''The Battle Cry of Peace'' is a 1915 American silent

War film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by

Wilfrid North Wilfrid North (16 January 1863 – 3 June 1935), also spelled Wilfred North, was an Anglo-American film director, actor, and writer of the silent film era. He directed 102 films, including short films; acted in 43 films; and wrote the story for ...

and

J. Stuart Blackton James Stuart Blackton (January 5, 1875 – August 13, 1941) was a British-American film producer and director of the silent era. One of the pioneers of motion pictures, he founded Vitagraph Studios in 1897. He was one of the first filmmakers to ...

, one of the founders of

Vitagraph Company of America Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

who also wrote the scenario. The film is based on the book ''Defenseless America'', by Hudson Maxim, and was distributed by

V-L-S-E, Incorporated Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

. The film stars Charles Richman, L. Rogers Lytton, and James W. Morrison. Alternate titles for this film were ''A Call to Arms'' and ''The Battle Cry of War''. In the UK, the film was called ''An American Home''. A sequel followed in 1917, '' Womanhood, the Glory of the Nation''.

Plot

In a war-torn world, Enemy agents under the leadership of "Emanon" conspire with pacifists to keep the American defense appropriations down at a time when forces of the enemy are preparing to invade. The invasion comes, and New York, Washington, and other American cities are devastated and the enemies take over the country

Book version

In the same year,

published the book version of ''The Battle Cry of Peace'' with pictures from the film version. The book has nothing to do with '' Defenseless America'' by Hudson Maxim.

Significance

Upon its release, the film generated a controversy rivaling that of ''

The Birth of a Nation ''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Clan ...

'' because it was considered to be militaristic propaganda. Producer Stuart Blackton believed that the US should join the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

involved in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

overseas, and that was why he made the film. Former President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

was one of the film's staunchest supporters, and he persuaded Gen. Leonard Wood to lend Blackton an entire regiment of Marines to use as extras.

Production

The film was released by VLSE Incorporated Blue Ribbon Featureand premiered in New York on August 6, 1915, at the Vitagraph Theater (formerly the Criterion Theater). The film is also known under the title ''A Call to Arms Against War'' or ''The Battle Cry of War''. The copyright, requested by The Vitagraph Co. of America, was registered on November 10, 1915, under number LP6935. In the UK, the film was released as An American Home. In 1917, a sequel was made to '' Womanhood, the Glory of the Nation'' which was directed by William P. S. Earle alongside James Stuart Blackton. In Italy, it was initially censored in August 1916, but managed to obtain clearance for distribution in February 1917; it was distributed by the Lombard Monopoly. In 1917, when the United States entered the war, the film was reissued in a modified version which was given the title ''The Battle Cry of War''.

Cast

* Charles Richman – John Harrison * L. Rogers Lytton – Mr. Emanon * James W. Morrison – Charley Harrison * Mary Maurice – Mrs. Harrison *

Louise Beaudet Marie Louise Anna Beaudet (December 5, 1859 – December 31, 1947) was a Canadian actress, singer and dancer for more than 50 years, starred in stage productions ranging from comic opera to Shakespeare, as well as music-hall and vaudeville, a ...

– Mrs. Vandergriff * Harold Hubert – John Vandergriff * Jack Crawford – Poet Scout * Charles Kent – The Master * Julia Swayne Gordon – Magdalen * Belle Bruce – Alice Harrison * Norma Talmadge – Virginia Vandergriff * Lucille Hammill – Dorothy Vandergriff * Evart Overton – Vandergriff's son * George Stevens – Butler *

Thais Lawton Thais Lawton (June 18, 1879 — December 18, 1956) was an American actress. Early life Eugenia (or Eugenie) Thais Lawton was raised and educated in Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of Joseph Eugene Lawton and Caroline Thais Magrane; her fat ...

– Columbia * Lionel Braham – The War Monster * William J. Ferguson –

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

Paul Scardon Paul Scardon (6 May 1874 – 17 January 1954) was an actor, a producer, and a director on both Australian and New York stages. When he was 15, Scardon debuted on stage as a contortionist in vaudeville. He progressed from that to pantomime and t ...

–

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...

Joseph Kilgour Joseph Kilgour (11 July 1863 – 21 April 1933) was a Canadian actor of the silent film era. He was a well-known veteran stage actor in Broadway theatre before entering silent films. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1909 and 1926. Kil ...

–

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

Status

The majority of the film is now considered

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

. The Cinemateket-Svenska Filminstitutet possesses one reel. Fragments of footage of battle scenes survive and are housed at the

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

.''The Battle Cry of Peace'' at silentera.com
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References

External links

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Film poster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Cry of Peace, The 1915 films 1915 lost films 1915 war films American black-and-white films American silent feature films American war films Fictional depictions of Abraham Lincoln in film Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by J. Stuart Blackton Lost American films Lost war films Vitagraph Studios films American World War I films 1910s American films