Geraldine Farrar Movies
In her heyday beautiful New York Met opera star Geraldine Farrar sang with Caruso and was wooed by the composers Puccini and Toscannini. In addition to her distinguished international singing career as a soprano, Farrar also appeared in a few silent films. In cinema, she first worked with Cecil B. De Mille and starred opposite Wallace Reid, but later she worked with others. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1917
This typically overbaked Cecil B. DeMille opus takes place off the seacoast of Brittany. While ambling along the beach, peasant maiden Marcia Manot (Geraldine Farrar) finds the Devil Stone, a "cursed" emerald that originally belonged to a Viking Queen. Marcia doesn't realize the emerald's value, but mercenary American Silas Martin (Tully Marshall) does, and to get possession of the gem he marries the girl. Once he's gotten what he wants, Martin conspires with his business manager Guy Sterling (Wallace Reid) to frame Marcia on adultery charges and then sue for divorce. But Sterling has a change of heart, and informs Marcia of Martin's plans. Angrily attempting to retrieve the emerald, Marcia accidentally kills her hateful husband. Detective Robert Judson (Hobart Bosworth) quickly figures out who murdered Martin, but out of sympathy for Marcia he merely advises her to get rid of the Devil Stone and marry Sterling, who by now has fallen in love with her. The Devil Stone was the last of opera diva Geraldine Farrars starring vehicles for Cecil B. DeMille, though it was far from her final screen appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1917
With the exception of Joan the Woman, which contained a "contemporary" subplot, The Woman God Forgot was Cecil B. DeMille's first all-out historical spectacular. The story is set in Mexico during the reign of Emperor Montezuma (Raymond Hatton). Upon his arrival on Mexican soil, Spanish conquistador Cortez (Hobart Bosworth) sends Captain Alvarado (Wallace Reid) to the imperial palace with a demand for Montezuma's surrender. The emperor immediately puts Alvarado in chains, but he is rescued by Montezuma's daughter Tecza (Geraldine Farrar), who has fallen in love with the young Spaniard. This does not rest well with Tecza's parent-appointed fiance Guatemoco (Theodore Kosloff), who prepares to sacrifice Alvarado to the Aztec gods. To save her sweetheart, Tecza leads Cortez' army into battle against her own father. The price of her devotion to Alvarado is the total destruction of the Aztec empire, but rather than die herself (which would seem to be the logical denouement given the sequence of events), Tecza is permitted to live happily onward with her one true love. Though she was not exactly sylphlike, opera diva Geraldine Farrar wore her revealing costumes quite well, establishing a precedent for such later underdressed DeMille leading ladies as Gloria Swanson, Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1916
One of the few opera divas to achieve success on the silent screen (due in part to her affable, non-diva temperament), Geraldine Farrar was starred in several Cecil B. DeMille productions, the third of which was 1916's Maria Rosa. Adapted by C.B.'s brother William C. DeMille from a play by Angel Guimara, the film starred Farrar as the title character, a Catalonian peasant girl. Local vintner Andreas (Wallace Reid) and his "pal" Ramon (Pedro de Cordoba) are both madly in love with Maria Rosa. When Ramon stabs and kills another man, Andreas is arrested for the crime. Maria Rosa promises to wait for Andrea, but Ramon convinces her that her sweetheart has died behind bars. Paroled for conspicuous bravery during a prison riot, Andreas arrives in time to prevent Maria Rosa from marrying the treacherous Ramon -- and, as a bonus, is present at Ramon's own sticky demise at the hands of the heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A sweeping chronicle of the life and death of Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orlean, this epic stands as one of director Cecil B. DeMille's finest works and offers film buffs a fascinating look into the early years of one of Hollywood's greats. The story of the valiant French martyr is framed by the modern tale of a British soldier who, while fighting WW I, digs up a rusted 15th century sword. Soon afterward he falls asleep and begins dreaming that he is a soldier in Joan's army. With a cast of 1,400 extras, full-sized sets, spectacular battle scenes and hand-tinted prints, DeMille spared no expense with his epic and though the $300,000 seems paltry by today's filmmaking standards, it was a fortune in 1916. It was money well spent for Joan the Woman stand's times test as an exceptional example of the epic film. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1915
The Paramount version of Carmen had Cecil B. DeMille directing, prima donna Geraldine Farrar in her film debut, recreating a role she had already excelled at on stage -- and, as a bonus, the handsome Wallace Reid as Carmen's lover, Don Jose. How could the Fox version starring Theda Bara (which was released the same week) compete? Because of its star, DeMille's Carmen stuck closer to the Bizet opera than to the Prosper Merimee novel -- after a nasty fight with another girl at the cigarette factory, Carmen is handed over to officer Don Jose. But he falls in love with her and she convinces him to let her go. She runs off with a band of Gypsies, followed by Don Jose, who has been disgraced. But Carmen couldn't care less -- she finds a new lover in matador Escamillo (Pedro deCordoba). In a fit of jealous passion, Don Jose fatally stabs the unrepentant Carmen at the bullring. Farrar was a natural in front of the camera and with this picture, she made a broad leap from opera star to film star. Both this film and Fox's Carmen received glowing reviews, but the overall consensus was that Farrar's performance beat out Bara's. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
- 1915
Famed opera singer Geraldine Farrar had just recently achieved silent film stardom with Carmen (a part she had also sung on stage). She and producer/director Cecil B. DeMille teamed up again for yet another success with Temptation. Farrar, rather predictably, plays aspiring opera singer Renée Duprée. Renée and Julian (Pedro de Cordoba), an aspiring young composer, are in love. A wealthy impresario (Theodore Roberts) lusts after Renée, but she resists him. When Julian becomes seriously ill, however, she considers giving in to the impresario to get the money needed for Julian's medical bills. Before Renée succumbs, however, the impresario is killed by a jealous girlfriend. After Renée is cleared of any wrongdoing, she and Julian look to a brighter future. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
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