The Whispering Chorus
| The Whispering Chorus | |
|---|---|
 Newspaper advertisement | |
| Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Written by |
Jeanie MacPherson Perley Poore Sheehan |
| Starring | Raymond Hatton |
| Cinematography | Alvin Wyckoff |
| Edited by | Cecil B. DeMille |
Production company |
Famous Players-Lasky / Artcraft |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
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The Whispering Chorus is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille.[1]
Plot
As described in a film magazine,[2] John Tremble (Hatton), cashier in a contracting concern, succumbs to temptation and steals $1000 from his employer. He runs away and hides when he begins to fear detection to an isolated island where he becomes a bit of human driftwood. While fishing he finds the body of a dead man and, listening to the voice of evil, he exchanges clothes and then mutilates the head of the corpse. The finding of the body is reported to his family and he begins life anew. The police continue to search for the murderer and Tremble is finally brought to trial. Meanwhile, Jane Tremble (Williams), his former wife, has become the wife of the governor and does not recognize John Tremble when she sees him in court. After a dramatic trial, John Tremble is found guilty of his own murder, and nobly meets death in the electric chair rather than bring unhappiness to his former wife.
Cast
- Raymond Hatton as John Tremble
- Kathlyn Williams as Jane Tremble
- Edythe Chapman as John Tremble's mother
- Elliott Dexter as George Coggeswell
- Noah Beery as Longshoreman
- Guy Oliver as Chief McFarland
- John Burton as Charles Barden
- Tully Marshall as F.P. Clumley
- William H. Brown as Stauberry
- James Neill as Channing
- Gustav von Seyffertitz as Mocking Face
- Walter Lynch as Evil Face
- Edna Mae Cooper as Good Face
- Julia Faye as Girl in Shanghai Dive (uncredited)
- Jack Mulhall as Priest (uncredited)
- Charles Ogle as Judge (uncredited)
Reception
Like many American films of the time, The Whispering Chorus was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors cut, in Reel 2, a closeup of the alteration of the ledger, theft of money, Reel 4, striking man in face with bottle, two scenes of young woman in kimono enticing man and pulling him towards room, Reel 5, policeman striking man in face twice, and, Reel 7, two scenes of pulling lever for electric chair.[3]
See also
- The House That Shadows Built (1931 promotional film by Paramount)
References
- ↑ "Progressive Silent Film List: The Whispering Chorus". silentera.com. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- ↑ "Reviews: The Whispering Chorus". Exhibitors Herald (New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company) 6 (16): 25. April 13, 1918.
- ↑ "Official Cut-Outs by the Chicago Board of Censors". Exhibitors Herald 6 (17): 31. April 20, 1918.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Whispering Chorus. |
- The Whispering Chorus at the Internet Movie Database
- Kramer, Fritzi (Feb. 9, 2014), The Whispering Chorus (1918) A Silent Film Review (with stills)