The_Coward_(1915_film)

<i>The Coward</i> (1915 film)

The Coward (1915 film)

1915 film by Reginald Barker, Thomas H. Ince

The Coward is a 1915 American silent historical war drama film directed by Reginald Barker and produced by Thomas H. Ince. Ince also wrote the film's scenario with C. Gardner Sullivan, from a story Ince had bought from writer (and future director) Edward Sloman. The film stars Frank Keenan and Charles Ray.[2] John Gilbert also appears in an uncredited bit part.[3] A copy of The Coward is preserved at the Museum of Modern Art.[4]

Quick Facts The Coward, Directed by ...
Still of Charles Ray as Frank Winslow and Frank Keenan as Col. Jefferson Beverly Winslow.

Plot

During the American Civil War, a Virginia colonel forces at gunpoint his weak-willed son to enlist in the Confederate States Army. He is terrified by the war and deserts during a battle and struggles to overcome his cowardice.

Cast

Reception

The Coward was both a critical and financial success and helped to launch Charles Ray's career.[3]

Criticism

Unusually at the time, the main character is not presented as a gallant Southerner who is eager to fight in the war.[5]

The acting in this film was much more natural than earlier films, with cutting and camera angles helping the actor's use of facial expressions and pauses to convey dramatic tension.[6]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Taves, Brian (2012). Thomas Ince: Hollywood's Independent Pioneer. University Press of Kentucky. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-813-13422-2.
  2. [2]
    Langman, Larry; Ebner, David, eds. (2001). Hollywood's Image Of the South: A Century Of Southern Films. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 23. ISBN 0-313-31886-7.
  3. [3]
    Golden, Eve (2013). John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-0-813-14163-3.
  4. [4]
    The Coward at silentera.com
  5. [5]
    Campbell, Jr., Edward D. C. (1981). The Celluloid South: Hollywood and the Southern Myth. University of Tennessee Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-87049-327-2.
  6. [6]
    Bowser, Eileen (1994). The Transformation of Cinema. University of California Press. p. 57. ISBN 0-520-08534-5.
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