The Leopard Woman
Encyclopedia
The Leopard Woman is a 1920
silent era
adventure
/romance
/drama
motion picture
starring Louise Glaum
, House Peters
, and Noble Johnson
.
Directed
by Wesley Ruggles and produced
by J. Parker Read, Jr., the screenplay
was adapted
by H. Tipton Steck and Stanley C. Morse based on the novel The Leopard Woman (1916) by Stewart Edward White
.
The first release
of Associated Producers, Inc., the movie was filmed at Thomas H. Ince Studios in Culver City
. Additional scenes were shot in the desert near Palm Springs
.
According to news items of the day, the cast included "several hundred Africans, Egyptians and others."
in Africa. Two rival European governments have sent secret agent
s to the uncivilized kingdom of M'tela. British agent John Culbertson (played by Peters) survives an attempt on his life and leads a safari from Bajuma, on the edge of the desert, to the savage kingdom.
An agent of the rival government, Madame (played by Glaum), who is known as the "Leopard Woman," is also leading a safari to M'tela. Her mission is to prevent the Englishman from reaching the kingdom. The two parties meet in the desert. The Leopard Woman's men are exhausted and dehydrated and she is forced to seek Culbertson's help.
The Leopard Woman then feigns illness and manages to fulfill her promise to delay Culbertson. Although her government has given her orders to kill him, she falls in love with him. After they make love, he spurns her. She is enraged and orders her servant, Chaké (played by Johnson), to kill him. The attempt fails, however, and the Leopard Woman is relieved. She has decided that she really loves him after all.
Culbertson then loses his sight due to overexposure to the sun and his progress is delayed further. The Leopard Woman smashes his bottle of medicine in the hope of forcing him to return to Bajuma. Despite his blindness, Culbertson is determined to complete his mission and goes on to M'tela.
With the help of a record player, Culbertson forms an alliance between the primitive tribe and Britain. Choosing love over her duty as a foreign rival, the Leopard Woman sends Chaké to find the British military surgeon. When his sight is restored, Culbertson declares his love for her.
review
of Thursday, December 9, 1920, reads:
1920 in film
The year 1920 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 27 - The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks opens.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1920:U.S.A. unless stated*The $1,000,000 Reward...
silent era
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
adventure
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
/romance
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
/drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring Louise Glaum
Louise Glaum
Louise Glaum was an American actress. Best known for her role as a femme fatale in silent era motion picture dramas, she was credited with giving one of the best characterizations of a vamp in her early career....
, House Peters
House Peters, Sr.
Robert House Peters, Sr. was a British-born American silent film actor, known to moviegoers of the era as "The Star of a Thousand Emotions."-Biography:...
, and Noble Johnson
Noble Johnson
Noble Johnson was an African American actor and film producer.-Biography:Standing 6'2" at 215 pounds, his impressive physique and handsome features made him in demand as a character actor and bit player...
.
Directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Wesley Ruggles and produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
by J. Parker Read, Jr., the screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
was adapted
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
by H. Tipton Steck and Stanley C. Morse based on the novel The Leopard Woman (1916) by Stewart Edward White
Stewart Edward White
Stewart Edward White was an American author.-Biography:Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan he attended Grand Rapids High School, and earned degrees from University of Michigan ....
.
The first release
Film release
A film release is the stage at which a completed film is legally authorized by its owner for public distribution.The process includes locating a distributor to handle the film...
of Associated Producers, Inc., the movie was filmed at Thomas H. Ince Studios in Culver City
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
. Additional scenes were shot in the desert near Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
.
According to news items of the day, the cast included "several hundred Africans, Egyptians and others."
Synopsis
The story is setSetting (fiction)
In fiction, setting includes the time, location, and everything in which a story takes place, and initiates the main backdrop and mood for a story. Setting has been referred to as story world or milieu to include a context beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may...
in Africa. Two rival European governments have sent secret agent
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
s to the uncivilized kingdom of M'tela. British agent John Culbertson (played by Peters) survives an attempt on his life and leads a safari from Bajuma, on the edge of the desert, to the savage kingdom.
An agent of the rival government, Madame (played by Glaum), who is known as the "Leopard Woman," is also leading a safari to M'tela. Her mission is to prevent the Englishman from reaching the kingdom. The two parties meet in the desert. The Leopard Woman's men are exhausted and dehydrated and she is forced to seek Culbertson's help.
The Leopard Woman then feigns illness and manages to fulfill her promise to delay Culbertson. Although her government has given her orders to kill him, she falls in love with him. After they make love, he spurns her. She is enraged and orders her servant, Chaké (played by Johnson), to kill him. The attempt fails, however, and the Leopard Woman is relieved. She has decided that she really loves him after all.
Culbertson then loses his sight due to overexposure to the sun and his progress is delayed further. The Leopard Woman smashes his bottle of medicine in the hope of forcing him to return to Bajuma. Despite his blindness, Culbertson is determined to complete his mission and goes on to M'tela.
With the help of a record player, Culbertson forms an alliance between the primitive tribe and Britain. Choosing love over her duty as a foreign rival, the Leopard Woman sends Chaké to find the British military surgeon. When his sight is restored, Culbertson declares his love for her.
Cast
- Louise GlaumLouise GlaumLouise Glaum was an American actress. Best known for her role as a femme fatale in silent era motion picture dramas, she was credited with giving one of the best characterizations of a vamp in her early career....
as Madame, the Leopard Woman - House PetersHouse Peters, Sr.Robert House Peters, Sr. was a British-born American silent film actor, known to moviegoers of the era as "The Star of a Thousand Emotions."-Biography:...
as John Culbertson - Noble JohnsonNoble JohnsonNoble Johnson was an African American actor and film producer.-Biography:Standing 6'2" at 215 pounds, his impressive physique and handsome features made him in demand as a character actor and bit player...
as Chaké, Madame's servant - Alfred Hollingsworth in an undetermined role (uncredited)
Reviews
A Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
review
Film criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
of Thursday, December 9, 1920, reads:
"The Leopard Woman, romance of intrigue, conquest and mystery, is at the Walker Theater. Louise Glaum appears as the seductive enchantress whose wiles fall short of their mark when love destroys her aim. The photoplay was made from Stewart Edward White's story of the African veldtVeldThe term Veld refers primarily to the wide open rural spaces of South Africa or southern Africa and in particular to certain flatter areas or districts covered in grass or low scrub...
, and has been given a picturesque setting. Playing opposite the star is House Peters, who gives a delineation of the American scientist-explorer whose duty is stronger than love."
External links
- The Leopard Woman at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- The Leopard Woman at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films