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IMDbPro

The Perils of Pauline

  • 19141914
  • PassedPassed
  • 3h 19m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1K
YOUR RATING
Pearl White in The Perils of Pauline (1914)
  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Drama
Pauline, a young maiden, must protect herself from the treacherous "guardian" of her inheritance, who repeatedly plots to murder her and take the money for himself.Pauline, a young maiden, must protect herself from the treacherous "guardian" of her inheritance, who repeatedly plots to murder her and take the money for himself.Pauline, a young maiden, must protect herself from the treacherous "guardian" of her inheritance, who repeatedly plots to murder her and take the money for himself.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Louis J. Gasnier
    • Donald MacKenzie
  • Writers
    • Charles W. Goddard(screenplay)
    • Basil Dickey(screenplay)
    • George B. Seitz
  • Stars
    • Pearl White
    • Crane Wilbur
    • Paul Panzer
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Louis J. Gasnier
    • Donald MacKenzie
  • Writers
    • Charles W. Goddard(screenplay)
    • Basil Dickey(screenplay)
    • George B. Seitz
  • Stars
    • Pearl White
    • Crane Wilbur
    • Paul Panzer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Photos59

    Paul Panzer, Pearl White, and Crane Wilbur in The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    Pearl White in The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    Paul Panzer, Pearl White, and Crane Wilbur in The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    Pearl White in The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    Paul Panzer in The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    Paul Panzer and Pearl White in The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    Pearl White in The Perils of Pauline (1914)
    Pearl White in The Perils of Pauline (1914)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Pearl White
    Pearl White
    • Pauline Marvinas Pauline Marvin
    Crane Wilbur
    Crane Wilbur
    • Harry Marvinas Harry Marvin
    Paul Panzer
    Paul Panzer
    • Raymond Owen - aka Koerner (re-release)as Raymond Owen - aka Koerner (re-release)
    Edward José
    Edward José
    • Sanford Marvin - Pauline's Fatheras Sanford Marvin - Pauline's Father
    Francis Carlyle
    Francis Carlyle
    • Hicks - Owen's Henchmanas Hicks - Owen's Henchman
    Clifford Bruce
    Clifford Bruce
    • Gypsy Leaderas Gypsy Leader
    Donald MacKenzie
    Donald MacKenzie
    • Blinky Bill - the Pirateas Blinky Bill - the Pirate
    Jack Standing
    Jack Standing
    • Ensign Summersas Ensign Summers
    Eleanor Woodruff
    Eleanor Woodruff
    • Lucille Sampsonas Lucille Sampson…
    Leroy Baker
    Louise Du Pre
    Louise Du Pre
    Oscar Nye
    Sam J. Ryan
    Sam J. Ryan
    • Baskinellias Baskinelli
    • (as Sam Ryan)
    Louis J. Gasnier
    Louis J. Gasnier
    • Louis J. Gasnier [Ch. 9]as Louis J. Gasnier [Ch. 9]
    Joe Cuny
    Charles 'Patch' Revada
    Frank Redman
    Floyd Buckley
    Floyd Buckley
    • Directors
      • Louis J. Gasnier
      • Donald MacKenzie
    • Writers
      • Charles W. Goddard(screenplay) (novel "The Perils of Pauline")
      • Basil Dickey(screenplay)
      • George B. Seitz
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      There never was a scene in this serial with Pauline tied to railroad tracks, either in the footage that survives or in that which does not. Very detailed plot summaries of all 20 original episodes show nothing remotely similar to that occurred in any of the episodes. The scene resembling that in The Perils of Pauline (1947) is actually a recreation of a scene in a Keystone comedy called Teddy at the Throttle (1917). Similar scenes also occurred in an earlier Keystone comedy called Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life (1913), the serial A Lass of the Lumberlands (1916) and in an episode of the "Hazards of Helen" series, The Broken Circuit (1915).
    • Goofs
      The present distributors of the DVD (Grapevine Video) have created new title credits for each episode, in which they state it was produced by the Eclectic Film Company. Actually, it was produced by the American branch of Pathe Freres, and was distributed (not produced) by Eclectic who handled the USA distribution of Pathe product at that time.
    • Alternate versions
      The original 20 chapter 1914 US theatrical version was edited down and rearranged into a 9 chapter version and released in Europe in 1916.
    • Connections
      Edited into Spisok korabley (2008)

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    The One Movie Serial Everyone's Heard About
    The one silent movie serial most people have heard of is "The Perils of Pauline." The 20-episode serial premiered on March 23, 1914, followed with a new 30-minute film released every two weeks. In the serial's plot, Pauline, played by actress Pearl White, stands to inherit a fortune from her late dad when she gets married. She has a sweetheart who desperately wants to marry her, but Pauline wants adventure in her life and puts him off for a year. However, her father's male secretary is next in line for a fortune if Pauline dies before she marries.

    France's Pathe Studios had just opened a United States production house in Ft. Lee, N. J., under the name The Eclectic Company. After the original serial was played out in America, all the movies were shipped to Pathe's Paris headquarters. The title cards were translated from English to French for European audiences seeing it for the first time in 1916. Years later, when the serial was reintroduced to American viewers, the title cards were amateurishly retranslated, containing ungrammatical errors, misspellings and horrendous punctuation.

    There's a misconception that Pauline was tied to railroad tracks and saw mill blades ready to cut her in half. None of those events happened in the original series. Because the serial was shot around the New Jersey Palisades, where Pauline was dangled over its cliffs, the term "cliffhanger" originated. Some life-threatening dangers were resolved before the end of some episodes, but others ended with Pauline fighting for her life, only to resolved in the beginning of the next movie.

    Numerous remakes were produced following the end of the original, including Universal Pictures's sound serial with a different plot, Betty Hutton memorable title role in 1947's "The Perils of Pauline" and a 1967 comedy of the same name.

    Pearl White, who did most of her stunts in "Pauline," injured her spine during one shoot, causing much pain the rest of her life. She was the ultimate "serial melodrama queen," starring in several later serials. A wise investor, she retired from acting in 1924 as a multi-millionaire. She died in 1937 at the age of 39 from liver failure. Ms. White had to take pain pills and alcohol for years to relieve the pain suffered from her back injury, resulting in damaging her liver. She's buried in Paris' famous Cimetière de Passy.
    helpful•0
    0
    • springfieldrental
    • May 17, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 23, 1914 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Paulines äventyr
    • Filming locations
      • Pathé Studios - 1 Congress Street, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
    • Production company
      • Pathé Frères
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $25,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      3 hours 19 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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