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The White Sister

  • 1923
  • 2h 23m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
483
YOUR RATING
The White Sister (1923)
DramaRomance

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.

  • Director
    • Henry King
  • Writers
    • Francis Marion Crawford
    • George V. Hobart
    • Charles E. Whittaker
  • Stars
    • Lillian Gish
    • Ronald Colman
    • Gail Kane
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    483
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Henry King
    • Writers
      • Francis Marion Crawford
      • George V. Hobart
      • Charles E. Whittaker
    • Stars
      • Lillian Gish
      • Ronald Colman
      • Gail Kane
    • 20User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos61

    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 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)
    Lillian Gish in The White Sister (1923)

    Top cast

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

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    Storyline

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    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 reviews20

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Lillian Takes Her Vows
    This second version of The White Sister, an earlier silent was done in 1915 was the first project of the Gish sisters after they had left the paternal care of D.W. Griffith. Lillian Gish spared no expense in this very long silent film, 123 minutes was quite a demand on the audience's attention. She and director Henry King took the principal cast members to Italy to film on location, something rarely done back in that day.

    Gish and King also personally selected their leading man in Ronald Colman who had appeared in several British silents and one American feature before The White Sister. According to the Citadel Film series book, The Films of Ronald Colman, Gish and King saw him on the stage.

    Now Ronald Colman had one of the greatest speaking voices in the English language, something we know since the advent of talkies and Colman's sound debut in Bulldog Drummond. But what attracted Gish and King to him was the swarthiness of his complexion, they thought he would pass convincingly for an Italian on the silent screen.

    He and Gish made a fine screen team. The story today is rather old fashioned and Gish's saintliness is a bit much at times. Still the film does hold up well.

    Gish is the younger half sister of Gail Kane and both are the daughters of Italian duke Charles Lane. When Lane is killed during a hunting accident, Kane quickly finds her father's will and burns it, effectively disinheriting Gish who was they used to say, born on the wrong side of the blanket.

    Gish's Catholic faith sees her through the crisis and also the love of young officer Ronald Colman who originally was Kane's guy. Later on he's chosen to head a military mission to North Africa in what is now Libya. This was in the colonial expansionist period in the 19th century in a newly united Italy. But he's reported killed and Gish in her grief surrenders herself to her religion and becomes a nun.

    That's as far as I'll go, the ending is not typical of Hollywood normally would give its audience. Still the loose ends of the plot are neatly tied together.

    I'm surprised Gail Kane did not come out of this film with a bigger reputation. Her portrayal what might be called the Black Sister is really quite good.

    The location cinematography in Italy is first rate and the special effects with Versuvius erupting and a dam bursting for its time are also nicely done. The White Sister is worth a look, I think it's better than the 1933 sound version with Clark Gable and Helen Hayes.
    helpful•13
    1
    • bkoganbing
    • May 31, 2009

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 12, 1925 (Denmark)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Bela sestra
    • Filming locations
      • Algeria
    • Production company
      • Inspiration Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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

    Technical specs

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

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