Rip Van Winkle (1910)

Rip Van Winkle, although a loving father to his little girl Meenie, and a hale-fellow-well-met with all his fellow townsmen, is being constantly scolded by his wife for leading an idle and ... See full summary »

Writer:

Washington Irving (story)

Stars:

Frank Hall Crane, Marie Eline

Cast

Cast overview:
Frank Hall Crane	...	Rip Van Winkle (as Frank H. Crane)
Marie Eline

Storyline

Rip Van Winkle, although a loving father to his little girl Meenie, and a hale-fellow-well-met with all his fellow townsmen, is being constantly scolded by his wife for leading an idle and profitless existence. Rip is also fond of the bottle, and spends the greater part of his time and money at the village tavern. Catching him entering the house late one night after a day's carouse, his wife Gretchen becomes thoroughly angry with him and drives him from the house. In the face of a terrible storm and with only his dog Schneider and his faithful rifle to protect him, Rip wanders toward the mountains. Here he comes across a band of Gnomes who are supposed to be the spirits of Heinrich Hudson and his merry men who disappeared near the Catskill Mountains, hundreds of years before, and had never been heard of since. The Gnomes give Rip some magic schnapps to drink, and under its influence he goes to sleep for twenty years. When he wakes, he is an old man and in ragged clothes, his dog is ...

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Plot Keywords:

character name in title | 

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Genres:

Drama | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 1910 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thanhouser Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

The stage manager understood what was required to make the background appear natural

Probably the story of Rip Van Winkle as told by Washington Irving will always be a delight. Surely the Rip Van Winkle, as depicted by the late Joseph Jefferson, will linger long in the memory of those fortunate enough to have seen it. Unquestionably, however, the third in the list of delights is this film from Thanhouser which tells the story over again in much the same way that Jefferson told it. The Rip of Jefferson and the Rip of Irving are two different persons, though both do substantially the same things. Maybe another can be added in the actor who performs the part so acceptably in this picture. The same situations are worked out, but there must be some difference since the scenes lack the spoken words. But the story is followed with fidelity to the original. There is Rip, his dog Schneider, Meenie and the scolding Gretchen who drives Rip out after a particularly flagrant bit of delay at the tavern. The picture is dramatic because the story it tells is dramatic. The actors have only to perform their parts and they make the drama. It is a good piece of work from every standpoint. The actors have entered into the spirit of the story and have depicted it with close adherence to the facts as they are related in the original. The stage manager understood what was required to make the background appear natural, while the photographer handled the camera with full knowledge of the requirements. The Moving Picture World, December 17, 1910