The Unknown Soldier (1926 film)

The Unknown Soldier is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Renaud Hoffman, written by Richard Schayer and James J. Tynan, and starring Charles Emmett Mack, Marguerite De La Motte, Henry B. Walthall, Claire McDowell, and George Cooper. It was released on May 30, 1926, by Producers Distributing Corporation.[1][2][3]

For other uses, see Unknown Soldier (disambiguation).

The Unknown Soldier
Lobby card
Directed byRenaud Hoffman
Screenplay byRichard Schayer
James J. Tynan
Produced byRenaud Hoffman
StarringCharles Emmett Mack
Marguerite De La Motte
Henry B. Walthall
Claire McDowell
George Cooper
CinematographyRay June
Production
companies
Charles R. Rogers Productions
Renaud Hoffman Productions
Distributed byProducers Distributing Corporation
Release date
  • May 30, 1926 (1926-05-30)
Running time
71 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Plot

The plot involves an American soldier heroically dying alone during World War I with a faint suggestion that he may be interred in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which had been dedicated in 1921.

Cast

Reception

The film was shown at a Los Angeles theater with a happy ending where De La Motte's character Mary stood at an alter for a mythical marriage and at the end her soldier Fred appears. A second version was later shown where the soldier never returns, leaving the young woman standing alone in a fade out, which patrons of the theater preferred. Director Renaud Hoffman stated that the later version was what he intended, and wanted it shown that way nationwide.[4]

Preservation

Prints of The Unknown Soldier survive in the Library of Congress, UCLA Film and Television Archive, and in a foreign archive.[5]

References
  1. "The Unknown Soldier (1926) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  2. "Movie Review - Ransons Folly (1926) THE SCREEN; A Lost Chance". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  3. The Unknown Soldier at silentera.com
  4. "Unhappy Ending Best Liked in "Soldier" - Finale Changed in Los Angeles Figueroa - Director Wants It Universal", Variety, 83 (9): 4, June 16, 1926, retrieved April 29, 2022
  5. The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Unknown Soldier
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.