''Forbidden Paradise'' is a 1924 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

, directed by

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

, produced by

Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and ...

, and distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. The film is based on a 1922 Broadway play, ''The Czarina'', by

Edward Sheldon Edward Brewster Sheldon (Chicago, Illinois, February 4, 1886 – April 1, 1946, New York City) was an American dramatist. His plays include ''Salvation Nell'' (1908) and ''Romance'' (1913), which was made into a motion picture with Greta Garbo. ...

, who adapted the Hungarian-language book by

Melchior Lengyel Melchior Lengyel (born Menyhért Lebovics; hu, Lengyel Menyhért; 12 January 1880 – 23 October 1974) was a Hungarian writer, dramatist, and film screenwriter. Biography Lengyel was born Menyhért Lebovics in Balmazújváros, Hungary. He st ...

and

Lajos Bíró Lajos Bíró (; born Lajos Blau; 22 August 1880 – 9 September 1948) was a Hungarian novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who wrote many films from the early 1920s through the late 1940s. Life He was born in Nagyvárad, Kingdom of Hunga ...

. The play starred

Doris Keane Doris Keane (December 12, 1881 – November 25, 1945) was an American actress, primarily in live theatre. Early life and family Keane was born in Michigan to Joseph Keane and Florence Winter. She was educated privately in Chicago, New York, Pa ...

, in one of her last stage roles, as

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

costarred with Keane. The film stars

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Apolonia Chalupec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienne and femm ...

as Catherine the Great and

Rod La Rocque Roderick Ross La Rocque (November 29, 1898 – October 15, 1969) was an American actor. Biography La Rocque was born in Chicago, Illinois to Edmund La Rocque and Ann (née Rice) La Rocque. His father was of French-Canadian descent and his mo ...

in the Rathbone role.

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

makes his second appearance on film.

Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine, Catherine (Negri), the Czarina of a small European country, decides to give audience in person to the French Ambassador (Malatesta) when she learns he is a favorite with the Parisian ladies. In the meantime, Alexei (La Rocque), a young officer in a border town discovers a revolution is in progress and hurries to the palace, forcing an entrance into the Czarina’s presence. So impressed is she that she forgets the revolution and the Ambassador and bestows her favor on Alexei, who finds himself a popular favorite and is made captain of the royal guard. Alexei neglects his fiancé Anna (Starke), one of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting. At a banquet he discovers four other officers wearing the insignia of the queen’s favor and, when he reproaches her, she chides him to avoid scandal. Disillusioned, he joins the revolution and tells the queen she is under arrest. The Chamberlain has bought off the leaders and Alexei is court-martialed and sentenced to death. The Czarina, unable to win him back, graciously pardons him even knowing that he will marry Anna. The French Ambassador is ushered in and soon reappears wearing one of the telltale decorations.

Cast

as Catherine (the Czarina) *

as Capt. Alexei Czerny *

Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies. He appeared in such films as Charlie Chaplin's ''A Woman of Paris'', where he played the lead role; Stanley K ...

as Chancellor *

Pauline Starke Pauline Starke (January 10, 1901Some sources say she was born in 1900. – February 3, 1977) was an American silent-film actress. Early years Pauline Starke was born on January 10, 1901, in Joplin, Missouri, the daughter of George W. Starke ...

as Anna * Fred Malatesta as French ambassador *

Nick De Ruiz Nicholas De Ruiz (February, 1871 – June 21, 1959) was an American actor. He appeared in 36 films between 1920 and 1938. He was born in Santa Barbara, California and died in Los Angeles, California, aged 88. Selected filmography Ext ...

as The General *

Carrie Daumery Carrie Daumery (25 March 1863 – 1 July 1938) was a Belgian-born American film actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1908 and 1937. Personal life Daumery was the sister of violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. She was also the widow of B ...

as Lady-in-Waiting *

as Soldier in Czarina's guard (uncredited) *

Carlton Griffin Carlton Griffin (May 23, 1893 - July 24, 1940) was an American film actor. He appeared in over 50 films between the mid-1910s until 1940. In his first films, he was credited as C. Elliott Griffin or C. E. Griffin. He was born in New York, New Yo ...

as Officer (uncredited) * William Quinn (uncredited) *

Leo White Leo White (November 10, 1882 – September 20, 1948), Leo Weiss, was a German-born British-American film and stage actor who appeared as a character actor in many Charlie Chaplin films. Biography Born in Germany, White grew up in England where ...

as Driver (uncredited)

Preservation

Complete prints of ''Forbidden Paradise'' are located in the

George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection The George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection in Rochester, New York comprises about 28,000 titles, including features, shorts, documentaries, newsreels, and experimental moving images. The collection is renowned for its holdings of silent f ...

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...

Cinematek CINEMATEK (Dutch: Koninklijk Belgisch Filmarchief; French: Cinémathèque royale de Belgique; English: Royal Belgian Film Archive) is a film archive in Brussels, Belgium. The archive was established in 1938 under the name Royal Belgian Film Archi ...

, and

EYE Film Institute Netherlands Eye Filmmuseum is a film archive, museum, and cinema in Amsterdam that preserves and presents both Dutch and foreign films screened in the Netherlands. Location and history Eye Filmmuseum is located in the Overhoeks neighborhood of Amsterdam in ...

.Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''Forbidden Paradise''
/ref>

References

External links

* * 1924 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Ernst Lubitsch Films set in Russia American biographical drama films Films based on Hungarian novels American films based on plays 1920s biographical drama films Films about Catherine the Great Films based on adaptations 1924 drama films 1920s American films Silent American drama films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Preservation

See also

References

External links