The Devil (1918

1918 in film

The year 1918 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Following litigation for anti-trust activities, the US Supreme Court orders the Motion Picture Patents Company to disband....

) Hungarian film

Cinema of Hungary

Hungary has had a notable cinema industry from the beginning of the 20th century, with Hungarians who affected the world of motion picture both inside and outside the borders...

 directed by Michael Curtiz

Michael Curtiz

Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...

. Later, the film was shot for American audiences by "Franz" Ferenc Molnar

Ferenc Molnár

LanguageFerenc Molnár was a Hungarian dramatist and novelist. His Americanized name was Franz Molnar...

, in 1921 and starring George Arliss

George Arliss

George Arliss was an English actor, author and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award.-Life and career:...

, in his film debut.

This film was considered to be a lost film

Lost film

A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...

. However, the film was recently rediscovered and is currently being edited and remastered for release in 2011.

Production background

From the original ad campaign, "Here is a story mounted in settings and scenes of splendor and luxury. A story that is as old as yesterday; as true as today; and as new as tomorrow. A production of real mark and unexcelled distinction. As the central figure George Arliss is an unforgettable picture of fiendish, subtle, domineering and diabolic ingenuity; of cunning, sardonic and unrelenting resourcefulness. Yet he is the suave, charming, polished and artistic Devil."

This satiric drama based on the 1908 play by Ferenc Molnar

Ferenc Molnár

LanguageFerenc Molnár was a Hungarian dramatist and novelist. His Americanized name was Franz Molnar...

 that launched Arliss on Broadway and was used to entice him into his very first (of many) film. Earlier version were made by no less than Thomas Edison and D.W. Griffith! Original play title, "The Devil; A Comedy in Three Acts." In an interview from Motion Picture World, January 1921, Mr. Arliss told reporters he decided to go into films after being impressed by the work of Charles Chaplin. The director then made a screen test to show Arliss how intimate the camera was and how it exaggerated gestures. Arliss said films would probably lead to better acting on the stage when actors could study their technique on the big screen.

Plot

Dr. Muller (Arliss), a friend to all, finds pleasure in turning the goodness in people to evil ends. He meets Marie Matin (Lucy Cotton) and her fiancé, George Roben (Roland Bottomley), while viewing a new painting, "The Martyr-Truth Crucified by Evil." Marie declares that the picture was wrong-evil could never triumph over truth-and though Muller says he agrees with her, he plots to prove otherwise. To this end, he entangles Marie with artist Paul de Veaux (Edmund Lowe), Georges's best friend, causing the latter's model, Mimi (Sylvia Breamer), to become jealous. Georges, believing that he is standing between Paul and Marie, releases Marie from her engagement. Marie finds Paul and Mimi alone together late one evening and turns back to Georges, whom she marries. This does not discourage Muller, who but for Marie's purity almost succeeds in his evil designs. As a last resort, Muller lures Marie to his apartment to trick her. There in a moment of dramatic conflict, she prays for help; a vision of a shining cross appears; and Muller is consumed in flames. Note: This was also the first film for Fredric March and Mrs. George Arliss.

Preservation status

This once lost film has recently been rediscovered and is now being restored by the Library of Congress

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...

 Motion Picture Conservation Center in Dayton, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

.

On a 2010 episode of The History Channel

The History Channel

History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...

 series American Pickers

American Pickers

American Pickers is an American reality television series that premiered on January 18, 2010 on History Channel. The series began running concurrently on sister channel Lifetime in December 2010.-Summary and reception:...

the show's hosts are invited to search under the stage of a turn of the century theater and film hall. Under the stage, they find a dusty stack of old movie posters, the main and most vivid being a forgotten poster for the 1921 version of The Devil.