''Big Brother'' is a 1923 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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan was ...

and written by

Rex Beach Rex Ellingwood Beach (September 1, 1877 – December 7, 1949) was an American novelist, playwright, and Olympic water polo player. Early life Rex Beach was born in Atwood, Michigan, and moved to Tampa, Florida, with his family where his father ...

and

Paul Sloane Paul Sloane (April 16, 1893 November 15, 1963) was an American screenwriter and film director. Biography Born in New York City on April 16, 1893, Sloane directed 26 films from 1925 to 1952, and wrote or co-wrote 35 films. His movies include ...

. The film stars Tom Moore, Edith Roberts,

Raymond Hatton Raymond William Hatton (July 7, 1887 – October 21, 1971) was an American film actor who appeared in almost 500 motion pictures. Biography Hatton was born in Red Oak, Iowa. His physician father steered him toward a career in medicine. Howe ...

, Joe King, Mickey Bennett, Charles Henderson, and

Paul Panzer Paul Wolfgang Panzerbeiter (November 3, 1872 – August 16, 1958), known professionally as Paul Panzer, was a German-American silent film actor. He appeared in more than 330 films between 1905 and 1952. Biography Panzer was born in Würzburg ...

. The film was released on December 23, 1923, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. ''Big Brother'' was shot at the

Astoria Studios The Kaufman Astoria Studios is a film studio located in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The studio was constructed for Famous Players–Lasky in 1920, since it was close to Manhattan's Theater District. The property was ta ...

with extensive

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. When filmmaking professionals refer to shooting "on location", they are ...

around

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Noted at the time for its realism, it is now considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

. It was

remade Bas-Lag is a fictional universe in which several of China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic (referred to as thaumaturgy) and steampunk technology exist, and where many intelligent races live. This world and the nove ...

as a

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

in 1931 as ''

Young Donovan's Kid ''Young Donovan's Kid'' is a 1931 American pre-Code melodrama film directed by Fred Niblo, from a screenplay by J. Walter Ruben, based upon the short story, ''Big Brother'', by Rex Beach. It was a remake of a 1923 silent film of the same, pro ...

''.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, Jimmy Donovan, gang leader in the East Side of New York City, protects Midge Murray when the latter's brother is slain. Jim decides that he must reform and bring up Midge decently. However, a court takes possession of Midge away from him. Jim, disgusted, plans a raid but then abandons the idea. His gang commits a robbery, and Jim and his girlfriend Kitty are accused of it. Jim escapes, recovers the loot and custody of Midge, and wins back the affection of Kitty.

Cast

Preservation

With no prints of ''Big Brother'' located in any film archives,The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Big Brother''
/ref> it is a lost film.

References

Bibliography

* Lombardi, Frederic (2013). ''Allan Dwan and the Rise and Decline of the Hollywood Studios''. McFarland & Company .

External links

*
Lantern slide and window card
1923 films 1920s English-language films Silent American drama films 1923 drama films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Allan Dwan American black-and-white films Lost American drama films American silent feature films Films based on works by Rex Beach Films shot at Astoria Studios 1923 lost films English-language drama films 1920s American films Lost silent American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub