Expert: DM - 8/30/2009

Question
QUESTION: Movie starts with children playing possibly in England, a young boy & a young girl. The boys looses his parents & is taken and raised by an uncle. He becomes an architect. Their paths cross again when he is asked to re-do some stables & they meet again. He is up in her room when her husband comes in and accuses them of adultery & the man is sent to prison where he eventually dies.

ANSWER: Thank you for asking this very interesting question. The plot sounds a lot like several films I have seen. In order to pinpoint the title, I'll need a little more to go on, such as the name of any actor in the film, the director, or someone else involved. Please let me know.

Sincerely,
David Menefee  

David W. Menefee is the author of:


Sarah Bernhardt in the Theater of Films and Sound Recordings (Foreword by Kevin Brownlow)
www.mcfarlandpub.com

The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era

The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era

Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures

Please visit my web site:
www.thegreatstars.com

for many other exciting films and recordings of great stars in great plays that I have located around the world. You're certain to find several you will want for your own library, or to give as a gift, including:

Mothers of France starring Sarah Bernhardt.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD

Camille starring Sarah Bernhardt.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Queen Elizabeth starring Sarah Bernhardt
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Sarah Bernhardt in Performance
18 restored recordings on one CD,
plus the Sarah Bernhardt 101 Photo CD Album

Cenere, the only motion picture ever made
starring theater legend Eleonora Duse.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Madame X with Broadway legend Jane Cowl
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Pygmalion with Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Peg O' My Heart with Broadway legend Laurette Taylor.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

John Barrymore performing excerpts from Hamlet and Twelfth Night.
Restored audio recordings of America's greatest actor on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your reply: I don't recall any of the actors. I saw this movie a very long time ago and I have yet to see it again. I remember that the man in jail is sent for life & that the woman would visit him in jail, but I am not sure if he imagined it or if her spirit would visit him. In the end when he dies they are seen together going into the sunset.

Answer
Thank you for the additional details. That plot sounds a lot like the story of Peter Ibbetson, which was filmed in the silent era under the title Forever, which starred Wallace Reid, and then a few years later in the early sound era, it was remade as Peter Ibbetson (1935)starring Gary Cooper.  Here is a short description of the plot of Peter Ibbetson:

Peter Ibbetson is hired by the Duke of Towers to design a building for him. Ibbetson discovers that the Duchess of Towers, Mary, is his now-grown childhood sweetheart. Their love revives, but Peter is sentenced to life in prison for an accidental killing. Mary comes to him in dreams and they are able to live out their romance in a dream world.

I suspect that this is the film you remember.

To locate a copy of Peter Ibbetson, you might try contacting these video resources:

MOVIES UNLIMITED
http://www.moviesunlimited.com

NOSTALGIA FAMILY VIDEO
http://www.hollywoodsattic.com/

GRAPEVINE VIDEO
http://www.grapevinevideo.com/

LIFE'S A MOVIE
http://www.lifeisamovie.com/

FLICKER ALLEY
http://www.flickeralley.com/

IOFFER
http://www.ioffer.com/

ROBERTS HARD TO FIND MOVIES
http://www.robertsvideos.com/index.php3

ASHFAULTS CLASSIC MOVIES
www.ashfaultsclassicmovies.com
E-mail: ashfault@earthlink.net

If none of these resources listed above carry the title, you might contact silent movie fans and see if they have or know someone who has the film:

SILENT GOOGLE GROUP SITE
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.movies.silent/topics?hl=en

NITRATEVILLE.COM SITE
http://www.nitrateville.com/index.php

Sincerely,
David W Menefee
David W. Menefee is the author of:


Sarah Bernhardt in the Theater of Films and Sound Recordings (Foreword by Kevin Brownlow)
www.mcfarlandpub.com. Telephone (336) 246-4460


The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era
www.greenwood.com
US telephone 1-800-225-5800
Order by e-mail: orders@greenwood.com

The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era
www.bearmanormedia.bizland.com
Bear Manor Media
PO BOX 71426
Albany, GA 31708
Telephone: (229) 436-4265      

Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures
www.bearmanormedia.com
Bear Manor Media
PO BOX 71426
Albany, GA 31708
Telephone: (229) 436-4265     


Please visit my web site:
www.thegreatstars.com

for many other exciting films and recordings of great stars in great plays that I have located around the world. You're certain to find several you will want for your own library, or to give as a gift, including:

Mothers of France starring Sarah Bernhardt.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD

Camille starring Sarah Bernhardt.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Queen Elizabeth starring Sarah Bernhardt
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Sarah Bernhardt in Performance
18 restored recordings on one CD,
plus the Sarah Bernhardt 101 Photo CD Album

Cenere, the only motion picture ever made
starring theater legend Eleonora Duse.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Madame X with Broadway legend Jane Cowl
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Pygmalion with Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Peg O' My Heart with Broadway legend Laurette Taylor.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

John Barrymore performing excerpts from Hamlet and Twelfth Night.
Restored audio recordings of America's greatest actor on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.