The Kaiser's Shadow is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Roy William Neill and written by Octavus Roy Cohen and J.U. Giesy. The film stars Dorothy Dalton, Thurston Hall, Edward Cecil, Leota Lorraine, Otto Hoffman, and Charles K. French. The film was released on July 1, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.[1][2] It is not known whether the film currently survives.[3]
| The Kaiser's Shadow | |
|---|---|
_-_2.jpg) Film still | |
| Directed by | Roy William Neill |
| Screenplay by | Octavus Roy Cohen John Ulrich Giesy |
| Produced by | Thomas H. Ince |
| Starring | Dorothy Dalton Thurston Hall Edward Cecil Leota Lorraine Otto Hoffman Charles K. French |
| Cinematography | John Stumar |
Production company | Thomas H. Ince Corporation |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 50 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editAs described in a film magazine,[4] a love affair between Paula Harris (Dalton) and Hugo Wagner (Hall), begun in Wilhemstrasse, continues in America where the two, as German spies, obtain employment in the home of Dorothy Robinson (Lorraine), fiance of Clement Boyd (Cecil), an inventor who perfected a rifle. On their wedding day Clement and Dorothy are spirited away to the home of Professor Fredeerick Fischer, a cog in the German spy system. A search of Clement fails to find the plans for the rifle, and Hugo and Paula, who conducted the abduction, are told that they bungled it and will have to answer to "his excellence". The torture of Clement by "his excellence" is halted when Paula tears the mask from his face, exposing William Kremlin (French), a respected citizen. Men from the U.S. secret service arrive and the leaders of the band are killed while the others are taken into custody. Subsequent revelations show that Paula and Hugo were actually both in the service of the Allies and their romance culminates.
Cast
edit- Dorothy Dalton as Paula Harris
- Thurston Hall as Hugo Wagner
- Edward Cecil as Clement Boyd
- Leota Lorraine as Dorothy Robinson
- Otto Hoffman as Fredeerick Fischer
- Charles K. French as William Kremlin
Reception
editLike many American films of the time, The Kaiser's Shadow was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors cut, in Reel 2, three scenes of chloroforming a young woman and, in Reel 5, the shooting of a police officer.[5]
References
edit- ^ Hal Erickson (2015). "The-Kaiser-s-Shadow - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ "The Kaiser's Shadow". AFI. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Kaiser’s Shadow; or, The Triple Cross at silentera.com
- ^ "Reviews: The Kaiser's Shadow". Exhibitors Herald. 7 (4). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 39. July 20, 1918.
- ^ "Official Cut-Outs by the Chicago Board of Censors". Exhibitors Herald. 7 (5): 43. July 27, 1918.
External links
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