The Toilers (1919)

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Director:

Tom Watts

Writers:

Victor Hugo (novel)
R.C. Sherriff (writer)

Release Date:

27 March 1919 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A mother raises two sons in a seaside community. Son Jack stays in the village, marries a local girl...

Plot Keywords:

Fishing Village | Based On Novel

Cast

Manora Thew	...	Rose
George Dewhurst	...	Jack
Gwynne Herbert	...	Mother
Ronald Colman	...	Bob
Eric Barker	...	Jack as a Child
John Corrie	...	Lighthouse Keeper
Mollie Terraine	...	Merchant's Daughter

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

Diamond Super Ltd.

Trivia:

The only surviving material on this film, which runs approximately a half hour, is an abridgment which includes an introductory sequence, and most, but not all, of the Colman footage, and little else. Hence, the leading couple, around whom the story revolves, are hardly seen, and the Colman character becomes the focus of attention.

A partial print exists

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw a partial print of The Toilers at the Stanford Theatre. It came from the British Film Institute and was labeled "National Film Archives Collection." The print was a bit jumpy, as if a copying step had not kept the original and the copy material in proper registration. Print quality was otherwise good, with no evidence of nitrate deterioration. Running time was about 21 minutes. The title was missing, as was also at least one reel in the middle. Scenes typically change with a vignette fade out.

SPOILERS AHEAD, if you care.

The plot follows the lives of two sons of a widow. Jack, the adopted son, marries a local girl and stays in town with his mother. Bob, the natural son, shows an aptitude for business and soon heads for a position in London.

Somehow (in the missing reel), Bob falls romantically in and out of favor with the boss's daughter. She asks "How dare you tell my father I love you?" She is apparently annoyed at having fallen for someone of a relatively low station. "You can only offer me a life of toil?" The boss gives Bob the choice to forfeit a month's pay or be fired.

Bob returns to the village in time for the baptism of Jack's firstborn child, their mother's grandchild. Ashamed of having left mother, he hides in the back of the church to watch. Mother sees Bob, and all happily reunite.

A more complete synopsis is available at the British Film Institute web site.