Ramona (1928 film)
| Ramona | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Edwin Carewe |
| Written by | Finis Fox |
| Starring | Dolores del Río Warner Baxter |
| Cinematography | Robert Kurrle |
| Edited by | Jeanne Spencer |
| Music by | "Ramona" by Mabel Wayne and L. Wolfe Gilbert |
Production company | Inspiration Pictures |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Ramona is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Edwin Carewe,[1] based on Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel Ramona, and starring Dolores del Rio and Warner Baxter. This was the first United Artists film with a synchronized score and sound effects[citation needed], but no dialogue, and so was not a talking picture.
The novel had been previously filmed by D. W. Griffith in 1910 with Mary Pickford, remade in 1916 with Adda Gleason, and again in 1936 with Loretta Young.
Cast
- Dolores del Río as Ramona
- Warner Baxter as Alessandro
- Roland Drew as Felipe
- Vera Lewis as Señora Moreno
- Michael Visaroff as Juan Canito
- John T. Prince as Father Salvierderra
- Mathilde Comont as Marda
- Carlos Amor as Sheepherder
- Jess Cavin as Bandit Leader
- Rita Carewe as Baby
Production
Parts of the film were shot in Zion National Park, Springdale, and Cedar Breaks National Monument, all in Utah.[2]: 286
Reception
Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times found much to praise in what he called "an Indian love lyric": "This current offering is an extraordinarily beautiful production, intelligently directed and, with the exception of a few instances, splendidly acted. The scenic effects are charming.... The different episodes are told discreetly and with a good measure of suspense and sympathy. Some of the characters have been changed to enhance the dramatic worth of the picture, but this is pardonable, especially when one considers this subject as a whole."[3]
Preservation status
For decades, Ramona was thought to be lost until archivists rediscovered it in the Národní Filmový Archiv in Prague in 2010. The Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division of the Library of Congress later transferred Ramona’s highly flammable original nitrate film to acetate safety stock.
The restored version of the 1928 film had its world premiere in the Billy Wilder Theater at the University of California, Los Angeles on March 29, 2014. Carewe's older brother Finis Fox had written Ramona's screenplay and created its intertitles.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "Progressive Silent Film List: Ramona". Silent Era. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
- ^ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood Came to Town: a History of Moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 978-14-2360-5874.
- ^ Mordaunt Hall, "An Indian Love Lyric", New York Times, May 15, 1928, accessed February 1, 2011
- ^ Aleiss, Angela (March 27, 2014). "Recovered and Restored: Ramona, Silent Movie by Chickasaw Filmmaker". Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
External links
