A young American has her ship torpedoed by a German U-boat but makes it back to ancestral home in France, where she witnesses German brutality firsthand.
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Title: The Little American (1917)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Mary Pickford | ... | Angela Moore | |
| Jack Holt | ... | Karl von Austreim | |
| Raymond Hatton | ... | Count Jules de Destin | |
| Hobart Bosworth | ... | German Colonel | |
| Walter Long | ... | German Captain | |
| James Neill | ... | Senator John Moore | |
| Ben Alexander | ... | Bobby Moore | |
| Guy Oliver | ... | Frederick von Austreim | |
| Edythe Chapman | ... | Mrs. von Austreim | |
| Lillian Leighton | ... | Angela's Great Aunt | |
| DeWitt Jennings | ... | English Barrister | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
German-American Karl and French-American Jules are in love with Angela when each returns to his country as war breaks out. She sails for France and while there is nearly raped by Karl as the Germans invade. She is later arrested for sending secret messages to Jules but Karl defends her. Both are saved from execution by the arrival of the French forces and Count Jules Written by Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Taglines:
The silent sufferers. See more »Certificate:
Not RatedParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
12 July 1917 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
A Pequena Americana See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$166,949 (estimated)Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$446,237Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
SilentColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
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Did You Know?
Goofs
When Angela is returning to her bedroom after taking of the German commander's boots, the shot of her approaching the door is shown twice. See more »Quotes
Angela Moore: [To Karl] If there's a spark of manhood left in you - go and save those women!See more »
Alternate Versions
The George Eastman House version in their Motion Picture Study Collection has an uncredited piano score and runs 76 minutes. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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This film is blatantly an anti-German propaganda film to which audiences flocked because America declared war on Germany a few months before its release. It's very effective even today, as I found myself despising the Germans for their actions, which included killing civilians and raping some women. Mary Pickford plays the title character, uncharacteristically a grown woman instead of a child she played in most of her films during the silent era. She is wooed by German-American Jack Holt and French-American Raymond Hatton when war breaks out in 1914. The Germans are depicted as being overly brutal.
There was one scene that made me laugh, when the Germans break the door down to enter her aunt's home. Mary tells them in deadly ernest while waving a small American flag, "Gentlemen - you are breaking into the home of an American citizen - I must ask you to leave." The Germans, led by Walter Long, roared with laughter too. I couldn't decide if it was comic relief or if you were suppose to sympathize with Mary.
I rather enjoyed the film for what it was. It was paced well by DeMille and the acting was fine but typical of early silents. Walter Long made a good heavy - he can sneer with the best of them.
You may notice in the cast list some famous names (Wallace Beery, Ramon Novarro, etc.) without character names. You never actually see these actors, but they are known to have been in the film from various writings, including DeMille's autobiography.