Manslaughter (1922)

Society-girl thrill seeker Lydia causes the death of motorcycle policeman and is prosecuted by her fiancé Daniel who describes in lurid detail the downfall of Rome. While she's in prison she reforms and Daniel becomes a wasted alcoholic.

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Jeanie Macpherson (adaptation), Jeanie Macpherson (screenplay),

Stars:

Leatrice Joy, Thomas Meighan, Lois Wilson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leatrice Joy	...	Lydia Thorne
Thomas Meighan	...	Daniel J. O'Bannon
Lois Wilson	...	Evans (Lydia's maid)
John Miltern	...	Gov. Stephan Albee
George Fawcett	...	Judge Homans
Julia Faye	...	Mrs. Drummond
Edythe Chapman	...	Adeline Bennett
Jack Mower	...	Drummond (policeman)
Dorothy Cumming	...	Eleanor Bellington
Casson Ferguson	...	Bobby Dorest
Michael D. Moore	...	Dicky Evans (as Mickey Moore)
James Neill	...	Butler
Sylvia Ashton	...	Prison matron
Raymond Hatton	...	Brown
Mabel Van Buren	...	Prisoner

Storyline

Society-girl thrill seeker Lydia causes the death of motorcycle policeman and is prosecuted by her fiancé Daniel who describes in lurid detail the downfall of Rome. While she's in prison she reforms and Daniel becomes a wasted alcoholic.

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Plot Keywords:

female boxer | melodrama | millionaire | orgy | police | 

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Taglines:

Wealth and Beauty Laugh at Laws

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

24 September 1922 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Staatsanwalt

Filming Locations:

Queens County Courthouse, Kew Gardens, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$385,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 100 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sometimes sighted by historians and film critics as one of Cecil B. deMille's worst films. Robert S. Birchard attributes a bout of debilitating rheumatic fever that deMille was hit with while on a trip to Europe right before the film went into production.

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Quotes

Lydia's Chaperon: Make Dan keep an eye on her, Eleanor. If she will show up for anybody, she will for him - but as her chaperon, I won't stay and be party to such goings on!

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood: Autocrats (1980)

User Reviews

Leatrice Joy triumphs in this highly moral, but still decadent, DeMille delight!

The greatest pleasure of this fun DeMille classic is the sublime performance of the radiant Leatrice Joy. From the great opening shot, of her speeding along in her roadster, to the final clinch, she eats up the screen with her energy and, dare I say it, joy of living! Joy was more than just a substitute for Gloria Swanson in DeMille's films - she brought a different sort of vigour to her roles, a true Jazz Age energy that Clara Bow would later build upon. She is certainly an actress that deserves to be re-discovered.

The story, of a shallow fun-loving rich girl discovering that the true meaning of life is service to others, is rather too moral to be taken seriously - especially as DeMille can't help creating two completely gratuitous, but highly enjoyable, "flash-backs" to Ancient Rome, featuring wild orgies (and even a lesbian kiss!!). It's the usual clash between DeMille's fascination with sex and sado-masochism and his need to moralise against such things.

It all adds up to a visually stunning entertainment. Don't miss it!