The Perils of Pauline (1914)

Young Pauline is left a lot of money when her wealthy uncle dies. However, her uncle's secretary has been named as her guardian until she marries, at which time she will officially take ... See full summary »

Directors:

Louis J. Gasnier, Donald MacKenzie

Writers:

Charles W. Goddard (screenplay), Basil Dickey (screenplay)

Stars:

Pearl White, Crane Wilbur, Paul Panzer

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pearl White	...	Pauline Marvin
Crane Wilbur	...	Harry Marvin
Paul Panzer	...	Raymond Owen - aka Koerner (re-release)
Edward José	...	Sanford Marvin - Pauline's Father
Francis Carlyle	...	Hicks - Owen's Henchman
Clifford Bruce	...	Gypsy Leader
Donald MacKenzie	...	Blinky Bill - the Pirate
Jack Standing	...	Ensign Summers
Eleanor Woodruff	...	Lucille Sampson / Mlle. de Leongeon [Ch. 18]
Leroy Baker
Louise Du Pre
Oscar Nye
Sam J. Ryan	...	Baskinelli (as Sam Ryan)
Louis J. Gasnier	...	Louis J. Gasnier [Ch. 9]
Joe Cuny

Storyline

Young Pauline is left a lot of money when her wealthy uncle dies. However, her uncle's secretary has been named as her guardian until she marries, at which time she will officially take possession of her inheritance. Meanwhile, her "guardian" and his confederates constantly come up with schemes to get rid of Pauline so that he can get his hands on the money himself.

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Plot Keywords:

monster | mummy | national film registry | guardian | secretary | 

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Taglines:

The Eclectic Film Company's Great $25,000 Prize Photo-Play

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1914 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les exploits d'Elaine

Filming Locations:

Pathé Studios - 1 Congress Street, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Frères

Technical Specs

Runtime:

199 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The version that survives on 28mm film is an edited-down and rearranged nine-chapter version. This was released starting July 27, 1916, in Paris, France, with the title changed to "Les Exploits d'Elaine" ("The Exploits of Elaine"). The names of the nine weekly episodes were: 1. Par le vertige et par le feu, 2. La Déesse du Far-west, 3. Le Trésor du pirate, 4. le Virage mortel, 5. Le Fil aérien, 6. L'aile brisée, 7. La Plongée tragique, 8. Le Reptile sous les fleurs, 9. Le Cercueil flottant.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood: The Golden Years (1961)

User Reviews

The Silent Serial You Must See

If you have to see only one silent serial, then this is the one you have to see. Not because it is clearly the best one -- although it's a lot of fun, there are others, such as Feuillade's LES VAMPIRES with as good or even better claims -- but simply because it is a ripsnorting bunch of fun, and, more importantly, the wellspring from which all other movie serials, that cinematic art more fully lost to its makers than the movie musical -- the spring from which all serials sprang. It has all the usual stuff of serials -- scary cliffhanging chapter ends, the intrepid hero and heroine, the awful, hissable villain, tearful deathbed scenes and a host of storied names: Pearl White, Crane Wilbur, Louis Gassnier, George Seitz..... who has not heard of The Perils of Pauline? And I will repeat in case you missed it: it's a lot of fun. In the original version it might not play well in one evening, but the only surviving version is the 9-chapter version that Pathe released in Europe in 1916, now available on DVD from Grapevine. The print they located is a bit battered, but complete and in a lovely colored print. Go to their website and order one. Watch it with some friends. You won't regret it.