''Who Is The Man?'' (1924) is a British

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

drama directed by

Walter Summers Walter Summers (1892–1973) was a British film director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Barnstaple to a family of actors, British motion picture director Walter Summers began his career in the family trade; his first contact with filmmaki ...

. The film was based on the successful French play ''Daniel'' by

Louis Verneuil Louis Jacques Marie Collin du Bocage (14 May 1893 – 3 November 1952), better known by the pen name Louis Verneuil, was a French playwright, screenwriter, and actor. Biography Born in Paris, Verneuil wrote approximately sixty plays and was be ...

and is notable as the first screen appearance of

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...

Plot

Daniel Arnault (Gielgud), an impecunious sculptor, is in love with the beautiful Genevieve (

Isobel Elsom Isobel Elsom (born Isabelle Reed; 16 March 1893 – 12 January 1981) was an English film, theatre, and television actress. She was often cast as aristocrats or upper-class women. Early years Born in Chesterton, Cambridge, Chesterton, C ...

). Spurred on by her mercenary and socially ambitious mother however, Genevieve consents to marry Daniel's wealthy brother Albert ( Langhorn Burton). In despair, Daniel sinks into drug addiction. The marriage is not a success, and Genevieve feels ignored and neglected by Albert. She begins a flirtation with family friend Maurice Granger (Lewis Drayton) and the pair gradually fall in love. One day Genevieve decides to pay a call on Daniel, and by chance meets Maurice who is also visiting. Unknown to Genevieve, Albert has become suspicious of her and has followed her to Daniel's studio. He shows up in a fury, and Daniel manages to hide Genevieve and Maurice. Knowing that Genevieve has been there, Albert accuses his brother of being her lover and attacks him brutally. Daniel fails to recover from the assault, and as he is dying he begs his brother to give Genevieve her freedom and allow her to go off with Maurice

Cast

as Daniel Arnault *

as Genevieve Arnault * Langhorn Burton as Albert Arnault * Lewis Dayton as Maurice Granger *

Henry Vibart Henry Vibart (25 December 1863 – 30 August 1943) was a Scottish stage and film actor, active from the 1880s until the early 1930s. He appeared in many theatrical roles in the UK and overseas, and featured in over 70 films of the silent era ...

as Doctor *

Hugh Dempster Hugh Dempster (3 August 1900 – 30 April 1987) was a British theatre and film actor. Born in London, Dempster made his stage debut in 1920, and began his screen career in the silent film era. His credits included ''Vice Versa'', ''Anna Karenin ...

as Robert Borden * Mary Rorke as Mrs. Gerard

Reception

Surviving reviews suggest that ''Who Is the Man?'' received a mixed reception from critics. While the standard of acting and the film's visuals were well-appreciated, it was generally felt that there were always going to be problems arising from trying to capture a wordy stage play in silent film form, with nuances of character and motivation inevitably being lost. A particular criticism was that the film's intertitles were not only excessive in number, but also written in a slipshod, clumsy and ungrammatical style.

Status

There is no record of the film having been seen after its original cinema release. The

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

has been unable to locate a print for inclusion in the National Archive, and has included it on the "

BFI 75 Most Wanted The BFI 75 Most Wanted is a list compiled in 2010 by the British Film Institute of the most sought-after British feature films not held in the BFI National Archive, and classified as "missing, believed lost". The films chosen range from quota qu ...

" list of missing British feature films.

References

External links