The White Sister (1923)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Francis Marion Crawford (novel)
George V. Hobart (writer) ...

Release Date:

1925 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

LILLIAN GISH! What a flood of pleasant memories rushes along at the mere mention of her name! YOU sympathized with her in "The Birth of a Nation." YOU suffered with her in "Hearts of the World." YOU pitied her in "Broken Blossoms." YOU cried over her in "Orphans of the Storm." YOU actually cheered her in "Way Down East." Now when you see her in Henry King's production of "The White Sister" you will be thrilled, captivated, and exalted as never before.

Plot:

Lillian Gish is the daughter of a rich Italian count who is killed in a fall from his horse. Though Lillian stands to inherit a large estate...

Plot Keywords:

Italy | Nun | Catholic Priest | Priest | Nunhood

Cast

Lillian Gish	...	Angela Chiaromonte
Ronald Colman	...	Capt. Giovanni Severini
Gail Kane	...	Marchesa di Mola
J. Barney Sherry	...	Monsignor Saracinesca
Charles Lane	...	Prince Chiaromonte
Juliette La Violette	...	Madame Bernard
Gustavo Serena	...	Prof. Ugo Severi (as Signor Serena)
Alfredo Bertone	...	Filmore Durand
Roman Ibanez	...	Count del Ferice
Alfredo Martinelli	...	Alfredo del Ferice
Ida Carloni Talli	...	Mother Superior (as Carloni Talli)
Giovanni Viccola	...	Gen. Mazzini
Antonio Barda	...	Alfredo's Tutor
Giacomo D'Attino	...	Solicitor to the Prince
Michele Gualdi	...	Solicitor to Count

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Algeria

Company:

Inspiration Pictures

Trivia:

First film of Charles Lane.

Movie Connections:

Version of The White Sister (1915)

No-one Can Suffer As Convincingly As Lillian Gish!

Assisted by luminous photography and Henry King's sympathetic direction, Lillian Gish delivers a most compelling performance in this lavish production, filmed entirely in Italy. True, she has excellent support from subdued yet charming Ronald Colman, chillingly malevolent Gail Kane, J. Barney Sherry and others, but it's Miss Gish's movie and she makes the most of it.

Camera-wise, King's direction is very static, but nonetheless engaging. He not only has an eye for the pictorial values of his sets and locations, but adroitly maintains audience interest at a high level through the various predictable turns of the plot, although the long-awaited climax proves somewhat disappointing and lacks spectacle.