The Dove is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Roland West based on a 1925 Broadway play by Willard Mack and starring Norma Talmadge, Noah Beery, and Gilbert Roland.[1]

The Dove
Theatrical poster
Directed byRoland West
Written byGerald Beaumont (story)
Roland West (adaptation)
Wallace Smith (adaptation, intertitles)
Based onThe Dove
by Willard Mack
Produced byNorma Talmadge
Joseph M. Schenck
StarringNorma Talmadge
Noah Beery
Gilbert Roland
CinematographyOliver T. Marsh
Edited byHal C. Kern
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • December 31, 1927 (1927-12-31)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Background

edit

The original story is about Mexican despot Don José (Beery), who falls in love with the dancing girl Dolores (Talmadge) who rejects him. Due to the potential political repercussions of condemning Mexico, it was decided to relocate the plot to some anonymous Mediterranean country. The film was Norma Talmadge's first feature for United Artists.[2]

Plot

edit

A despot falls for a dancing girl. After she rejects him, she has her other beau framed for murder.[3]

Cast

edit

Recognition

edit

Though the film was not well received, William Cameron Menzies won the first Academy Award for Best Art Direction in 1928 for this film[1] and Tempest, though the award was then called "Interior Decoration."[4]

In 1932, Herbert Brenon directed a new talkie version named Girl of the Rio, starred by Dolores del Río for RKO Radio Pictures.

Awards and nominations

edit

The Dove won the 1929 Academy Award for Best Art Direction for William Cameron Menzies.[1][5]

Preservation

edit

Prints of The Dove are located in the collections of the Library of Congress and Swedish Film Institute.[6] The Library of Congress has reels 1, 3, 4, and 8, and is missing reels 2, 5, 6, 7, and 9.[7][8]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Reid, John (2004). Award-Winning Films of the 1930s. Lulu.com. p. 69. ISBN 9781411614321.
  2. ^ "Norma Talmadge in The Dove". St. Petersberg Times. Google archives. April 1, 1928. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  3. ^ The Dove, retrieved September 8, 2019
  4. ^ "NY Times: The Dove". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  5. ^ "The 1st Academy Awards (1929) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. October 8, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  6. ^ Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Dove
  7. ^ Anna May Wong: A Complete guide to Her Film, Stage, Radio and Television Work by Philip Leibfried and Chei Mi Lane page 59 c.2004
  8. ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Dove at silentera.com
edit