| Tess of the d'Urbervilles | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Marshall Neilan |
| Written by | Dorothy Farnum based upon Thomas Hardy's novel |
| Starring | Blanche Sweet Conrad Nagel Stuart Holmes |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn |
| Release date(s) | August 11, 1924 |
| Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent film English intertitles |
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is a 1924 silent film starring Blanche Sweet, and Conrad Nagel.[1][2] It was directed by Blanche Sweet's husband, Marshall Neilan. The film is the second motion picture adaptation of the novel by Thomas Hardy which had been turned into a very successful 1897 play starring Mrs. Fiske, a career defining move for her. In 1913 Adolph Zukor brought Mrs. Fiske(then really too old for the role) to the movie screen to reprise her 1897 starring success before the cameras in the first movie version of Tess of the d'Urbervilles. The 1913 version is now lost. Thus Mrs. Fiske was one of Zukor's first 'Famous Players'.[3]. The 1924 film is also now considered lost. [4] [5] [6]
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A young servant girl is seduced and raped by an older middle class man in Victorian England when employed in his household. After moving on with her path, she gets married. All is well until her husband discovers her past. This fact prompts her on a life of wandering, murder, and execution.
After the film was completed, Mayer changed the tragic ending to a happy one, much to the annoyance of Neilan and Hardy[7].