''Classmates'' 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 ...

starring

Richard Barthelmess Richard Semler Barthelmess (May 9, 1895 – August 17, 1963) was an American film actor, principally of the Hollywood silent era. He starred opposite Lillian Gish in D. W. Griffith's '' Broken Blossoms'' (1919) and '' Way Down East'' (1920) and ...

, produced by his company Inspiration Pictures, and distributed by

Associated First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

. The film was directed by

John S. Robertson John Stuart Robertson (14 June 1878 – 5 November 1964) was a Canadian born actor and later film director perhaps best known for his 1920 screen adaptation of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', starring John Barrymore. Biography Robertson was born ...

and starred

and a still teenaged

Madge Evans Madge Evans (born Margherita Evans; July 1, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American stage and film actress.Obituary '' Variety'', April 29, 1981. She began her career as a child performer and model. Biography Child model and stage actress ...

. The film is based on a popular 1907 play by

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

and Margaret Turnbull. The play was previously filmed in 1908 and

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It also saw the first airline to provide schedule ...

Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine, Duncan Irving, Jr. (Barthelmess), son of the village postmaster in a small Carolina town, is admitted to

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

. He is in love with Sylvia Randolph (Evans), whose family are wealthy snobs, and her cousin, Bert (Sheffield), openly insults Duncan. When Duncan is in the graduation class, Bert comes to West Point and resents being ordered about by the upper classmen, especially Duncan, who he considers his social inferior. Finally, he insults Duncan, who strikes him. Feigning blindness, he finally leaves the academy and goes on an expedition in the jungles of South America after giving Sylvia an erroneous account of the fight. Duncan, who has become an engineer, meets Sylvia, who refuses to listen to his explanation and tells him she is engaged to Bert. Word comes that Bert and his companion were lost in the jungle and probably died. To clear himself, Duncan and his pals go to try and rescue Bert. They meet all kinds of hardships, including the desertion of their guides, but are finally rescued by one of the chaps left behind with the supplies. In the meantime, they have found Bert, still unrepentant. All return to the States and when Bert tells the real truth, Duncan is reinstated and when he gets his commission he marries Sylvia at West Point.

Cast

Preservation

With no copies of ''Classmates'' located in any film archives,The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Classmates''
/ref> it is a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy ...

References

External links

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Still
at silenthollywood.com 1924 films American silent feature films Films directed by John S. Robertson American black-and-white films Silent American drama films Lost American films 1924 drama films 1924 lost films Lost drama films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub