The Valley of the Giants (1919 film)
Encyclopedia
Valley of the Giants is a silent
drama film
, produced by Famous Players-Lasky
and distributed through Paramount Pictures
. It is based on Peter B. Kyne
's popular novel. James Cruze
was the director and Wallace Reid
the star.
to deaden his pain and to keep working. This resulted in Reid's addiction to morphine which caused his death at age 31 on January 18, 1923.
.
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...
drama film
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...
, produced by Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company created on July 19, 1916 from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company -- originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays -- and Jesse L...
and distributed through Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. It is based on Peter B. Kyne
Peter B. Kyne
Peter B. Kyne was an American novelist who wrote between 1904 and 1940. Many of his works were adapted into screenplays starting in the silent era, particularly his first novel, The Three Godfathers, which was published in 1913 and proved to be a huge success...
's popular novel. James Cruze
James Cruze
James Cruze was a silent film actor and film director.-Life:Cruze was born as Jens Vera Cruz Bosen. The Vera Cruz middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but did not practice the religion after his teenage years...
was the director and Wallace Reid
Wallace Reid
Wallace Reid was an actor in silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover".-Early life:Born William Wallace Reid in St...
the star.
Production background
On this picture, actor Reid was injured in a train wreck on the way to or during location shooting. This led the studio to prescribe the actor morphineMorphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
to deaden his pain and to keep working. This resulted in Reid's addiction to morphine which caused his death at age 31 on January 18, 1923.
Preservation status
This film was a lost film for 90 years until 2010 when a print was returned to the United States from Russia's Gosfilmofond archive. Flash titles or Russian language intertitles are in the process of being restored back into English by the Library of CongressLibrary 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...
.
Cast
- Wallace ReidWallace ReidWallace Reid was an actor in silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover".-Early life:Born William Wallace Reid in St...
- Bryce Cardigan - Grace DarmondGrace DarmondGrace Darmond was an American actress from the early 20th century.-Early life:Grace Darmond was born Grace Glionna in Toronto on November 20, 1893. Her parents were James Glionna, a U.S.-born musician who had lived in Canada since 1877, and Alice Glionna, an Ontario native.-Career:Darmond was...
- Shirley Sumner - William Brunton - Buck Ogilvy
- Charles OgleCharles Stanton OgleCharles Stanton Ogle was an American silent film actor.-Biography:Born in Steubenville, Ohio, Ogle first performed in live theatre, making his first appearance on Broadway in 1905. He embarked on a career in film with Edison Studios in The Bronx, New York in 1908, appearing in The Boston Tea Party...
- Cardigan - Ralph Lewis - Col. Pennington
- Alice TerryAlice TerryAlice Terry was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era, appearing in thirty-nine films between 1916 and 1933.-Career:...
- Mrs. Cardigan (billed as Alice Taafe) - Kay LaurellKay LaurellKay Laurell was an American actress. She appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies before moving on to plays and motion pictures. She died of pneumonia in London at the age of 37. She married Fox Film Company executive Winfield R. Sheehan in 1916.H.L...
- Moira McTavish - Jack HoxieJack HoxieJack Hoxie was an American rodeo performer and motion picture actor whose career was most prominent in the silent film era of the 1910s through the 1930s...
- Jules Rondeau (billed as Hart Hoxie) - Noah BeeryNoah Beery, Sr.Noah Nicholas Beery was an American actor, who appeared in films from 1913 to 1945.-Early life:His parents originally came from Switzerland. Beery was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He and his brothers William C. Beery and Wallace Beery became Hollywood actors...
- Black Minorca - Guy OliverGuy OliverGeorge Guy Oliver was an American actor. He appeared in at least 189 silent era motion pictures and 27 talkies in character roles between 1911 and 1931. His obituary gives him credit for at least 600. He directed three movies in 1915.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Oliver began his career as a...
- George Sea Otter - William H. Brown - Judge Moore(billed W.H. Brown)
- Richard Cummings - McTavish
- Virginia Foltz - Marcelle
- Ogden CraneOgden CraneOgden Crane was an American silent film actor.He starred with William Garwood in films such as Lord John in New York.-1920:*Sic-Em .... Stephen Hamilton...
- Mayor Poundstone - Lillian Mason - Mrs. Poundstone
