Scaramouche (1923)

Director:

Rex Ingram

Writers:

Rafael Sabatini (novel)
Willis Goldbeck (scenario)

Release Date:

February 1924 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A law student becomes an outlaw French revolutionary when he decides to avenge the unjust killing of his friend...

Plot Keywords:

Law Student | Seduction | Escape | Nobility | France

Cast

Lloyd Ingraham	...	Quintin de Kercadiou
Alice Terry	...	Aline de Kercadiou, Quintin's Neice
Ramon Novarro	...	André-Louis Moreau, Quintin's Godson
Lewis Stone	...	The Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr
Julia Swayne Gordon	...	The Countess Thérèse de Plougastel
William Humphrey	...	The Chevalier de Chabrillone
Otto Matieson	...	Philippe de Vilmorin (as Otto Matiesen)
George Siegmann	...	George Jacques Danton (as George Siegman)
Bowditch M. Turner	...	Le Chapelier (as Bowditch Turner)
James A. Marcus	...	Challefau Binet (as James Marcus)
Edith Allen	...	Mlle. Climène Binet
John George	...	Polichinelle
Willard Lee Hall	...	The King's Lieutenant
Rose Dione	...	La Révolte

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Passed

Filming Locations:

Ren-Mar Studios - 846 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

An army of workmen built a whole French village that covered 60 acres and was faithfully reproduced down to cobblestone streets and shop windows filled with actual wares. Hundreds of thousands of yards of muslin, satin, brocade and velvet were required in the making of the gorgeous costumes worn by the cast.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sherlock Jr. (1924)

The Return Of A Silent Swashbuckler

Fleeing from the wrath of the vengeful Nobility, a young Frenchman joins a troupe of actors. Winning fame as the clown SCARAMOUCHE, the stalwart fellow finds himself drawn into the events surrounding the start of the Revolution.

Following his big movie hit of the previous year - 1922's THE PRISONER OF ZENDA - director Rex Ingram discovered that cinematic lightning could indeed strike twice with this very fine adaptation of Rafael Sabatini's swashbuckling novel, "Scaramouche." Metro gave the production a high gloss, with excellent atmospherics, richly detailed exteriors & rousing mob scenes. It is always refreshing, in any epic film, to see every penny the studio invested represented on the screen.

Ingram reunited his principal cast from ZENDA - Ramon Novarro, Lewis Stone & Alice Terry - as stars for SCARAMOUCHE. Novarro, taking the hero role this time, proved he was no flash in the pan. Equally adept as sensitive lover or dueling revolutionary, with this performance Novarro was catapulted to Hollywood's upper ranks. Stone gives a finely nuanced performance as the villain of the story, slowly revealing layers to the man's personality not readily apparent at first. Miss Terry, who was Ingram's wife, is lovely, but the plot gives her little to do except look distressed or frightened.

In the supporting cast, special note should be given to George Siegmann, striking in the historical role of Danton. Edward Connelly, as the King's Minister, makes a marvelous grotesque.

It is interesting to note that Italian-born British author Rafael Sabatini (1875-1950) had been a novelist for many years before striking gold with "Scaramouche." Its popularity with the public, to say nothing of this acclaimed movie adaptation, pushed it permanently onto that small shelf of fiction (and films) - "A Tale of Two Cities," "The Scarlet Pimpernel" & ORPHANS OF THE STORM - forever associated with the French Revolution. Sabatini also wrote the swashbuckler adventure novels "The Sea Hawk" & "Captain Blood."