The Beautiful City (1925 film)

The Beautiful City is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Kenneth Webb and starring Richard Barthelmess, Dorothy Gish, and William Powell.[1] For their mother's sake, a man takes the blame for a robbery committed by his brother and his brother's gangster boss.

The Beautiful City
Lobby card
Directed byKenneth Webb
Written byC. Graham Baker (screenplay and titles)
Don Bartlett (screenplay and titles)
Violet E. Powell (adaptation)
Story byEdmund Goulding
StarringRichard Barthelmess
Dorothy Gish
William Powell
CinematographyStuart Kelson
Roy Overbaugh
Edited byWilliam Hamilton
Production
company
Inspiration Pictures
Distributed byFirst National Pictures
Release date
  • October 25, 1925 (1925-10-25)
Running time
7 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Plot

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As described in a film magazine review,[2] Tony, a young Italian flower vendor who is in love with Mollie, a young Irish neighbor woman, becomes involved in a series of dangerous events by trying to reclaim his brother, who has fallen under the influence of a gangster-theatre manager. After hard fighting, the youth’s brother is turned from evil. Then the flower seller learns the beauty of his city and finds happiness with the young woman.

Cast

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Reception

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Mordaunt Hall gave a generally unfavorable review in The New York Times, calling The Beautiful City "quite a disappointing production. ... the story would have to be greatly improved to make it entertaining."[3] However, he did note that, "William Powell makes the villainy as impressive as possible."[3]

Preservation

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With no prints of The Beautiful City located in any film archives,[4] it is a lost film.

References

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  1. ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Beautiful City at silentera.com
  2. ^ "New Pictures: The Beautiful City", Exhibitors Herald, 23 (8), Chicago, Illinois: Exhibitors Herald Company: 60, November 14, 1925, retrieved November 7, 2022   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b Mordaunt Hall (November 23, 1925). "The Screen". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Beautiful City
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