The Dancers (1925 film)

The Dancers
The Dancers
	Still with George O'Brien and Alma Rubens
Directed by	Emmett J. Flynn
Written by	Edmund Goulding
Based on	The Dancers; by Gerald du Maurier and Viola Tree
Produced by	William Fox
Starring	George O'Brien; Alma Rubens; Madge Bellamy
Cinematography	Paul Ivano ; Ernest Palmer
Production; company	Fox Film Corp.
Distributed by	Fox Film Corp.
Release date	January 4, 1925;
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

The Dancers is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring George O'Brien, Alma Rubens, and Madge Bellamy.^[1] It is an adaptation of the 1923 play The Dancers by Viola Tree and Gerald du Maurier. It was remade by Fox Film five years later as a sound film The Dancers.^[2]

Plot[edit]

As described in a review in a film magazine,^[3] Tony (O'Brien) and Una (Bellamy) are childhood sweethearts in England and vow to marry when they grow up. Tony leaves to make his fortune in South America and finally becomes the owner of a saloon and dance hall in Argentina. Tango dancer Maxine (Rubens), who works in the dance hall, falls in love with him, and he is attracted to her, but the memory of his childhood sweetheart is always before him and he remains true to her. Una grows up as a devotee of jazz and wild parties and forgets about Tony. Her life is one continual round of dancing and drinking. One night she is taunting Evan (Wood), an easy-going sweetheart, and are then are giving away in a moment of passion brought on by the madness of dancing and Champaign. When Tony's uncle, he inherits his wealth and title, so he returns to London to claim Una. Una's aunt persuades her to keep her secrets, and Una prepares for the wedding. When Tony tells her of how he has remained true to her, she becomes near-hysterical as she realizes what her folly has led to. While the wedding crowd waiting at the church, she realizes she cannot go through with it. Una confesses her transgression to Tony and he forgives her, but she has taken poison and dies. Tony finally wanders back to his old place in Argentina and finds solace in marrying Maxine.

Cast[edit]

George O'Brien as Tony
Alma Rubens as Maxine
Madge Bellamy as Una
Templar Saxe as Fothering
Joan Standing as Pringle
Alice Hollister as Mrs. Mayne
Freeman Wood as Evan Caruthers
Walter McGrail as The Argentine
Noble Johnson as Ponfilo
Tippy Grey as Captain Bassil

Preservation[edit]

Prints of The Dancers are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and George Eastman Museum,^[4] and the film has been released on DVD.

References[edit]

^ Kennedy p. 303
^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Dancers at silentera.com
^ Sewell, Charles S. (January 24, 1925). "The Dancers; William Fox Offers Dramatic and Colorful Adoption of Play with Sensational Theme". The Moving Picture World. 72 (4). New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co.: 350. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^ Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Dancers

Bibliography[edit]

Matthew Kennedy. Edmund Goulding's Dark Victory: Hollywood's Genius Bad Boy. Terrace Books, 2004.

External links[edit]

The Dancers at IMDb
Synopsis at AllMovie

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[1] Kennedy p. 303

[2] Progressive Silent Film List: The Dancers at silentera.com

[MPBW-3] Sewell, Charles S. (January 24, 1925). "The Dancers; William Fox Offers Dramatic and Colorful Adoption of Play with Sensational Theme". The Moving Picture World. 72 (4). New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co.: 350. Retrieved July 23, 2021.

[4] Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Dancers

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