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The White Sister

  • 19231923
  • 2h 23m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
466
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The White Sister (1923)
  • Drama
  • Romance
A young woman becomes a nun when she believes her sweetheart has been killed, then things get complicated when he returns alive.A young woman becomes a nun when she believes her sweetheart has been killed, then things get complicated when he returns alive.A young woman becomes a nun when she believes her sweetheart has been killed, then things get complicated when he returns alive.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
466
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Henry King
  • Writers
    • Francis Marion Crawford(novel)
    • George V. Hobart
    • Charles E. Whittaker
  • Stars
    • Lillian Gish
    • Ronald Colman
    • Gail Kane
Top credits
  • Director
    • Henry King
  • Writers
    • Francis Marion Crawford(novel)
    • George V. Hobart
    • Charles E. Whittaker
  • Stars
    • Lillian Gish
    • Ronald Colman
    • Gail Kane
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 19User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos62

    The White Sister (1923)
    The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish and Gail Kane in The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish in The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish in The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish and Ronald Colman in The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish in The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish in The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish in The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish in The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish and Ronald Colman in The White Sister (1923)
    Lillian Gish and Ronald Colman in The White Sister (1923)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lillian Gish
    Lillian Gish
    • Angela Chiaromonteas Angela Chiaromonte
    Ronald Colman
    Ronald Colman
    • Capt. Giovanni Severinias Capt. Giovanni Severini
    Gail Kane
    Gail Kane
    • Marchesa di Molaas Marchesa di Mola
    J. Barney Sherry
    J. Barney Sherry
    • Monsignor Saracinescaas Monsignor Saracinesca
    Charles Lane
    • Prince Chiaromonteas Prince Chiaromonte
    Juliette La Violette
    • Madame Bernardas Madame Bernard
    Gustavo Serena
    Gustavo Serena
    • Prof. Ugo Severias Prof. Ugo Severi
    • (as Signor Serena)
    Alfredo Bertone
    • Filmore Durandas Filmore Durand
    Roman Ibanez
    • Count del Fericeas Count del Ferice
    Alfredo Martinelli
    • Alfredo del Fericeas Alfredo del Ferice
    Ida Carloni Talli
    • Mother Superioras Mother Superior
    • (as Carloni Talli)
    Giovanni Viccola
    • Gen. Mazzinias Gen. Mazzini
    Antonio Barda
    • Alfredo's Tutoras Alfredo's Tutor
    Giacomo D'Attino
    • Solicitor to the Princeas Solicitor to the Prince
    Michele Gualdi
    • Solicitor to Countas Solicitor to Count
    Giuseppe Pavoni
    • The Archbishopas The Archbishop
    Francesco Socinus
    • Prof. Torricellias Prof. Torricelli
    Sheik Mahomet
    • The Bedouin Chiefas The Bedouin Chief
    • Director
      • Henry King
    • Writers
      • Francis Marion Crawford(novel)
      • George V. Hobart
      • Charles E. Whittaker
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Lillian Gish is the daughter of a rich Italian count who is killed in a fall from his horse. Though Lillian stands to inherit a large estate, her older half-sister burns the will and thus inherits the property herself, throwing Lillian into poverty. Fortunately, she is engaged to marry the dashing officer Ronald Coleman, but he is captured by Arabs on an expedition to Africa. Dedicating her life to his memory, Lillian becomes a nun, unaware that her lover has escaped his captors and returning to Italy! The climax takes place against a backdrop of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. —Ed Lengel <egl2r@faraday.clas.virginia.edu>
    • nun
    • italy
    • female protagonist
    • monsignor
    • convent
    • 5 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • LILLIAN GISH! What a flood of pleasant memories rushes along at the mere mention of her name! YOU sympathized with her in "The Birth of a Nation." YOU suffered with her in "Hearts of the World." YOU pitied her in "Broken Blossoms." YOU cried over her in "Orphans of the Storm." YOU actually cheered her in "Way Down East." Now when you see her in Henry King's production of "The White Sister" you will be thrilled, captivated, and exalted as never before.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Romance
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film's world premiere was held at the 44th Street Theatre in New York on 5 September 1923. (Evening Telegram, New York, N.Y., 5 September 1923)
    • Quotes

      Angela Chiaromonte: Death was jealous of me.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Century of Cinema: Die Nacht der Regisseure (1995)

    User reviews19

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Gish & Colman - Without Peer!
    After reading pixie's review when she watched the 1923 or 1933 version of The White Sister, where she watched it at 3AM with her elderly grandmother, I brought it to my 90 year old mother to watch together today. We are both hard-of-hearing so we enjoy silent flicks very much. My mother could not get over the tenderness and pathos as we watched it twice. I highly recommend that you view this film next time it's on TCM, as it's not available in DVD. Colman does a superb job of sensitivity and frustration and Gish's conflict of spirit, soul and body are without peer.

    It is interesting to note that the director who was cast to handle this film went to a Broadway play with Gish and saw Colman performing in a play. Immediately they scratched their intended leading man and whisked him away to Italy to star with Gish. Mussolini had just seized power in an unstable Italy after WWI. The scenery at Villa D'Este is spectacular! You won't be disappointed! (I look forward to TCM airing the 1933 version with Gable/Hayes. However, the silent one is an exemplary job of actors relying solely on their eyes and facial expressions.)
    helpful•12
    0
    • lainie316
    • Jun 14, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 5, 1923 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Bela sestra
    • Filming locations
      • Algeria
    • Production company
      • Inspiration Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $657,532
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

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    1 of the Greatest Actors of the Studio Era Has His TCM Month
    Jul 21Alt Film Guide
    Ronald Colman Movie Schedule: Lost Horizon, Her Night Of Romance, Raffles
    Aug 4Alt Film Guide

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