The White Raven (1917)
(George D. Baker, US 1917, 82 min., 16mm)
Silent Tuesdays. The White Raven, the only extant complete silent film starring Ethel Barrymore, is a rollicking out-and-out sensation piece. Barrymore plays the daughter of a ruined stockbroker who supports herself by singing in an Alaskan saloon; her dream is to escape her sordid surroundings, go to New York to become an opera singer, and take revenge on the man who ruined her father. The settings are lavish; cameraman Arthur Martinelli achieves some impressive compositions and lighting effects. Director George D. Baker moves things along with a zest also amply evident in Barrymore’s assertive performance, which won praise from contemporary reviewer Margaret I. MacDonald: “The character of the feminine lead played by Ethel Barrymore, in pleasing contrast to the big majority of screen plays, presents a quality of almost masculine strength, a determination to follow the paths of virtue born of knowledge rather than ignorance, and a sense of honor and womanly tenderness, all of which has an appeal and influence for good.” Of Baker’s direction she added, “the picture is staged in a pleasingly daring manner that is strongly realistic and savors of good red blood.”
Live piano by Philip C. Carli. Special support provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.