Yellow Lily (1928)

Director:

Alexander Korda

Writers:

Lajos Biró (story) (adaptation)
Garrett Graham (titles)
(more)

Release Date:

20 May 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Beautiful as a rare Flower, but poor as a church mouse, she scorned the love of the best "catch" on the Continent, then turned a nation upside down to win him back. Billie Dove's most colorful and romantic characterization!

Plot Keywords:

Hungary | Budapest Hungary | Social Class

Cast

Billie Dove	...	Judith Peredy
Clive Brook	...	Archduke Alexander
Gustav von Seyffertitz	...	Kinkelin
Marc McDermott	...	Archduke Peter
Nicholas Soussanin	...	Dr. Eugene Peredy
Eugenie Besserer	...	Archduchess
Jane Winton	...	Mademoiselle Julie
Charles Puffy	...	Mayor of Tarna

Directed by
Alexander Korda

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lajos Biró		story (adaptation)
Garrett Graham		titles
Bess Meredyth		writer

Produced by
Ned Marin	....	producer

Cinematography by
Lee Garmes

Film Editing by
Harold Young

Art Direction by
Max Parker

Set Decoration by
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Max Rée

Other crew
Richard A. Rowland	....	presenter

Production Companies

• First National Pictures

Distributors

• First National Pictures (1928) (USA) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

First National Pictures

Ruritarian Nonsense But Then There's Billie Dove

Billie Dove stars as a beautiful country girl who catches the eye of a roguish archduke (Clive Brook) while visiting her brother who is the local doctor. He's easily bored with his conquests and is trying to get rid of an actress (Jane Winton) to turns dramatic and threatens to kill herself if he sends her away. He sends her away so she swallows a vial of poison and collapses dramatically on the steps.

She's taken to the doctor, but of course she was merely faking. That clears the way for Brook to pursue Love, but she has no interest in him. He holds a fancy ball and invites her and the brother but she eludes all his attempts to corner her in a locked room.

Finally, he has the doctor called away on a fake medical emergency so he can corner Love in her own house. But the doctor catches on and races back to save his sister. He then confronts the archduke with a pistol but it's knocked out of his hand. Love picks it up and fires just as Brook is about to kill the doctor.

While Brook hovers between life and death, Love and the doctor are imprisoned. When the archduke's father tries to trick Love into admitting a murder attempt (rather than an accident), she defies his threats and returns to jail. But as the archdukes recovers, he realizes the error of his ways and tries to free Love and the doctor. Will love conquer all? Billie Dove and Jane Winton are gorgeous here, both dark haired and big eyed. Clive Brook has the proper look of cruelty. Gustav von Seyffertitz is sleazy as the assistant. Marc McDermott and Eugenie Besserer are fine as the archduke's parents. Nicholas Soussanin plays the doctor. The sets are impressive, and the costumes lavish. But the story seems a tad familiar. The title refers to the name of a waltz they dance to.