J. Gordon Edwards Movies

Celebrated Danish actress Betty Nansen starred in this modernized version of Sardou's 1887 drama La Tosca. Some of the names are changed, but the basic story, about a woman who agrees to sleep with a duplicitous police official in exchange for her lover's life, remained unchanged. Well photographed, the film relied heavily upon long, languorous dissolves and dreamy flashback sequences. In addition, star Nansen was evenly matched by Arthur Hoops in the role of her rebellious lover Scarpia. Perhaps not as memorable as Puccini's operatic version of La Tosca, Song of Hate was nonetheless quite well received upon its original release; alas, like all of director J. Gordon Edwards' films, this 6-reel Fox production no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mary Doone (Theda Bara) is a poor British girl who runs away from her adopted family because the father made a pass at her. She lives at a parish house, and at the outbreak of World War I, she becomes a Red Cross nurse. At the front she meets war correspondent Lloyd Stanley (Stuart Holmes). Stanley tries to have his way with her but she is saved when the hospital tent is bombed. To get away from Stanley, she takes on the clothes and identity of an (apparently) dead girl, Ethel Wardley (Madeleine Le Nard). Ethel was on her way to live with Lady Clifford (Lucia Moore), an aunt she has never seen. So that's where Mary goes. There she meets and falls in love with Ethel's cousin Elliott (A.H. Van Buren). They become engaged. But Ethel is not dead and she recovers from her wounds. She and Stanley head for the Clifford estate to blow Mary's cover. It doesn't matter, however, because Mary has already admitted the ruse, and the family has forgiven and accepted her anyhow. Bara was going through a very un-vampish period in her career during the time this film was made -- it was sandwiched between Under Two Flags and Romeo and Juliet. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

By 1917, Theda Bara had become one of the screen's biggest stars, and her fans had long been suggesting that she portray ancient Egypt's famed queen. So Bara's studio, Fox, shipped her out to Los Angeles for this spectacular production (all of her prior films had been shot on the East Coast). Bara did extensive research on the role, and she knew that Cleopatra was a cunning political leader; the studio, of course, played up the sex angle, so she comes across as a woman who, if she didn't sleep her way to the top, at least slept her way through the top. She first seduces Caesar (Fritz Leiber), then after his assassination, she turns her adversary Pharon (Albert Roscoe) into a lover. Finally, Marc Antony (Thurston Hall) tries to conquer Cleopatra but instead is conquered by her charms. Even marriage to Octavia (Genevieve Blinn) can't keep him from joining his destiny with the Queen of the Nile. It turns out to be his downfall, as Octavia's brother Octavius (Henri de Vries) opposes and defeats him, and he is forced to kill himself. Instead of using the dagger like Antony, Cleopatra prefers the drama of being bitten by a poisonous snake. The studio's publicity department had a field day with the promotion for this picture -- this was when they came up with the brilliant insight that the name "Theda Bara" was an anagram for "Arab Death." Bara herself went along with the fun, first claiming to be the reincarnation of a daughter of Seti, high priest of the pharaohs, and then insisting that in a past life she was Cleopatra herself. Years later, long after the end of her career, she gleefully admitted it was all a wonderful joke. Unfortunately, the film itself, which ran over two hours and was one of the top box office draws of 1917, has apparently been lost. This is especially tragic, since still photos of the elaborate sets and shockingly bare costumes only serve to heighten curiosity about this motion picture. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

You'd never know it from the title, but The Darling of Paris was a film version of Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame. The titular hunchback (played by the forgotten Glen White) is downplayed in favor of gypsy dancing girl Esmerelda, here played by movie vamp Theda Bara. Esmerelda essential innocence and naivety were probably beyond the range of Bara, but audiences in 1917 would have lined up to see the star in a movie adaptation of the Los Angeles City Directory. The spectacular elements of the story were adeptly handled by director J. Gordon Edwards, who later helmed Theda Bara's successor Betty Blythe in The Queen of Sheba. Like all of Edwards' films (and most of Bara's), The Darling of Paris no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The title character in Dumas' Camille is a Parisian courtesan, but the heroine is relatively sympathetic, especially when she gives up her aristocratic young lover Armand Duval (Albert Roscoe) "for his own good." Like many of Bara's "literary" vehicles, this 1917 version of Camille was directed by J. Gordon Edwards, the grandfather of Blake Edwards. The critic for the trade magazine Variety spoke for many when he noted that the zaftig Bara seemed a bit too "voluptuous" to play the consumptive heroine. This shortcoming was, however, common to practically all the cinemazations of Camille, with the possible exception of the 1936 Greta Garbo version. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Theda Bara doesn't do much vamping in her follow-up to Salome. She is Lillian Marchard, nursemaid to the lecherous Mortimer West (Joseph Swickard). While West makes disgusting advances towards Lillian, she pines for his son, Michael, who is a clergyman (Albert Roscoe). One night when the old man paws at Lillian, Michael walks in on them. He denounces Lillian, and the shock of the whole situation brings old man West to his death. Michael tells Lillian she is the cause of all this and throws her out. The disheartened girl transforms herself into a dancer named Poppea, and attracts the attention of Michael's cousin Reggie (Jack Rollens). Michael asks her to send the young man away. During their meeting, Poppea tries desperately to get back together with Michael, and she is successful. But Reggie has been spying on the two of them and he kills himself. Once again Michael blames the girl for this misfortune and leaves. At the end of her tether, Poppea decides to auction herself off to the highest bidder and then drink poison, but before she can end it all, she receives a bunch of lilies -- a peace offering from Michael, who finally realizes that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

By mid-1919, Theda Bara's career was on its downslide. The release of A Woman There Was all but killed it. This was a very weak attempt at casting her as something other than a "vampire." The plot was silly and dated -- Bara plays Princess Zara, who lives on a South Sea Island. A handsome young missionary (William B. Davidson) arrives and there is a romance, which is hindered by various complications including a poorly-staged typhoon. Zara is accidentally stabbed and killed, and the missionary goes home to the white girl who is waiting for him at home in England. Apparently this film no longer exists, but stills for it show Bara looking her worst -- she is overweight and her primitive costumes and wig make her look especially dumpy. It was the last film she made with director J. Gordon Edwards -- a sorry end to what was, overall, a very profitable working relationship. The films Bara and Edwards made together formed the peak of both their careers. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

In this Theda Bara spectacular, she plays one of history's most notorious vamps. Salome, a favorite of the Roman court, uses her feminine wiles to get anything she wants. The only man who doesn't fall for her tricks is John the Baptist (Albert Roscoe, who played the part clean-shaven). Salome wreaks havoc in the court until a banquet King Herod (G. Raymond Nye) holds for the captains of his army. John the Baptist is being held prisoner at the palace and Salome once again tries to make him succumb to her. When he turns a cold shoulder, she angrily leaves and offers to dance for Herod as long as he rewards her with anything she wants. He agrees and she dances. When she is done she asks for the head of John the Baptist. Even though Herod is horrified by this request, he accedes to her demand and his head is brought out on a platter. Salome kisses the dead man's lips and a monstrous storm rises up. Herod, believing that this is a sign from the God preached by John the Baptist, has Salome put to death. This was Bara's biggest release since Cleopatra, released a year earlier. Its sets were elaborate (although apparently not historically correct) and her costumes impressive. It was the star's last hurrah before her career began its downslide. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

In the late 1910s, star William Farnum played a number of Zane Grey characters. In this picture he is Buck Duane, last of a clan known for being quick on the trigger. Though after the death of his father, it looked like the Duanes were going to die out without any more killings, the vengeful Cal Bain (Henry J. Herbert) comes along, and forces Buck to do him in. So Buck heads for the hills to avoid the Texas Rangers and falls in with some outlaws. The leader, Bland (Clarence Burton), has in his possession an abused girl, Jenny Lee (Louise Lovely), who he is saving for his own wicked purposes. Finally Buck gets word that the Rangers promise not to harm him if he will talk with them, so he goes. They tell him that he will be pardoned if he brings in a gang which includes desperado Poggin (G. Raymond Nye). This he does, suffering quite a few wounds in the process. The end of the picture shows Jenny and her mother (Genevieve Blinn) pulling him from a train on a stretcher. The film ends rather abruptly with a subtitle explaining that Buck recovers and spawns a large family -- which implies that he wasn't the last of the Duanes after all. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This drama of romance and adventure is based on the story by Louis Tracy. Captain Robert Anstruther (William Farnum) is stationed at a British garrison in Singapore. Lady Costabel (Genevieve Blinn), the wife of the Colonel (Hershall Mayall), is having an affair with one of the other enlisted men, Lord Ventnor (Frank Elliott). Anstruther tries to stop the adulterous pair, who make him appear to be the guilty party, and he is thrown out of the service in disgrace. Under an assumed name, he enlists as a sailor on a ship belonging to Sir Arthur Deane (Harry DeVere). A storm blows up and wrecks the ship, and Anstruther rescues Deane's daughter Iris (Louise Lovely). He takes care of her on a deserted island until they are rescued by her father and her suitor -- who happens to be Ventnor. Ventnor is furious when Iris says she is engaged to Anstruther, but Lady Costabel is even angrier that he went off in search of the girl; she tells her husband the truth and Anstruther is vindicated. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

In this melodrama, the usually virile William Farnum was cast against type as a violinist who is devoted to his sister. Pierre Fournel (Farnum) and his sister Gabrielle (Betty Milburn) are residents of a Quebec village. Gabrielle is married to Rouget (Rowland G. Edwards), a ne'er-do-well who is merely taking advantage of her. Kathleen Noyes, a New York society girl (Gladys Coburn), comes to the village and is entranced by Fournel's violin playing. Her fiancé Rupert Blake (Robert Cain) is furiously jealous, and plots with Rouget to destroy Fournel's reputation. When he travels to New York, Fournel learns that Rouget isn't married to Gabrielle after all. In addition, Fournel is falsely accused of theft. He clears up the charge, then goes to Quebec and gives Rouget a sound thrashing (finally showing some of that Farnum feistiness). Rouget reforms and does right by Gabrielle. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Don Caesar de Bazan (William Farnum) falls in love with Maritana (Estelle Taylor), when he sees her dancing before Queen Isabel's court. But Prime Minister Don Jose (Paul Cazeneuve) has other plans for the girl -- he wants to use her to compromise King Charles (Harry Southard), so that the queen (Dorothy Drake) will fall into his hands. To further his plan, Don Jose has Don Caesar jailed for dueling and tells Maritana he will be pardoned if she marries him. She readily complies, but the Prime Minister just wanted her to have a title to make her more attractive to the king. After the ceremony, he sends Don Caesar to be executed. The villain doesn't realize that a boy who Don Caesar has befriended has loaded the soldier's guns with blanks. Don Caesar "miraculously" comes back to life, exposes the Prime Minister's intrigues and wins the ministership (he's already won the girl). In early 1920, nobody was much interested in costume dramas (rarely a popular medium in film, really), so the trades tried to sell this picture -- based on a famous play, Don Caesar de Bazan), by E. Lloyd Sheldon -- with its action quotient, which included a lot of swordplay. Of course, when Douglas Fairbanks' The Mark of Zorro came out later in the year, this kind of swashbuckling adventure tale became classic cinematic fare. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi