Florence Vidor Movies

Very freely based upon the book by Thomas DeQuincey, Confessions of an Opium Eater is set in San Francisco during the Tong Wars of the 1800s. Lotus is one of a group of women kidnapped from China and brought to the United States, where they are to be traded in exchange for precious opium. Fortunately, Lotus and her compatriots are rescued by mysterious benefactors and are spirited away. Soon after, DeQuincey sneaks into Chinatown and contacts a merchant by the name of Chin Foon. Both men share the mark of the Moon Serpent, signifying that they work for the enigmatic Ling Tang, who is the mastermind behind the human auctions. Foon instructs DeQuincey to locate Lotus. He finds her but tries to escape with her, rather than handing her over to Foon. His treachery is discovered, and he admits that he is working for both sides in the Tong conflict. He escapes and, stumbling through the bowels of Chinatown, discovers many other bizarre secrets. He also learns that another of Tang's employees, Ruby Low, is not as loyal as supposed. DeQuincey continues prowling around Chinatown; obviously, he has some sort of plan in mind – but what is it? And who is he really working for? ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Ernst Lubitsch, well-known for his sophisticated romantic comedies, proved that he was equally adept at historical drama in this lavishly-mounted story. Count Pahlen (Lewis S. Stone) is a close and trusted friend of Paul I (Emil Jannings), a Russian Czar of the 18th century. Russia is in turmoil and the czar fears for his life; while Pahlen holds a fierce loyalty to Paul I as both a friend and a ruler, he is deeply troubled by the czar's increasingly violent tirades, unstable leadership, and the desperate poverty of many of his countrymen. Stefan (Harry Cording) -- a guard at the czar's palace who has been mistreated by Paul I -- and Mlle. Lapoukhine (Vera Voronina), the czar's lover, become involved in a plot to assassinate the ruler. Pahlen agrees to help them, though not without severe misgivings as he betrays a friend for the good of his native land. Shot as a silent feature while sound films were beginning to take over, The Patriot features several scenes with dialogue that were added without Lubitsch's participation shortly before its release; the finished product earned five Academy Award nominations, with Hanns Kraly winning an Oscar for his screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

"Doomsday" is the name of a valuable patch of British farm property owned by self-made millionaire Percival Fream (Lawrence Grant). Impoverished aristocrat Mary Viner (Florence Vidor) lives in a cottage on Fream's property, with her aged and infirm father Captain Viner (Charles A. Stevenson). Another tenant of Doomsday is young farmer Arnold Furze (Gary Cooper), who tills the land with pride, even though he doesn't own it. Fream hopes to make Mary his wife as proof that he's "arrived" in society, but she falls in love with Furze. Even so, Mary can't resist the creature comforts offered her by Fream, so she marries him instead of the man she truly loves. Eventually, Mary realizes that her marriage is a mistake, and after the death of her father she asks for an annulment. Knowing full well that Fream will cut her off without a cent, Mary shows up at Furze's doorstep, humbly offering her services as his housekeeper. Though still feeling betrayed by Mary, Furze accepts her offer, and soon this "business arrangement" rekindles their love. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A French play by Georges Berr and Henri Verneuil was the source for Paramount's The World at Her Feet. The ever-glamorous Florence Vidor stars as the wife of busy businessman Richard Tucker. In a reversal of the usual situation, it is the wife, not the husband, who is the neglectful one. As hubby sits at home twiddling his thumbs, Vidor starts her own prosperous business, becoming so absorbed that she has no time for anything else. Not unexpectedly, Tucker begins keeping time with a gorgeous blonde, whereupon Vidor wins back her mate by simultaneously inaugurating an affair with the blonde's husband. Realizing that she's been Wrong All Along, Vidor vows to be a more attentive spouse in the future. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rita Farrell (Florence Vidor) and John Bruce (Theodore von Eltz) want nothing more out of life than to get married. Unfortunately, the road to the altar is festooned with unexpected obstacles, both natural and man-made. The limit comes when Rita, left in charge with a group of children, is quarantined with the kids during a smallpox epidemic. Forbidden to visit Rita, John seeks solace elsewhere, briefly finding it in the arms of a flirtatious flapper. Upon being released from quarantine, Rita has to draw upon every feminine wile in the book to win her boyfriend back. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on a novel by Francis Brett Young, Sea Horses stars Florence Vidor as Helen Salvia, who is deserted early on by her no-good husband Lorenzo (William Powell). With her 4-year-old daughter Cina (Mary Dow) in tow, Helen heads to a sinister African port town in search of her husband. During the long ocean voyage, Helen is lusted after by two of the deckhands, Cochran (George Bancroft) and Harvey (Alan Simpson). Ship's captain George Glanville (Jack Holt) is also attracted to the heroine, but he's too much the gentleman to put the moves on her. At film's end, it is Glanville, with the unexpected aid of Cochran, who rescues Helen from her vicious husband. The film's highlight is a storm-at-sea sequence, a near flawless combination of scale models and miniatures. Sea Horses was directed by the talented Allan Dwan, whose self-styled "artlessness" was an art form in itself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After making one unsuccessful film (The Cat's Pajamas), director William Wellman was in danger of being fired by his new employers at Paramount. He made a rousing comeback with You Never Know Women. Written by the Hungarian-born Ernest Vajda, it involves a Russian theatrical troupe of acrobats, clowns and magicians. There is a romance between two of the troupe's members, Norodin (Clive Brook) and his partner Vera (Florence Vidor). Something truly magical exists between them, but their connection is interrupted by the wealthy and devious Eugene Foster (Lowell Sherman). Foster pretended to have saved Vera from a falling beam at a construction site, when it was actually one of the workers who pulled her to safety. Norodin, believing that Vera prefers Foster, decides to bow out. He fakes his death during a Houdini-like stunt in which he's manacled and locked in a trunk that's thrown into a river. He swims away, but everyone believes that he has drowned.

With her partner gone, Vera realizes how much he meant to her, so she tells Foster she is through with him. Foster angrily attacks her, and she wrestles away, running through the backstage area in search of a place to hide. She finds Norodin's trick cabinet just as Norodin, who has heard about Vera's grieving, returns to the theater. She runs into the cabinet, there is a blast of smoke, and Foster finds himself faced with Norodin, who, with a few knife tricks, chases him off. Beautiful lighting and camera work by Victor Milner, spare use of sub-titles, and Wellman's skillful handling of the actors all conspire to make this a wonderful example of silent film technique. Paramount was so happy with this feature (and its earnings) that they gave Wellman another film to direct -- Wings -- and a 25-dollar-a-week raise. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Though his career went into decline in the talkie era, director Mal St. Clair was responsible for some of the funniest, frothiest film fare of the 1920s. Based on a tried-and-true stage play by Alfred Savoir, The Grand Duchess and the Waiter stars Florence Vidor and Adolphe Menjou as the title characters. Menjou isn't really a waiter at all, but a Parisian millionaire in disguise. He poses as one of the hired help so as to come into close proximity with the love of his life, beautiful noblewoman Vidor. The stars work together as copacetically here as they did in another classic Mal St. Clair-directed silent, Are Parents People? (1925). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Betty Bronson, who found overnight success when she played the title character in Peter Pan, has the ingenue lead in this curiously named domestic drama. Mr. and Mrs. Hazlitt (Adolphe Menjou and Florence Vidor) have never learned the give and take of a marriage relationship and have decided to divorce for reasons of incompatibility. Their daughter, Lita (Bronson), is away at boarding school, and she's devastated by the news. She read that estranged parents can be brought back together if their child is in danger, and she decides to use this to her advantage. When she is accused of writing a romantic letter to a movie star that her roommate actually penned, she writes a suicide note and runs away from the school. While her parents are in a panic over her whereabouts, she is sleeping in the easy chair of Dr. Dacer (Lawrence Grey), the handsome young physician at the girls' school. Dacer is not even aware that she's there until the morning, when he finds her. By that time, the Hazlitts have reconciled, and Dacer proposes to Lita. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Produced but not directed by Cecil B. DeMille, The Coming of Amos nevertheless has many earmarks of a typical DeMille film, including a climax straight out of a gaslit melodrama. Rod LaRocque plays Amos Burden, a handsome Australian who takes a Riviera vacation. Here he falls in love with White Russian princess Jetta Goudal, who is tricked into marriage by lecherous Noah Beery. When Goudal declares her devotion to Amos, Beery spirits her away to his castle by the sea. She spurns his advances, whereupon Beery locks Goudal in the cellar and opens the floodgates, allowing the water to slowly pour in. "My last wife changed her mind down here!" leers Beery as Goudal screams for assistance. Amos comes dashing to Goudal's rescue in a thrilling finale that has since been excerpted in several compilation films (and is seldom taken seriously by modern audiences). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Lewis Stone (the future Judge Hardy) is the leading man, Florence Vidor co-stars as his wife, and Lew Cody portrays the other man, you've obviously got a quality silent feature. James Livingston (Stone) has been married to Grace (Vidor) long enough to take her for granted. Grace, on her end, is allowing herself to become drab. When Livingston suggests that his wife might do something to brighten up her appearance, she eagerly dolls up like a flapper. Livingston is not thrilled with the changes she has made, but his friend, Rex Phillips (Cody), thinks it's great. He starts seeing Grace on the sly, and eventually Livingston finds out. He and Grace agree to a divorce, but just as she is about to marry Phillips, Livingston has a change of heart. He realizes that he really loves Grace after all and he literally drags her from the altar to remarry her himself. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Viennese doctor Monte Blue is madly in love with his wife Florence Vidor--so much so that many suspect that they aren't married at all! Vidor's best friend Marie Prevost is an incurable coquette; Marie's divorce-bound husband Adolphe Menjou hires detective Harry Myers to keep tabs on his wife. Inevitably, Prevost meets and flirts with the true-blue Blue. Meanwhile, Blue's lecherous partner Creighton Hale sets his sights on innocent Vidor. Thanks to the misunderstandings of detective Myers, both Blue and Vidor are suspected of infidelity, but all ends well as doctor and wife are reunited and Prevost ends up with her male counterpart Hale. The first of Ernst Lubitsch's sophisticated sex farces, The Marriage Circle was reportedly Lubitsch's favorite film; he would remake it (and improve upon it tenfold) in 1932 as the sprightly musical One Hour With You, with Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. Both original and remake were based on Only a Dream, a play by Lothar Schmidt. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Although John Greenleaf Whittier wrote the poem Barbara Frietchie, it was actually the Clyde Fitch play that served as inspiration for both this and the 1915 film by the same name. In the days before the Civil War, southerner Barbara Frietchie (Florence Vidor) falls in love with Captain Trumbull (Edmund Lowe), a northern friend of her brother, Arthur (Charles Delaney). But when the war between the states breaks out, Trumbull must fight for the North. His troops take over Frederickstown, where the Frietchies live, and Barbara discovers her love for him overrides her feelings for the Confederacy. The couple goes to Hagerstown to marry, but a Confederate advance prevents the wedding. Arthur Frietchie wounds Trumbull and takes him into his own home. Because she believes her sweetheart is dying, Barbara hangs the stars and stripes out the window as the Confederates march by. The crowd is furious, but Stonewall Jackson, impressed by her courage, announces that anyone who harms her is to be shot. One man, Trumbull's rival, Jack Negly (Joe Bennett), ignores the order and shoots Barbara. She is not seriously wounded, and she then discovers that Trumbull is still alive. She nurses him back to health, and after the war they are finally married. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi