4 Devils (1928)

Four orphans, raised by an aging clown, becomes a high wire act in a circus.

Director:

F.W. Murnau

Writers:

Berthold Viertel (adaptation), Herman Bang (story "De Fire Djaevle")

Stars:

Janet Gaynor, Mary Duncan, Charles Morton

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Janet Gaynor	...	Marion
Mary Duncan	...	The Lady
Charles Morton	...	Charles
Barry Norton	...	Adolf
Nancy Drexel	...	Louise
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	The Clown
Anders Randolf	...	Cecchi
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
E.H. Calvert
André Cheron	...	Old Roue
George Davis	...	Mean Clown
Philippe De Lacy	...	Adolf - as a Boy
Wesley Lake	...	Old Clown
Anita Louise	...	Louise - as a Girl (as Anita Fremault)
Claire McDowell	...	Woman
Jack Parker	...	Charles - as a Boy

Storyline

Four orphans, raised by an aging clown, becomes a high wire act in a circus.

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Plot Keywords:

lost film | younger version of character | daughter | mother | trapeze artist | 

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Taglines:

They'll all be talking about MARY DUNCAN She's the girl you can't forget in this new FOX masterpiece (Print Ad- Yonkers Statesman, ((Yonkers NY)) 13 December 1929)

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film historian and collector William K. Everson stated that the only surviving print was lost by actress Mary Duncan, who had borrowed it from Fox Films. In the December 1974 issue of "Films in Review," he explained that Duncan, one of the film's stars, wanted it to show to a group of friends in Florida. The star was aware that it was a dangerous nitrate print and assumed that Fox had others. She threw the only copy in the ocean, a mistake characterized by Everson as "a monumental blunder to rank with Balaclava, Sarajevo, and the Fall of Babylon as one of history's blackest moments."

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Connections

Edited into Murnau's 4 Devils: Traces of a Lost Film (2003)

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Soundtracks

Destiny
Lyrics by Lew Pollack
Music by Erno Rapee
Copyright 1928 by DeSylva, Brown & Henderson, Inc

User Reviews

Lost Film

I am only responding to a piecemeal recreation of the film (which is no more) and the work of Murnau. It is a highly melodramatic circus film where four orphans have lived their lives with a circus clown after their parents died performing. One of them, the handsome one, gets pulled in by a vamp who pretty much ruins his desire to perform, leaving the family behind. That's the setup. Of course, Murnau made it well and brought it above the tawdry.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1929 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Four Devils

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min (sound) 97 min (silent)

Sound Mix:

Mono (MovieTone) (talking sequences)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1