The Beautiful City is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Kenneth Webb and starring Richard Barthelmess, Dorothy Gish, and William Powell.[1] For their mother's sake, a man takes the blame for a robbery committed by his brother and his brother's gangster boss.
| The Beautiful City | |
|---|---|
Lobby card | |
| Directed by | Kenneth Webb |
| Written by | C. Graham Baker (screenplay and titles) Don Bartlett (screenplay and titles) Violet E. Powell (adaptation) |
| Story by | Edmund Goulding |
| Starring | Richard Barthelmess Dorothy Gish William Powell |
| Cinematography | Stuart Kelson Roy Overbaugh |
| Edited by | William Hamilton |
Production company | Inspiration Pictures |
| Distributed by | First National Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7 reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Plot
editAs described in a film magazine review,[2] Tony, a young Italian flower vendor who is in love with Mollie, a young Irish neighbor woman, becomes involved in a series of dangerous events by trying to reclaim his brother, who has fallen under the influence of a gangster-theatre manager. After hard fighting, the youth’s brother is turned from evil. Then the flower seller learns the beauty of his city and finds happiness with the young woman.
Cast
edit- Richard Barthelmess as Tony Gillardi
- Dorothy Gish as Mollie
- William Powell as Nick Di Silva
- Frank Puglia as Carlo Gillardi
- Florence Auer as Mama Gillardi
Reception
editMordaunt Hall gave a generally unfavorable review in The New York Times, calling The Beautiful City "quite a disappointing production. ... the story would have to be greatly improved to make it entertaining."[3] However, he did note that, "William Powell makes the villainy as impressive as possible."[3]
Preservation
editWith no prints of The Beautiful City located in any film archives,[4] it is a lost film.
References
edit- ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Beautiful City at silentera.com
- ^ "New Pictures: The Beautiful City", Exhibitors Herald, 23 (8), Chicago, Illinois: Exhibitors Herald Company: 60, November 14, 1925, retrieved November 7, 2022
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b Mordaunt Hall (November 23, 1925). "The Screen". The New York Times.
- ^ Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Beautiful City
External links
edit- The Beautiful City at IMDb
- The Beautiful City at the TCM Movie Database
- Synopsis at AllMovie
- Still with Richard Barthelmess at gettyimages.com
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