actor, active from the 1880s until the early 1930s. He appeared in many theatrical roles in the UK and overseas, and featured in over 70 films of the silent era.-Career:...
as Lord Chief Justice